Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to methods for managing transmission paths and to corresponding devices, systems, and computer programs.

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specified the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Device-to-Device (D2D) technology, also known as sidelink (SL) or the PC5, as part of Release 12 (Rel-12) of the 3GPP Technical Specifications (TSs) with the target use case (UC) being Proximity Services (ProSe), such as ProSe communication and/or ProSe discovery. LTE SL was enhanced during Release 13 (Rel-13). In Release 14 (Rel-14), LTE SL was extensively redesigned to support vehicular communications, which are commonly referred to as vehicle-to- everything (V2X) or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications. LTE SL was again enhanced during Release 15 (Rel-15). From the point of view of the lower radio layers, LTE SL uses broadcast communication. For example, transmission from a user equipment (UE) can target any receiver in range.

In Release 16 (Rel-16), 3GPP introduced the concept of SL in the fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR). The driving UC was vehicular communications with more stringent requirements than those typically served using LTE SL. To meet these requirements, the NR SL was designed with the capability of broadcast, groupcast, and unicast communications. In groupcast communications, the intended receivers of a message are typically a subset of the vehicles near the transmitter, whereas in unicast communications, there is a single intended receiver.

In Release 17 (Rel-17), 3GPP worked on further enhancements for NR SL. The ambition being to not only improve the capabilities of NR SL for V2X communications but also to address other UCs, such as National Security and Public Safety (NSPS) as well as commercial UCs, such as Network Controlled Interactive Services (NCIS). Also, in Rel-17, in addition to specifying enhancements for NR SL, other solutions were specified using NR SL in the form of UE-to- Network (U2N) relaying, where a remote UE (typically out of coverage of the network, e.g. a gNodeB (gNB) and the core network (CN)) uses another relay UE (within coverage of a network, e.g. gNB and CN) to communicate with the network (e.g. gNB and CN). The U2N relaying solution enables coverage extension and supports a wider range of UCs including V2X communications, public safety and commercial applications/services. The outcome of the work resulted in two solutions being specified for U2N relaying namely Layer-2 U2N relaying and Layer-3 U2N relaying. In 3GPP radio access network (RAN) plenary, discussions were initiated in RAN#94 to identify the detailed motivations and work areas for the evolution of NR SL and NR SL relays in Release 18 (Rel-18), see 3GPP document RP-213585, “New WID on NR Sidelink Relay Enhancements”, TSG RAN#94e, Dec.6 - 17, 2021. For NR SL relays, support for a multipath operation with relays was agreed for its potential to improve the reliability/robustness as well as In a multi-path operation with relays, a UE (which may also be referred to as a multipath UE) is connected to the network via both a direct path between the UE and the network (e.g. gNB and CN) and an indirect path between the UE and the network (e.g. gNB and CN) via a relay UE. In the case of the direct path, the UE can communicate with a gNB of the network over a Uu interface. In the case of the indirect path, the UE can communicate with the relay UE over a PC5 interface and the relay UE can communicate with the gNB over the Uu interface. That is, the UE can communicate with the gNB indirectly via the PC5 and Uu interface over a single hop. The multi-path operation offers the UE a choice to perform transmission either over the direct path or over the indirect path or over both the direct and indirect path, thereby allowing for transmission flexibility. A transmission over a direct path can comprise an uplink (UL) transmission and a transmission over an indirect path can comprise a SL transmission and an UL transmission. It is possible to implement UL scheduling and (Mode-1) SL scheduling based on a Scheduling Request (SR) or Buffer Status Report (BSR).

In the current state of the art or legacy procedures with a single Uu link to the gNB, for a UE to perform a UL transmission, the UE needs to request UL resources from the gNB, see 3GPP TS 38.321 , V16.5.0 (2021-06). This is performed based on signaling (over the Uu interface) a scheduling request (SR) and buffer status report (BSR) to the gNB. In response, the gNB performs UL scheduling and provides the required UL resources. That is, the UE initially sends an SR on preconfigured resources (e.g. a dedicated configuration for a UE configured via dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling) to the gNB and, in response, the gNB provides the UE with minimum UL resources to at least send the BSR. Upon receiving the BSR, the gNB performs the UL scheduling algorithm to provide the required resources for UL transmission.

Similarly, in the current state of the art or legacy procedures for SL transmissions, the resources required by a UE to perform SL transmission can either be chosen by the UE itself (e.g. based on a sensing procedure) or scheduled by the gNB (i.e. the gNB may provide the required SL resources). The scenario where the resources are scheduled by the gNB is known as mode- 1 scheduling and the scenario where resources are chosen by the UE itself is known as mode-2 scheduling. The procedure to obtain resources from the gNB for SL transmissions in mode-1 scheduling is like UL scheduling by signaling a SL SR and a SL BSR. The BSR is a medium access control layer control element (MAC CE). The BSR can comprise a logical channel group (LCG) and a buffer size corresponding to that LCG. A LCG can be formed based on grouping logical channels (LCHs) with similar priorities.

Figures 1A, 1 B and 1C illustrate the state of the art or legacy BSR structure for SL and UL or, more specifically, the MAC CEs for a UL BSR and SL BSR, which are defined in 3GPP TS 38.321. In more detail, Figure 1A illustrates a short BSR and short truncated BSR MAC CE, Figure 1 B illustrates a long BSR, long truncated BSR, and pre-emptive BSR MAC CE, and Figure 1C illustrates a SL BSR and truncated SL BSR MAC control element.

In the current state of the art or legacy procedures, a concept of UL/SL prioritization is specified to assist a UE limited by the number of transceiver (transmitter/receiver (TX/RX)) chains supported and/or the amount of available transmission power. The specified procedure is to prioritize either an UL transmission or SL transmission based on a set of rules. There are many UL/SL prioