SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HANDLING SECONDARY NODE TRIGGERED

CONDITIONAL PRIMARY SECONDARY CELL CHANGE WITHIN CONDITIONAL

HANDOVER CONFIGURATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods for handling Secondary Node (SN) triggered conditional Primary Secondary Cell Change (CPC) within Conditional Handover (CHO) configuration.

BACKGROUND

In 3GPP Rel-12, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) feature Dual Connectivity (DC) was introduced, to enable the user equipment (UE) to be connected in two cell groups, each controlled by an LTE access node, which may include an eNodeB(s) (eNB), labelled as the Master eNB (MeNB) and the Secondary eNB (SeNB). The UE still only has one Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the network. In 3 ^rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), the DC solution has since then been evolved and is now also specified for New Radio (NR) as well as between LTE and NR. Multi -connectivity (MC) is the case when there are more than 2 nodes involved. With introduction of 5 ^th Generation (5G), the term Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) was defined as a generic term for all DC options which includes at least one NR access node. See, 3GPP TS 37.340. Using the MR-DC generalized terminology, the UE is connected in a Master Cell Group (MCG), controlled by the Master Node (MN), and in a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) controlled by a Secondary Node (SN).

Further, in MR-DC, when DC is configured for the UE, within each of the two cell groups, MCG and SCG, carrier aggregation (CA) may be used as well. In this case, within the MCG, controlled by the MN, the UE may use one Primary Cell (PCell) and one or more Secondary Cells (SCell(s)). And within the SCG, controlled by the SN, the UE may use one Primary SCell (PSCell, also known as the primary SCG cell in NR) and one or more SCell(s). FIGURE 1 illustrates the combined case of DC combined with CA in MR-DC. In NR, the PCell of a MCG or SCG is sometimes also referred to as the Special Cell (SpCell). Hence, the SpCell in the MCG is the PCell and the SpCell in the SCG is the PSCell.

There are different ways to deploy 5G network with or without interworking with LTE (also referred to as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)) and evolved packet core (EPC). In principle, NR and LTE can be deployed without any interworking, denoted by NR stand-alone (SA) operation, which is also known as Option 2. That is, the gNB in NR can be connected to 5G core network (5GC) and eNB in LTE can be connected to EPC with no interconnection between the two, which is also known as Option 1.

On the other hand, the first supported version of NR uses DC, denoted as E-UTRAN-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC), which is also known as Option 3 and is depicted in FIGURE 2. In such a deployment, DC between NR and LTE is applied, where the UE is connected with both the LTE radio interface (LTE Uu in FIGURE 2) to an LTE access node and the NR radio interface (NR Uu in FIGURE 2) to an NR access node. Further, in EN-DC, the LTE access node acts as the master node (in this case known as the Master eNB (MeNB)), controlling the MCG, and the NR access node acts as the secondary node (in this case sometimes also known as the Secondary gNB (SgNB)), controlling the SCG. The SgNB may not have a control plane connection to the core network (EPC) which instead is provided MeNB and in this case the NR. This is also called as “Non-standalone NR" or, in short, "NSA NR". In this case, the functionality of an NR cell is limited and would be used for connected mode UEs as a booster and/or diversity leg, but an RRC IDLE UE cannot camp on these NR cells.

With introduction of 5GC, other options may be also valid. As mentioned above, option 2 supports stand-alone NR deployment where gNB is connected to 5GC. Similarly, LTE can also be connected to 5GC using option 5 (also known as eLTE, E-UTRA/5GC, or LTE/5GC and the node can be referred to as an ng-eNB). In these cases, both NR and LTE are seen as part of the NG- RAN (and both the ng-eNB and the gNB can be referred to as NG-RAN nodes).

It is worth noting that, there are also other variants of DC between LTE and NR, which have been standardized as part of NG-RAN connected to 5GC. Under the MR-DC umbrella, we have:

• EN-DC (Option 3): LTE is the master node and NR is the secondary node (EPC CN employed, as depicted in FIGURE 2)

• NE-DC (Option 4): NR is the master node and LTE is the secondary (5GCN employed)

• NGEN-DC (Option 7): LTE is the master node and NR is the secondary (5GCN employed)

• NR-DC (variant of Option 2): Dual connectivity where both the master node, MN, controlling the MCG, and the secondary node, SN, controlling the SCG, are NR (5GCN employed, as depicted in FIGURE 3). Conditional Handover (CHO)

In 3 GPP Rel-16, the conditional handover was standardized as a solution to increase the robustness at handover (HO). In order to avoid the undesired dependence on the serving radio link upon the time (and radio conditions) where the UE should execute the handover, the possibility to provide Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling for the HO to the UE earlier was standardized. It is possible to associate the HO command with a condition such as, for example, based on radio conditions possibly similar to the ones associated to an A3 event, where a given neighbour becomes X db better than target. As soon as the condition is fulfilled, the UE executes the HO in accordance with the provided HO command.

Such a condition could, for example, be that the quality of the target cell or beam becomes X dB stronger than the serving cell. The threshold E used in a preceding measurement reporting event should then be chosen lower than the one in the HO execution condition. This allows the serving cell to prepare the HO upon reception of an early measurement report and to provide the RRCConnectionReconfiguration with mobilityControlInfo (or the RRCReconfiguration with reconfigurationWithSync) at a time when the radio link between the source cell and the UE is still stable. The execution of the HO is done at a later point in time (and threshold), which is considered optimal for the HO execution.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an example conditional HO execution with just a serving and a target cell. In practice, there may often be many cells or beams that the UE reported as possible candidates based on its preceding Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. The network should then have the freedom to issue conditional HO commands for several of those candidates. The RRCConnectionReconfigurationIRRCReconfiguration message for each of those candidates may differ not just concerning the target cell but also, for example, in terms of the HO execution condition (RS to measure and threshold to exceed) as well as in terms of the Random Access (RA) preamble to be sent when a condition is met.

While the UE evaluates the condition, it continues operating per its current RRC configuration, i.e., without applying the conditional HO command. When the UE determines that the condition is fulfilled, it disconnects from the serving cell, applies the conditional HO command and connects to the target cell. These steps are equivalent to the legacy H execution.

When the UE has successfully performed the random access procedure towards the target cell during a conditional HO or a normal HO, the UE then releases all the conditional reconfigurations that the UE has stored. The target cell may then configure new conditional reconfigurations to the UE if it is considered useful. Conditional PSCell Change (CPC) in 3GPP Rel- 16

A solution for Conditional PSCell Change (CPC) procedure was also standardized in Rel- 16. Therein, a UE operating in MR-DC receives in a conditional reconfiguration one or multiple RRC Reconfiguration(s) (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration message) containing an SCG configuration (e.g., an secondaryCellGroup of IE CellGroupConfig) with a reconfigurationWithSync that is stored and associated to an execution condition (e.g., a condition like an A3/A5 event configuration), so that one of the stored messages is only applied upon the fulfillment of the execution condition associated with the serving PSCell, upon which the UE would perform PSCell change (in case it finds a neighbour cell that is better than the current SpCell of the SCG). Only intra-SN CPC without MN involvement is standardized in 3GPP Rel-16for cases where the (candidate) target PSCells are located in the current serving SN.

Similar to conditional HO, in case a random access was performed for a target PSCell and the UE was configured with CPC, the UE then releases all the conditional reconfigurations that it has stored.

Conditional PSCell Addition (CPA) and inter-SN CPC in 3GPP Rel- 17

In 3GPP Rel-17, solutions for CPA and inter-SN CPC are being discussed and introduced. The CPA procedure is used for adding a PSCell/SCG to the configuration for a UE that is currently only configured with an MCG when associated execution conditions are fulfilled. CPA is initiated by the MN by requesting an SCG configuration, which is to be provided as part of a conditional reconfiguration to the UE, from a (candidate) target SN (T-SN), and then sending it in a conditional reconfiguration to the UE together with the associated execution conditions.

The inter-SN CPC can be initiated either by the MN or by the source SN (S-SN), where the signalling towards the source SN and the (candidate) target SNs, as well as towards the UE, in both cases is handled by the MN. One of the possible signalling sequences for configuration of an inter-SN CPC, which is initiated by the source SN, can be seen in the signaling flow in FIGURE 5, which illustrates inter-SN CPC in 3GPP Rel-17.

Also, for Rel-17 CPC/ CPA, the UE configured with CPC/CPA releases the CPC/CPA configurations when completing random access towards the target PSCell.

NR-DC with selective activation of the cell groups (at least for SCG) via L3 enhancements in 3GPP Rel-18 For 3GPP Rel-18 work is starting up to introduce enhancements for different mobility procedures, with a Work Item Description (WID). See, RP -213565, New WI: Further NR mobility enhancements, MediaTek, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #94e, Dec. 6 - 17, 2021. One of the current objectives is “to specify mechanism and procedures of NR-DC with selective activation of the cell groups (at least for SCG) via L3 enhancements”, which includes “to allow subsequent cell group change after changing CG without reconfiguration and re-initiation of CPC/CPA”.

It should thus be possible to perform a subsequent cell group change after a first cell group change, without reconfiguring or re-initiation CPC or CPA. This would then be done in order to reduce the interruption time and the signalling overhead for SCG changes, especially in the case of frequent SCG changes when operating in Frequency Range 2 (FR2) in NR, as compared to when these configurations are released when the UE completes random access towards the target PSCell, as in the previous releases.

CHO Including Target SCG

The 3GPP Rel-18 WID RP -213565 also contains an objective related to specifying CHO configuration including both target candidate MCG and target candidate SCG for CP AC:

To specify CHO including target MCG and candidate SCGs for CPC/CPA in NR-DC [RAN3, RAN2] o CHO including target MCG and target SCG is used as the baseline

The WID in RP-213565 also includes the following justification related to the above objective:

Currently, CHO and MR-DC cannot be configured simultaneously. This limits the usefulness of these two features when MR-DC is configured. If it is not completed in Rel-17, Rel-18 should specify mechanisms for CHO and MR-DC to be configured simultaneously. However, this alone may not be sufficient to optimize MR-DC mobility, as the radio link quality of the conditionally-configured PSCell may not be good enough or may not be the best candidate PSCell when the UE accesses the target PCell, and this may impact the UE throughput. To mitigate this throughput impact, Rel-18 CHO+MRDC can consider CHO including target MCG and multiple candidate SCGs for CPC/CPA. This means that a CHO configuration may contain CPC configurations. In this scenario, the UE will first apply the CHO configuration when the CHO conditions are fulfilled and then start monitoring the CPC conditions. In another interpretation, CHO may be configured together with CPC for joint evaluation, where both conditions need to be fulfilled before both CHO and CPC are executed.

There currently exist certain challenge(s), however. For example, in Rel-16 and Rel-17, conditional reconfigurations (e.g., CHO, CPC, CPA) are released by UE upon execution of any conditional reconfiguration (upon fulfillment of the execution condition monitored by the UE) or upon execution of reconfigurationWithSync (i.e., at HO or PSCell change (upon reception of the HO command)). This is a simple solution, but one problem is that, after the UE is in the new cell (e.g., after PSCell execution), the network may want to configure the UE again with new CPC candidates and may end up configuring cells that have been previously configured and whose configurations have been deleted.

One use case for CPC/CPA is that the radio conditions for the PSCell may change quickly, especially if the PSCell is on FR2. If a CHO configuration is applied and all other conditional reconfigurations are deleted, the radio conditions for the PSCell may have deteriorated too much before the network has had the chance to configure new CPC configurations or trigger PSCell change. This may cause failure of the SCG, leading to interruption of the communication towards the UE.

An obj ective in the Rel- 18 work item for Mobility, is that a CHO configuration may contain a CPC configuration that is still kept when the CHO is executed. A problem related to this is that an SN is not aware that an MN is a target candidate for CHO and will, thus, never trigger SN initiated CPC. The MN is aware of the CHO configuration and MN triggered CPC configuration is possible. FIGURES 6A and 6B illustrates a configuration of CHO containing MN-triggered CPC configurations.

However, it may be more beneficial to configure the UE with SN initiated CPC, as the CPC is related to mobility in the SN and the SN may have better information to provide the UE with relevant measurements and events in a measConfig for the SN. Also, it may be preferred that the SN controls the mobility in its own node since the resources belong to the SN. SN triggered CPC has, therefore, been specified. In those existing procedures, the SN sends a request to the MN to configure CPC. Applying this to the scenario of CHO containing CPC configurations would mean that the SN would send an SN Change Required. FIGURE 7 illustrates example signaling flow for CHO containing SN-initiated CPC configurations using existing messages. However, a S-SN candidate SN is not aware of that the MN is being configured as a target candidate MN for CHO. Thus, the S-SN candidate will not trigger SN-initiated CPC by sending SN Change Required, as shown in FIGURE 7.

SUMMARY

Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, methods and systems are disclosed enabling a target candidate MN to invite a target candidate SN to initiate SN-initiated CPC configuration for a UE.

According to certain embodiments, a method by a UE for SN- CPC within a CHO configuration during a handover of the UE from a source MN to a target MN candidate includes receiving, from a network node operating as the source MN, a first message including a CHO configuration and a CPC configuration. The CPC configuration is associated with the CHO configuration.

According to certain embodiments, a UE for SN- CPC within a CHO configuration during a handover of the UE from a source MN to a target MN candidate is adapted to receive, from a network node operating as the source MN, a first message including a CHO configuration and a CPC configuration. The CPC configuration is associated with the CHO configuration.

According to certain embodiments, a method by a network node operating as a source MN for SN initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a handover of a UE from the source MN to a target MN candidate includes transmitting, to the UE, a first message comprising a CHO configuration and a CPC target configuration. The CPC target configuration is associated with the CHO configuration.

According to certain embodiments, a network node operating as a source MN for SN initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a handover of a UE from the source MN to a target MN candidate is adapted to transmit, to the UE, a first message comprising a CHO configuration and a CPC target configuration. The CPC target configuration is associated with the CHO configuration

According to certain embodiments, a method by a first network node operating as a target MN candidate for SN initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a handover of a UE from a source MN to the target MN candidate includes receiving, from a second network node operating as a SN, a first message including a CPC configuration. The first network node transmits, to a third network node operating as a source MN, a second message comprising a CHO configuration and the CPC target configuration, wherein the CPC target configuration is associated with the CHO configuration. According to certain embodiments, a first network node operating as a target MN candidate for SN initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a handover of a UE from a source MN to the target MN candidate is adapted to receive, from a second network node operating as a SN, a first message including a CPC configuration. The first network node is adapted to transmit, to a third network node operating as a source MN, a second message, which includes a CHO configuration and the CPC target configuration. The CPC target configuration is associated with the CHO configuration.

Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. For example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of giving a target candidate SN the opportunity to configure a UE with CPC in an SN which is not yet connected to an MN that is connected to a UE. The MN may, however, soon receive an incoming UE and, if the SN has already prepared CPC configurations for the UE, the execution of PSCell change can be performed faster leading to less failures of the SCG.

Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skill in the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of the recited advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates MR-DC;

FIGURE 2 illustrates EN-DC;

FIGURE 3 illustrates NR-DC;

FIGURE 4 illustrates an example conditional HO execution with just a serving and a target cell;

FIGURE 5 illustrates an example conditional HO execution with just a serving and a target cell;

FIGURES 6A and 6B illustrate a configuration of CHO containing MN-triggered CPC configurations;

FIGURES 7A and 7B illustrates example signaling flow for CHO containing SN-initiated CPC configurations using existing messages;

FIGURES 8A and 8B illustrate an example method and/or signalling diagram for MN- triggered SN-initiated CPC, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 9

FIGURE 10 illustrates an example communication system, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 11 illustrates an example UE, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 12 illustrates an example network node, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 13 illustrates a block diagram of a host, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 14 illustrates a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 15 illustrates a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 16 illustrates an example method by a UE for SN-initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a HO of the UE from a S-MN to a T-MN candidate, according to certain embodiments;

FIGURE 17 illustrates an example method by a network node operating as a S-MN MN for SN-initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a HO of a UE from the S-MN to a T-MN candidate, according to certain embodiments; and

FIGURE 18 illustrates an example method by a first network node operating as a T-MN candidate for SN-initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a HO of a UE from a S-MN to the T-MN candidate, according to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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.

As used herein, ‘node’ can be a network node or a UE. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), Master eNB (MeNB), Secondary eNB (SeNB), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), Central Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Baseband Unit, Centralized Baseband, C-RAN, access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g. Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.), Operations & Maintenance (O&M), Operations Support System (OSS), Self Organizing Network (SON), positioning node (e.g. E- SMLC), etc.

Another example of a node is user equipment (UE), which is a non-limiting term and refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and/or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, vehicular to vehicular (V2V), machine type UE, MTC UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), Unified Serial Bus (USB) dongles, etc.

In some embodiments, generic terminology, “radio network node” or simply “network node (NW node)”, is used. It can be any kind of network node which may comprise base station, radio base station, base transceiver station, base station controller, network controller, evolved Node B (eNB), Node B, gNodeB (gNB), relay node, access point, radio access point, Remote Radio Unit (RRU) Remote Radio Head (RRH), Central Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Baseband Unit, Centralized Baseband, C-RAN, access point (AP), etc.

The term radio access technology (RAT), may refer to any RAT such as, for example, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRA), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRA), narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), WiFi, Bluetooth, next generation RAT, NR, 4G, 5G, etc. Any of the equipment denoted by the terms node, network node or radio network node may be capable of supporting a single or multiple RATs. Certain embodiments disclosed herein refer to a first network node operating as a Master Node (MN), e.g. having a Master Cell Group (MCG) configured to the UE; that MN can be a gNB, or a Central Unit gNB (CU-gNB) or an eNB, or a Central Unit eNB (CU-eNB), or any network node and/or network function. The invention also refers to a second network node operating as a Secondary Node (SN), or Source Secondary Node (S-SN) e.g. having a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) pre-configured to (i.e., not connected to) the UE; that SN can be a gNB, or a CU-gNB or an eNB, or a CU-eNB, or any network node and/or network function. Notice that MN, S-SN and Target Secondary Node (T-SN) may be from the same or different RATs (and possibly be associated to different Core Network nodes).

Certain embodiments disclosed herein refer to a “Secondary Node (SN)”, or target SN. This is equivalent to say this is a target candidate SN, or a network node associated to a target candidate PSCell that is being configured. If the UE would connect to that cell, transmissions and receptions with the UE would be handled by that node if the cell is associated to that node.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein say that a cell resides in a node. For example, a target candidate cell resides in the S-SN or the T-SN. That is equivalent to say that a cell is managed by the node, or is associated to the node, or associated with the node, or that the cell belongs to the node, or that the cell is of the node.

As used herein, the term “SN-initiated CPC” corresponds to a procedure wherein the Source SN for a UE configured with MR-DC determines to configure CPC. Upon determining, the Source SN selects such as, for example, based on reported measurements, one or more target candidate cells (target candidate PSCell(s)) wherein at least one cell is associated to the Source SN, and at least another cell is associated to a neighbour SN. It can be said that if all target candidate cells are associated to the Source SN that is an “SN-initiated intra-SN CPC”, which may be referred as the Release 16 solution. It can be said that if at least one target candidate cell is associated to the a neighbour SN that is an “SN-initiated inter-SN CPC”, which may be referred as a Release 17 solution.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein refer to a candidate SN, or SN candidate, or an SN, as the network node (e.g., gNodeB) that is prepared during the CPA procedure and that can create an RRC Reconfiguration message with an SCG configuration (e.g., RRCReconfiguration** to be provided to the UE and stored, with an execution condition, wherein the UE only applies the message upon the fulfillment of the execution condition. That candidate SN is associated to one or multiple PSCell candidate cell(s) with which the UE can be configured. The UE then can execute the condition and accesses one of these candidate cells, associated to a candidate SN that becomes the SN or simply the SN after execution (i.e., upon fulfillment of the execution condition). Certain embodiments disclosed herein refer to a Conditional PSCell Change (CPC) configuration and procedures (like CPC execution), most of the time to refer to the procedure from the UE perspective. Other terms may be considered as synonyms such as conditional reconfiguration, or Conditional Configuration (since the message that is stored and applied upon fulfillment of a condition is an RRCReconfiguration or RRCConnectionReconfiguration). Terminology wise, one could also interpret CHO in a broader sense, also covering CPA procedures. This document uses the term Conditional SN Change most of the time to refer to the procedure from the UE perspective, and to refer to procedures between network nodes wherein a node requests a target candidate SN (which may be the same as the Source SN or a neighbour SN) to configure a CPC for at least one of its associated cells (cell associated to the target candidate SN).

Certain embodiments disclosed herein refer to CP AC as a way to refer to either a CPA or a CPC.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein refer to a neighbour SN and a Source SN as different entities, though both could be a target candidate SN for CPC.

According to certain embodiments, various methods and systems are provided for configuring the UE with CHO configurations containing CPC configurations that are initiated by an SN. Fr example, according to certain embodiments, the target MN (T-MN), i.e. the target node for the CHO configuration, sends an “CPC invite” to an SN to initiate CPC configurations (e.g., as SN-initiated inter-SN CPC towards other target candidate SNs) to be provided to the UE together with the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, for example, the CHO configuration includes an SCG configuration for an SN that, thus, becomes the “serving SN after the CHO execution” + one or more CPC configuration(s) for other target candidate SNs. In this embodiment, the target MN sends the “CPC invite” to this SN that would become “serving SN after the CHO execution”. The SN then determines whether to initiate any CPC configurations or not. If it decides to initiate inter- SN CPC configurations, it sends the XnAP SN Change Required message to the T-MN. If it decides to not initiate any CPC configuration (or to not initiate any inter-SN CPC), it provides an indication about this to the T-MN. The T-MN then includes the CPC configurations, if any, in (or together with) the CHO configuration that is sent to the S-MN to be sent further the UE.

In particular embodiments, the SN that is included in the CHO configuration to become the “serving SN after the CHO execution” may either be the serving SN towards which the UE has an SCG configuration while configured towards the S-MN at the point in time when the UE is configured with CHO (and CPC) or another SN. In a particular embodiment, for example, the CHO configuration does not include any SCG configuration, which is to be applied due to being part of a CPC or CPA configuration. The T- MN may then send an “CPC invite” towards another SN (e.g. a candidate target SN selected by the T- MN), or towards the serving SN that the UE has at the point in time of the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, for example, the target MN sends an “CPC invite” towards the serving SN that the UE has at the point in time of the CHO configuration. This signalling may either be done directly between the T-MN and the serving SN, or via the source MN, i.e. the serving MN that initiated the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, The T-MN contacts the T-SN directly to get execution conditions for CPC.

According to certain embodiments, the configuration of CPC can be done using the same IES as conditional handover, which may be called at some point conditional configuration or conditional reconfiguration. The principle for the configuration is the same with configuring triggering/execution condition(s) and a reconfiguration message to be applied when the triggering condition(s) are fulfilled and are disclosed in 3GPP TS 38.331.

In the various different embodiments disclosed herein, these IEs are used differently such as, for example, sometimes being generated by the MN, sometimes being generated by the source SN, and sometimes being generated by a target candidate SN.

In the different embodiment, it may be said the CPC is in MN format when the CPC configuration is not configured as an MR-DC configuration in mrdc-SecondaryCellGroup (as defined in 3 GPP TS 38.331). In other words, the UE receives an RRCReconfiguration from the MN that may contain the mrdc-SecondaryCellGroup (e.g., in case the UE is also configured with an SCG MeasConfig for inter-SN CPC) but the CPC is not within that container. That means the IEs listed in 3GPP TS 38.331 (e.g., the IE ConditionalReconfiguration) are not included in mrdc- SecondaryCellGroup .

Certain embodiments disclosed herein refer to the CPC being in SN format when the CPC configuration is configured as an MR-DC configuration in mrdc-SecondaryCellGroup (as defined in 3GPP TS 38.331). In other words, the UE receives an RRCReconfiguration from the MN that may contain the mrdc-SecondaryCellGroup and the CPC is within that container. That means the IEs listed in 3GPP TS 38.331 (e.g., the IE ConditionalReconfiguration) are included in mrdc- SecondaryCellGroup (e.g., within a series of other nested IEs).

The wording “CHO + MR-DC” is sometimes used herein to refer to that the CHO configuration may include an MR-DC configuration. In that case, the MR-DC configuration consists of a Secondary Cell Group configuration as provided through mrdc-SecondaryCellGroup . At the execution of the CHO configuration, the UE will thus become configured with both a MSG towards the T-MN and a SCG towards an SN, which then can be referred to as “serving SN after the CHO execution”. The serving SN may also be referred to as source SN such as, for example, in case of a CPC configuration. This SN may then be the same SN towards which the UE had an SCG configuration, if any, before the CHO execution or it may be a different SN.

Various embodiments and scenarios are described below for when a CPC invitation may be sent. It is recognized, however, that these are merely provided as examples. The CPC invitation may also be sent in other scenarios and in other messages.

MN triggered SN initiated CPC, source SCG configured

FIGURES 8A and 8B illustrates an example method and/or signalling diagram for MN- triggered SN-initiated CPC, according to certain embodiments. FIGURES 8A and 8B may include an optimized solution, which includes signaling between a UE 105, S-MN 110, T-MN candidate 115, S-SN 120, and T-SN candidate 125.

As illustrated in FIGURES 8 A and 8B, the signaling method initiates when a UE 105 transmits a measurement report to the S-MN, at 130. Based on the measurement report, the S-MN 110 sends a SN Addition Request to the S-SN, at 135. Thereafter, the S-MN 110 receives a SN Addition Request Ack from the S-SN 120, at 140.

When the S-MN 110 decides to configure CHO at 145, the S-MN 110 sends a HO request (CHO+CPC) to the T-MN candidate node 115, at 150. Upon the T-MN candidate 115 deciding to configure CHO with CP AC configurations at 155, the T-MN candidate 115 transmits a SN Addition Request (“CPC invitation”) to the S-SN, at 160. The S-SN 120 forwards the SN Addition Request to the T-SN candidate 125, at 165 and receives, from the T-SN candidate 125, a SN Addition Request Acknowledgment (ACK) that includes a RRCReconfiguration***, at 170. The S-SN 120 forwards the SN Addition Request ACK (including the SCG configuration) to the T- MN Candidate 115, at 172, which then generates CHO conditions, at 174.

Upon or after generating the CHO conditions, the T-MN candidate 115 transmits a HO Request Ack, which includes the RRCReconfiguration* including SCG configuration to the S-MN 110, at 176. The RRCReconfiguration* including the SCG configuration maybe referred to herein as RRCReconfiguration**.

Based on at least the Handover Request Ack including the SCG configuration, the S-MN 110 generates the CHO configuration, at 178, and transmits a RRCReconfiguration (including the CHO containing CPC) to the UE 105, at 180. Thereafter, the UE 105 transmits a RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the S-MN, at 182. Upon CHO execution at 184, the UE transmits a RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the T-MN 115, at 186. The T-MN 115 transmits a HO Success message to the S-MN 110, at 188, and a SN Change Confirm message to the S-SN 120, at 190.

Upon CPC execution at 192, the UE 105 transmits a RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the T-MN 115, at 194. The T-MN 115 transmits a SN Release Request to the S-SN 120 and receives a SN Release acknowledgement from the S-SN 120, at 196. The T-MN 115 then transmits a SN ReconfigurationComplete message to the T-SN candidate 125, at 198.

FIGURES 9A and 9B illustrates another example method and/or signalling diagram for MN-triggered SN-initiated CPC, according to certain embodiments, includes signaling between a UE 205, S-MN 210, T-MN candidate 215, S-SN 220, and T-SN candidate 225.

As illustrated in FIGURE 9A, the signaling method initiates when a UE 205 transmits a measurement report to the S-MN 210, at 250. Based on the measurement report, the S-MN 210 sends a SN Addition Request to the S-SN 220, at 252. Thereafter the S-MN 210 receives a SN Addition Request Ack from the S-SN 220, at 254. When the S-MN 210 decides to configure CHO, at 256, the S-MN 210 sends a HO request (CHO+CPC) to the T-MN candidate node 215, at 258.

As illustrated in FIGURE 9 A, the T-MN candidate 215 decides, at 260, to configure CHO with CP AC configurations and transmits a SN Addition Request (“CPC invitation”) to the S-SN 220, at 262. The S-SN 220 responds with a SN Addition Request Ack (“CPC invitation ACK”), at 264, which is sent to the T-MN candidate 215. Thereafter, the S-SN 220 sends a SN Change Required message to the T-MN Candidate 215, at 266, and the T-MN candidate 215 responds with a SN Addition Request at 268, which is transmitted to the T-SN candidate 225. Thereafter, the T- SN candidate 225 transmits, to the T-MN candidate 215, a SN Addition Request ACK that includes a RRCReconfiguration***, at 270. The T-MN candidate 215 responds by transmitting a SN Change Confirm message to the S-SN 220, at 272. The T-MN Candidate 215 then generates CHO conditions, at 274.

After generating the CHO conditions, the T-MN candidate 215 transmits a HO Request Ack, which includes the RRCReconfiguration* including SCG configuration to the S-MN 210, at 276. The RRCReconfiguration* including the SCG configuration maybe referred to herein as RRCReconfiguration***. Then as shown in FIGURE 9B, the S-MN 210 generates the CHO configuration, at 278, and transmits the RRCReconfiguration (including the CHO containing CPC) to the UE 205, at 280. Thereafter, at 282, the UE 205 transmits a RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the S-MN 210. Upon CHO execution at 284, the UE 205 transmits a RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the T-MN candidate 215, at 286. The T-MN candidate 215 transmits a HO Success message to the S-MN 210, at 288, and a SN Change Confirm message to the S-SN 220, at 290.

Upon CPC execution at 292, the UE 205 transmits a RRCReconfigurationComplete message to the T-MN candidate 215, at 294. The T-MN candidate 215 transmits a SN Release Request to the S-SN 220 and receives a SN Release acknowledgement from the S-SN 220, at 296. The T-MN 215 then transmits a SN ReconfigurationComplete message to the T-SN candidate 225, at 298.

According to certain embodiments depicted in FIGURES 8A and 8B and/or FIGURES 9A and 9B, candidate PSCell evaluation starts after CHO execution (CPC configured by T-MN candidate 115, 215).

According to certain embodiments depicted in FIGURES 8A and 8B and/or FIGURES 9A and 9B, a method executed by a S-MN 210 includes one or more of

Determining to configure CHO'. The UE 105, 205 may be in DC (i.e., connected to both the MN and to an SN).

Transmitting a request to a T-MN candidate, wherein the message contains a request to configure CHO. o For example, in a particular embodiment, the message may be a HANDOVER REQUEST message.

Receiving a response message from a T-MN candidate, wherein the response message contains the configuration of CHO and CPC, wherein the CPC configuration is SN initiated (i.e., it contains execution conditions generated by the SN). o The response message may be a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE.

Transmitting a message to a UE 105, 205, e.g. an RRCReconfiguration (1), wherein the RRCReconfiguration(l) message contains the configuration of CHO and the configuration of CPC, where the CPC configuration is linked to the CHO configuration. The RRCReconfiguration( 1) message contains execution conditions for CHO and a message to be applied when the condition(s) are fulfilled, an RRCReconfiguration(2) message. o In a particular embodiment, the CPC configuration may be included within the CHO configuration (i.e. within the RRCReconfiguration(2) that is applied when the CHO condition(s) are fulfilled). The CPC execution conditions refer to the S-SN measConfig, included in an RRCReconfiguration(3) created by the T-SN candidate 125, 225 and included as a container within an RRCReconfiguration(2) message created by the T-MN candidate 115, 215. o Alternatively, in a particular embodiment, the RRCReconfiguration(3) message created by the T-SN candidate 125, 225 is not included in RRCReconfiguration(2) message but included directly in RRCReconfiguration(l) created by the S-MN 110, 210. This is applicable for the case the CHO and CPC conditions are monitored in jointly and when the conditions for both CHO and CPC need to be fulfilled before the execution is done for both CHO and CPC at the same time.

According to certain embodiments depicted in FIGURES 8A and 8B and/or FIGURES 9A and 9B, a method executed by a UE 105, 205 includes one or more of:

Receiving a message from a S-MN 110, 210 (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration (1) wherein the RRCReconfiguration( 1) message contains the configuration of CHO and the configuration of CPC, where the CPC configuration is linked to the CHO configuration. The RRCReconfiguration(l) message contains execution conditions for CHO and a message to be applied when the condition(s) are fulfilled, an RRCReconfiguration(2) message. o In a particular embodiment, the CPC configuration may be included within the CHO configuration (i.e. within the RRCReconfiguration(2)') that is applied when the CHO condition(s) are fulfilled. The CPC execution conditions refer to the S-SN measConfig, included in the SN part of the message, i.e. in an RRCReconfiguration(3) created by the target candidate SN and included as a container within an RRCReconfiguration(2) message created by the target candidate MN.. o Alternatively, in a particular embodiment, the RRCReconfiguration(3) message created by the T-SN candidate 125, 225 is not included in RRCReconfiguration(2) message but included directly in RRCReconfiguration(l) created by the S-MN 110, 210. This is applicable for the case the CHO and CPC conditions are monitored in jointly and when the conditions for both CHO and CPC need to be fulfilled before the execution is done for both CHO and CPC at the same time. According to certain embodiments depicted in FIGURES 8A and 8B and/or FIGURES 9A and 9B, a method executed by a T-MN candidate 115, 215 includes at least one of:

Receiving a request from a S-MN 110, 210, wherein the message contains a request to configure CHO. o The message may be a HANDOVER REQUEST message.

Determining to configure CHO (+ MR-DC) and also CPC candidates within the CHO configuration.

Determining to request/invite the S-SN 120, 220 to initiate SN initiated CPC. o SN initiated CPC implies that the CPC conditions is determined by the S- SN 120, 220 and based on SN measConfig.

Transmitting a message to the S-SN 120, 220, wherein the message contains an indication where the T-MN 115, 215 informs the S-SN 120, 220 that the T-MN is target candidate for CHO and where the T-MN 115, 215 invites the S-SN 120. 220 to configure SN initiated CPC to be included in or linked to the CHO configuration. o The indication may be included in an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST or in S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST message. o The indication may be included in another message that may be an existing message or a new message. o The indication of CPC invitation may be transmitted in messages sent via the S-MN 110, 210 in any existing messages or in new messages. This can, for example, be the case if the SN is the serving SN in time of the CHO configuration. The SN may respond, for example, to this message in an S- NODE CHANGE REQUIRED message.

Receiving a response message from the S-SN 120, 220, o In a particular embodiment, the message may include a configuration for secondary cell group configuration such as, for example, an RRCReconfiguration message for inclusion in, for example, mrdc- SecondaryCellGroup within the CHO configuration. o The message may contain a configuration to trigger inter-SN CPC towards other target candidate SN(s), including execution condition(s) referring to SN measConfig. o The message may contain the configuration of CPC including execution condition(s) referring to SN measConfig, and target configuration to be applied when the execution condition(s) are fulfilled. o The message may contain an indication that the SN has configured target candidate PSCells for CPC. o The response message from the T-SN candidate 125, 225 may be an S- NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE or S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE. o In another particular embodiment, the message contains an acknowledgement that the S-SN 120, 220 would like to configure SN- initiated CPC. In this option, the S-SN 120, 220 may first send a message containing the acknowledgement of the CPC invitation and later send a message to trigger the SN-initiated CPC such as, for example, an S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED. Transmitting a response message to a S-MN 120, 220, wherein the response message contains the configuration of CHO and CPC, wherein the CPC configuration is SN initiated (i.e., it contains execution conditions generated by the S-SN 120, 220). o The response message may be a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE. o In another particular embodiment, the message from the S-SN 120, 220 contains an indication that the S-SN 120, 220 would not like to configure SN-initiated CPC. In that case, the T-MN candidate 115, 215 does not include any SN-initiated (inter-SN) CPC configuration in the response message (with the CHO configuration) to the S-MN 110, 210.

According to certain embodiments depicted in FIGURES 9A and 9B, a method executed by a S-SN 220 includes at least one of

Receiving a message from an T-MN candidate 215, wherein the message contains an indication where the T-MN candidate 215 informs the S-SN 220 that the T-MN candidate 215 is target candidate for CHO and where the T-MN candidate 215 invites the S-SN 220 to configure SN initiated CPC to be included in or linked to the CHO configuration. o The indication may be included in an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message or in S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST. o The indication may be included in another message which may be an existing message or a new message. ■ The S-SN 220 may respond to this message in an S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED message, to trigger an SN-initiated CPC procedure for configuration of CPC in other candidate target SN(s). o The indication of CPC invitation may be transmitted in messages sent via the S-MN 210 in any existing messages or in new messages.

Determining to accept the request from the T-MN candidate 215 and configure CPC candidates to be included in the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the method includes: o Transmitting a response message to the T-MN 215 with an indication that the S-SN 220 would like to configure CPC, e.g. SN initiated inter-SN CPC, for inclusion in the CHO configuration. In one example, the indication is included in an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE or S- NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message. o Transmitting one or more message to the T-MN 215 to request CPC configuration towards other candidate SN(s). In one example, the message is an S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED message. o The S-SN 220 may optionally, in response, receive one or more S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM messages from the T-MN candidate 215.

In another particular embodiment, the method includes: o Transmitting a request to a T-SN candidate 225 to configure target PSCells for CPC o Receiving a response from a T-SN candidate 225 containing a target configuration to be applied when the execution condition(s) are fulfilled. o Preparing CPC configurations containing execution condition(s) referring to SN measConfig, and the CPC target configuration to be applied when the execution condition(s) are fulfilled. o Transmitting a response message to a T-SN candidate 225, where the message contains the configuration of CPC including execution condition(s) referring to SN measConfig, and target configuration to be applied when the execution condition(s) are fulfilled.

■ The message may contain an indication that the SN has configured target candidate PSCells for CPC. ■ The response message from the T-SN 225 may be an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE or S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE.

In a particular embodiment, the S-SN 220 includes a configuration for secondary cell group configuration such as, for example, an RRCReconfiguration message for inclusion in, for example, mrdc-SecondaryCellGroup within the CHO configuration.

In another particular embodiment, the S-SN 220 determines to not initiate any (inter-SN) CPC configurations to be included in the CHO configuration. In that case, the S-SN 220 includes in the response message to the T-MN candidate 215 an indication that the S-SN 220 would not like to configure SN-initiated CPC.

Example implementation

The following is an example implementation in 3GPP TS 38.423 of the MN indicating in S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST that the SN may want to configure SN initiated CPC to be linked to the CHO T-MN candidate. The implementation changes are shown with underlining:

The M-NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message to the S-NG-RAN node.

When the M-NG-RAN node sends the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message, it shall start the timer TXnocprep.

If the Conditional PSCell Addition Information Request IE is included in the S- NODE ADDITION REQUEST message, the S-NG-RAN node shall, if supported, consider that the request concerns CP AC, as described in TS 37.340 [8], Accordingly, the S-NG-RAN node shall, if supported, include the Conditional PSCell Addition Acknowledge IE in the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message.

If the Conditional PSCell Addition Information Acknowledge is included in the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, the M-NG-RAN node shall, if supported, shall, if supported, consider the indicated PSCells are selected by the target SN as candidate PSCells for CP AC. If the CG-CandidateList is included in the S-NG-RAN node to M-NG-RAN node Container IE in the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, the M-NG-RAN node shall, if supported, use it for the purpose of CPAC.

If the Estimated Arrival Probability IE is contained in the Conditional PSCell Addition Information Request IE included in the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message, then the candidate target S-NG-RAN node may use the information to allocate necessary resources for the incoming CPAC procedure.

If the Conditional PSCell Change Configuration Proposal IE is included in the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message, the S-NG-RAN node shall, if supported, consider that the request concerns a proposal to the S-NG-RAN node to configure CPC to be linked to a CHO configuration, as described in TS 37,340 [8], Accordingly, the S-NG-RAN node shall, if supported, include the Conditional PSCell Addition Acknowledge IE in the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message.

If the Conditional PSCell Change Configuration Acknowledge is included in the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, the M-NG-RAN node shall, if supported, consider that the target S-NG-RAN node has configured the target candidate PSCell(s) for CPC.

9. 1.2. 1 S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST

This message is sent by the M-NG-RAN node to the S-NG-RAN node to request the preparation of resources for dual connectivity operation for a specific UE.

Direction: M-NG-RAN node node.

9.1.2.2 S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE

This message is sent by the S-NG-RAN node to confirm the M-NG-RAN node about the S-NG-RAN node addition preparation.

Direction: S-NG-RAN node node.

FIGURE 10 shows an example of a communication system 300 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 300 includes a telecommunication network 302 that includes an access network 304, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 306, which includes one or more core network nodes 308. The access network 304 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 310a and 310b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 310), or any other similar 3 ^rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 310 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 312a, 312b, 312c, and 312d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 312) to the core network 306 over one or more wireless connections.

Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 300 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 300 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.

The UEs 312 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 310 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 310 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 312 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 302 to enable and/or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and/or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 302. In the depicted example, the core network 306 connects the network nodes 310 to one or more hosts, such as host 316. 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 306 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 308) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 308. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and/or a User Plane Function (UPF).

The host 316 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 304 and/or the telecommunication network 302, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 316 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.

As a whole, the communication system 300 of FIGURE 10 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

In some examples, the telecommunication network 302 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 302 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 302. For example, the telecommunications network 302 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.

In some examples, the UEs 312 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 304 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 304. 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 (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

In the example, the hub 314 communicates with the access network 304 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 312c and/or 312d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 310b). In some examples, the hub 314 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 314 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 306 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 314 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 310, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 314. As another example, the hub 314 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 314 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 314 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 314 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 314 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

The hub 314 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 310b. The hub 314 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 314 and UEs (e.g., UE 312c and/or 312d), and between the hub 314 and the core network 306. In other examples, the hub 314 is connected to the core network 306 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 314 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 304 and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 310 while still connected via the hub 314 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 314 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 310b. In other embodiments, the hub 314 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 310b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

FIGURE 11 shows a UE 400 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and/or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

The UE 400 includes processing circuitry 402 that is operatively coupled via a bus 404 to an input/output interface 406, a power source 408, a memory 410, a communication interface 412, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIGURE 11. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc. The processing circuitry 402 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 410. The processing circuitry 402 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 402 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

In the example, the input/output interface 406 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, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 400. 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.

In some embodiments, the power source 408 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. The power source 408 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 408 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 400 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 408. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 408 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 400 to which power is supplied.

The memory 410 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 410 includes one or more application programs 414, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 416. The memory 410 may store, for use by the UE 400, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

The memory 410 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and/or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 410 may allow the UE 400 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 410, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

The processing circuitry 402 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 412. The communication interface 412 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 422. The communication interface 412 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 418 and/or a receiver 420 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 418 and receiver 420 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 422) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 412 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in 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.

Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 412, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 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).

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

A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a flood/moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or itemtracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and/or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 400 shown in FIGURE 11.

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

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

FIGURE 12 shows a network node 500 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 telecommunication network. 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)).

Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as 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). Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and/or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

The network node 500 includes a processing circuitry 502, a memory 504, a communication interface 506, and a power source 508. The network node 500 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 500 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 500 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 504 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 510 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 500 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 500, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, 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 500.

The processing circuitry 502 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 500 components, such as the memory 504, to provide network node 500 functionality.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 512 and baseband processing circuitry 514. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 512 and the baseband processing circuitry 514 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 512 and baseband processing circuitry 514 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

The memory 504 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 non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 502. The memory 504 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 502 and utilized by the network node 500. The memory 504 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 502 and/or any data received via the communication interface 506. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 and memory 504 is integrated.

The communication interface 506 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between a network node, access network, and/or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 506 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 516 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 506 also includes radio frontend circuitry 518 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 510. Radio front-end circuitry 518 comprises filters 520 and amplifiers 522. The radio front-end circuitry 518 may be connected to an antenna 510 and processing circuitry 502. The radio frontend circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 510 and processing circuitry 502. The radio front-end circuitry 518 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 518 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 520 and/or amplifiers 522. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 510. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 510 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 518. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 502. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 500 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 518, instead, the processing circuitry 502 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 510. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 512 is part of the communication interface 506. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 506 includes one or more ports or terminals 516, the radio front-end circuitry 518, and the RF transceiver circuitry 512, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 506 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 514, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

The antenna 510 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 510 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 518 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 510 is separate from the network node 500 and connectable to the network node 500 through an interface or port.

The antenna 510, communication interface 506, and/or the processing circuitry 502 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 510, the communication interface 506, and/or the processing circuitry 502 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment.

The power source 508 provides power to the various components of network node 500 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 508 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 500 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 500 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 508. As a further example, the power source 508 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

Embodiments of the network node 500 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIGURE 12 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 500 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 500 and to allow output of information from the network node 500. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 500.

FIGURE 13 is a block diagram of a host 600, which may be an embodiment of the host 316 of FIGURE 10, in accordance with various aspects described herein.

As used herein, the host 600 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and/or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 600 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

The host 600 includes processing circuitry 602 that is operatively coupled via a bus 604 to an input/output interface 606, a network interface 608, a power source 610, and a memory 612. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 4 and 5, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 600.

The memory 612 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 614 and data 616, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 600 or data generated by the host 600 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 600 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 614 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 614 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 600 may select and/or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 614 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

FIGURE 14 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 700 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 700 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

Applications 702 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Hardware 704 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 706 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 708a and 708b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 708), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 706 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 708.

The VMs 708 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 706. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 702 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 708, 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.

In the context of NFV, a VM 708 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 708, and that part of hardware 704 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 VMs 708 on top of the hardware 704 and corresponds to the application 702.

Hardware 704 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 704 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 704 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 710, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 702. In some embodiments, hardware 704 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 712 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

FIGURE 15 shows a communication diagram of a host 802 communicating via a network node 804 with a UE 806 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 312a of FIGURE 10 and/or UE 400 of FIGURE 11), network node (such as network node 310a of FIGURE 10 and/or network node 500 of FIGURE 12), and host (such as host 316 of FIGURE 10 and/or host 600 of FIGURE 13) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIGURE 15.

Like host 600, embodiments of host 802 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 802 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 802 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 806 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 850 extending between the UE 806 and host 802. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 850.

The network node 804 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 802 and UE 806. The connection 860 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 306 of FIGURE 10) and/or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

The UE 806 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 806 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 806 with the support of the host 802. In the host 802, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 850 terminating at the UE 806 and host 802. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 850 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 850.

The OTT connection 850 may extend via a connection 860 between the host 802 and the network node 804 and via a wireless connection 870 between the network node 804 and the UE 806 to provide the connection between the host 802 and the UE 806. The connection 860 and wireless connection 870, over which the OTT connection 850 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 802 and the UE 806 via the network node 804, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 850, in step 808, the host 802 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 806. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 806 that shares data with the host 802 without explicit human interaction. In step 810, the host 802 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 806. The host 802 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 806. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 806 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 806. The transmission may pass via the network node 804, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 812, the network node 804 transmits to the UE 806 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 802 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 814, the UE 806 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 806 associated with the host application executed by the host 802. In some examples, the UE 806 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 802. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 802. Accordingly, in step 816, the UE 806 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input/output interface of the UE 806. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 806 initiates, in step 818, transmission of the user data towards the host 802 via the network node 804. In step 820, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 804 receives user data from the UE 806 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 802. In step 822, the host 802 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 806.

One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 806 using the OTT connection 850, in which the wireless connection 870 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve one or more of, for example, data rate, latency, and/or power consumption and, thereby, provide benefits such as, for example, reduced user waiting time, relaxed restriction on file size, improved content resolution, better responsiveness, and/or extended battery lifetime.

In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 802. As another example, the host 802 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 802 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 802 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 802 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 802 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and/or transmitting data.

In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 850 between the host 802 and UE 806, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 802 and/or UE 806. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 850 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 850 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 804. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 802. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 850 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. 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. 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.

FIGURE 16 illustrates an example method 900 by a UE for SN-initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a HO of the UE from a S-MN to a T-MN candidate, according to certain embodiments. The UE may include a UE 105, UE 205, UE 312, and/or UE 400 as discussed above with regards to FIGURES 8 A and 8B, FIGURES 9 A and 9B, FIGURE 10, and FIGURE 11, respectively. As illustrated, the method includes the UE receiving, at step 902, from a network node 310, 500 operating as the S-MN 110, 210, a first message comprising a CHO configuration and a CPC configuration. The CPC configuration is associated with the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the first message is a first RRCReconfiguration message.

In a particular embodiment, the first message includes at least one CHO condition that, when fulfilled, triggers an execution of the CHO.

In a particular embodiment, the first message includes a second RRCReconfiguration message to be applied when the at least one CHO condition is fulfilled, and the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises the CPC target configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the first message includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, trigger an execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, trigger an execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes a third RRCReconfiguration message, and the third RRCReconfiguration message includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, trigger an execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message is created by the target MN candidate, and/or the third RRCReconfiguration message is created by a target Secondary Node, SN, candidate.

FIGURE 17 illustrates an example method 1000 by a network node operating as a S-MN 119, 210 for SN-initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a HO of a UE 105, 205, 312, 400 from the S-MN to a T-MN candidate 115, 215, according to certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, the network node may include a network 310, 500 as described above with regard to FIGURES 10 and 12, and may operate as a S-MN 110, 210, as described above with regard to FIGURES 8 A and 8B and FIGURES 9A and 9B.

As illustrated, the method includes the S-MN transmitting, at 1002, to the UE, a first message comprising a CHO configuration and a CPC target configuration. The CPC target configuration is associated with the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the first message is a first RRCReconfiguration message.

In a particular embodiment, the first message comprises at least one CHO condition that, when fulfilled, triggers an execution of the CHO.

In a particular embodiment, the first message comprises at least one execution condition that, when fulfilled trigger an execution of the CPC. In a particular embodiment, prior to transmitting the first message, the network node determines to configure a CHO for the UE and transmits, to the target MN candidate, a request to configure the CHO.

In a particular embodiment, the network node receives a response message from the target MN candidate, and the response message comprises the CHO configuration and the CPC target configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the CPC target configuration comprises at least one CPC condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the request is a HO request message, and/or the response is a HO request acknowledge message.

In a particular embodiment, the first message includes a second RRCReconfiguration message to be applied when the at least one CHO condition is fulfilled.

In a particular embodiment, the network node receives the second RRCReconfiguration message from the target MN candidate.

In a particular embodiment, the network node generates the first RRCReconfiguration message to include the second RRCReconfiguration message.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes the CPC target configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes a third RRCReconfiguration message, and the third RRCReconfiguration message includes the at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled triggers execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message is created by the target MN, and/or the third RRCReconfiguration message is created by a target SN candidate.

FIGURE 18 illustrates an example method 1100 by a first network node 310, 500 operating as a T-MN candidate for SN-initiated CPC within a CHO configuration during a HO of a UE 105, 205, 312, 400 from a S-MN 110, 210 to the T-MN candidate, according to certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, the network node may include a network 310, 500 as described above with regard to FIGURES 10 and 12, and may operate as a T-MN candidate 115, 215, as described above with regard to FIGURES 8 A and 8B and FIGURES 9 A and 9B.

As illustrated, the method includes receiving, from a second network node operating as a SN, a first message comprising a CPC configuration, at step 1102. At step 1104, the first network node transmits, to a third network node operating as a S-MN, a second message comprising a CHO configuration and the CPC target configuration. The CPC target configuration is associated with the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the second network node is operating as a source SN.

In a particular embodiment, the network node transmits, to the source SN, a request for the CPC target configuration, and the first message is received from the source SN in response to the request for the CPC target configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the network node identifies at least one CHO condition that, when fulfilled, triggers an execution of the CHO.

In a particular embodiment, prior to receiving the first message, the network node receives, from the source MN, a request to configure the CHO.

In a particular embodiment, the request is a HO request.

In a particular embodiment, the CPC target configuration includes at least one CPC condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the first message includes a third RRCReconfiguration message.

In a particular embodiment, the network node transmits to the source MN a third message that comprises the CPC configuration and the CHO configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the third message is a HO request acknowledge message.

In a particular embodiment, the third message includes a second RRCReconfiguration message to be applied when the at least one CHO condition is fulfilled.

In a particular embodiment, the network node generates the second RRCReconfiguration message to include the first RRCReconfiguration message.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes the CPC target configuration.

In a particular embodiment, the first RRCReconfiguration message includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message includes a third RRCReconfiguration message, and the third RRCReconfiguration message includes the at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

In a particular embodiment, the second RRCReconfiguration message is created by the target MN, and/or the third RRCReconfiguration message is created by a target SN candidate. 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.

EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Group A Example Embodiments

Example Embodiment Al. A method by a user equipment for secondary node (SN)- triggered Conditional Primary Secondary Cell Change (CPC) within a conditional handover (CHO) configuration, the method comprising: any of the user equipment steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

Example Embodiment A2. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional user equipment steps, features or functions described above.

Example Embodiment A3. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the network node.

Group B Example Embodiments

Example Embodiment Bl. A method performed by a network node secondary node (SN)- triggered Conditional Primary Secondary Cell Change (CPC) within a conditional handover (CHO) configuration, the method comprising: any of the network node steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

Example Embodiment B2. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional network node steps, features or functions described above.

Example Embodiment B3. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

Group C Example Embodiments

Example Embodiment Cl . A method by a user equipment (UE) for secondary node (SN)- triggered Conditional Primary Secondary Cell Change (CPC) within a conditional handover (CHO) configuration, the method comprising: receiving, from a network node, a first message comprising a CHO configuration and a CPC configuration, where the CPC configuration is associated with and/or linked to the CHO configuration.

Example Embodiment C2. The method of Example Embodiment C 1 , wherein the network node comprises and/or is operating as a source master node (source MN) during a handover of the UE from the source MN to a target master node (target MN).

Example Embodiment C3. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C2, wherein the first message is a first RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Embodiment C4. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C3, wherein the first message comprises at least one CHO condition that, when fulfilled, triggers an execution of the CHO.

Example Embodiment C5. The method of Example Embodiment C4, wherein the first message comprises/includes a second RRCReconfiguration message to be applied when the at least one CHO condition is fulfilled.

Example Embodiment C6. The method of Example Embodiment C5, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes the CPC configuration.

Example Embodiment C7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments C5 to C6, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, trigger an execution of the CPC.

Example Embodiment C8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments C5 to C6, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes a third RRCReconfiguration message, the third RRCReconfiguration message comprising at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, trigger an execution of the CPC.

Example Embodiment C9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments C5 to C8, wherein at least one of: the second RRCReconfiguration message is created by a source secondary node (source SN), and the third RRCReconfiguration message is created by a target candidate secondary node (target SN).

Example Embodiment CIO. The method of Example Embodiment C9, wherein the third RRCReconfiguration message is within a container within the second RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Emboidment Cl 1. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to CIO, wherein the UE is in dual connectivity.

Example Embodiment C12. The method of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl l, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

Example Embodiment C13.A user equipment comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C12.

Example Embodiment C14.A wireless device comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C12.

Example Embodiment Cl 5. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 2.

Example Embodiment Cl 6. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C12.

Example Embodiment C17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 2.

Group D Example Embodiments

Example Embodiment DI. A method by a first network node for secondary node (SN)- triggered Conditional Primary Secondary Cell Change (CPC) within a conditional handover (CHO) configuration, the method comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a first message comprising a CHO configuration and a CPC configuration, where the CPC configuration is associated with and/or linked to the CHO configuration.

Example Embodiment D2. The method of Example Embodiment DI, wherein the first network node is operating as a source master node (source MN) during a handover of the UE from the source MN to a target master node (target MN).

Example Embodiment D3. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D2, wherein the first message is a first RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Embodiment D4. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D3, wherein the first message comprises at least one CHO condition that, when fulfilled, triggers an execution of the CHO.

Example Embodiment D5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D4, further comprising determining to configure a CHO for the UE.

Example Embodiment D6. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D5, further comprising transmitting to a target candidate master node (target MN), a request to configure the CHO.

Example Embodiment D7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments D6 to D6, further comprising receiving, from the target MN a response message, and wherein the response message comprises the CHO configuration and the CPC configuration.

Example Embodiment D8. The method of Example Embodiment D7, wherein the CPC configuration comprises at least one CPC condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

Example Embodiment D9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments D6 to D8, wherein at least one of: the request comprises a HO request message, and the response comprises a HO request acknowledge message.

Example Embodiment DIO. The method of Example Embodiment D9, wherein the first message comprises/includes a second RRCReconfiguration message to be applied when the at least one CHO condition is fulfilled.

Example Embodiment Dl l. The method of Example Embodiment DIO, further comprising receiving the second RRCReconfiguration message from a source secondary node (source SN).

Example Embodiment D12. The method of Example Embodiment Dl l, further comprising generating the first RRCReconfiguration message to include the second RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Embodiment D13. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DIO to DI 2, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes the CPC configuration.

Example Embodiment D14. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DIO to D13, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

Example Embodiment DI 5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DIO to DI 3, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes a third RRCReconfiguration message, the third RRCReconfiguration message comprising the at least one CPC execution.

Example Embodiment DI 6. The method of Example Embodiment DI 5, wherein the third RRCReconfiguration message is within a container within the second RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Embodiment D17. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DIO to D16, wherein at least one of: the second RRCReconfiguration message is created by a source secondary node (source SN), and the third RRCReconfiguration message is created by a target candidate secondary node (target SN).

Example Emboidment D18. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 7, wherein the UE is in dual connectivity.

Example Embodiment DI 9. The method of any of Example Embodiments DI to DI 8, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

Example Embodiment D20. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to DI 9.

Example Embodiment D21. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to DI 9.

Example Embodiment D22. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D19.

Example Embodiment D23. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to DI 9.

Group E Example Embodiments

Example Embodiment El. A method by a first network node for secondary node (SN)- triggered Conditional Primary Secondary Cell Change (CPC) within a conditional handover (CHO) configuration, the method comprising: receiving, from a second network node, a first message comprising a CPC configuration, transmitting, to third network node, a second message comprising a CHO configuration and the CPC configuration, where the CPC configuration is associated with and/or linked to the CHO configuration.

Example Embodiment E2. The method of Example Embodiment El, wherein the first network node is operating as a target candidate master node (master MN) during a handover of a user equipment (UE) from a source MN to the target MN.

Example Embodiment E3. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E2, wherein the second network node is operating as a source secondary node (source SN) and the third network node is operating as the source MN.

Example Embodiment E4. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E3, comprising identifying at least one CHO condition that, when fulfilled, triggers an execution of the CHO.

Example Embodiment E5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E4, further comprising determining to configure a CHO for the UE.

Example Embodiment E6a. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E5, further comprising receiving, from a source master node (source MN), a request to configure the CHO.

Example Embodiment E6b. The method of Example Embodiment E6a, wherein the request comprises a handover request.

Example Embodiment E7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E6b, further comprising transmitting, to a source SN, a request for the CPC configuration, and wherein the first message is received from the source SN in response to the request for the CPC configuration.

Example Embodiment E8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E7, wherein the first message comprises a third RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Embodiment E9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E8, wherein the CPC configuration comprises at least one CPC condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC.

Example Emboidment E10. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E9, comprising transmitting to the source MN a third message that comprises the CPC configuration and the CHO configuration.

Example Embodiment El l. The method of Example Embodiment E10, wherein the third message comprises a HO request acknowledge message.

Example Embodiment E12. The method of Example Embodiment El l, wherein the third message comprises/includes a second RRCReconfiguration message to be applied when the at least one CHO condition is fulfilled.

Example Embodiment El 3. The method of Example Embodiment E8 and E12, further comprising generating the second RRCReconfiguration message to include the first RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Embodiment E14. The method of any one of Example Embodiments E12 to E13, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes the CPC configuration.

Example Embodiment E15. The method of any one of Example Embodiments E12 to E14, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes at least one CPC execution condition that, when fulfilled, triggers execution of the CPC. Example Embodiment E16. The method of any one of Example Embodiments E12 to E14, wherein the second RRCReconfiguration message comprises/includes a third RRCReconfiguration message, the third RRCReconfiguration message comprising the at least one CPC execution condition.

Example Embodiment E17. The method of Example Embodiment E16, wherein the third RRCReconfiguration message is within a container within the second RRCReconfiguration message.

Example Embodiment El 8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments E12 to E6, wherein at least one of: the second RRCReconfiguration message is created by a source secondary node (source SN), and the third RRCReconfiguration message is created by a target candidate secondary node (target SN).

Example Emboidment E19. The method of any one of Example Embodiments El to E18, wherein the UE is in dual connectivity.

Example Embodiment E20. The method of any of Example Embodiments El to E19, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

Example Embodiment E21. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments El to E20.

Example Embodiment E22. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments El to E20.

Example Embodiment E23. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments El to E20.

Example Embodiment E24. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments El to E20.

Group F Example Embodiments

Example Embodiment Fl. A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B, D, and E Example Embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

Example Embodiment F2. A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

Example Embodiment F3. A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B, D, and E Example Embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

Example Embodiment F4. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B, D, and E Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

Example Embodiment F5. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

Example Embodiment F6. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

Example Embodiment F7. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

Example Emboidment F8. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

Example Embodiment F9. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application. Example Emboidment F1O. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B, D, and E Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

Example Emboidment Fl 1. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

Example Embodiment Fl 2. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

Example Embodiment Fl 3. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group B, D, and E Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

Example Embodiment Fl 4. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

Example Embodiment Fl 5. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

Example Embodiment Fl 6. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

Example Embodiment Fl 7. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

Example Embodiment Fl 8. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

Example Embodiment Fl 9. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

Example Emboidment F20. The method of any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

Example Embodiment F21. A communication system configured to provide an over-the- top service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

Example Embodiment F22. The communication system of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and/or the user equipment.

Example Embodiment F23. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

Example Embodiment F24. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

Example Embodiment F25. The host of the any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data. Example Embodiment F26. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

Example Embodiment F27. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.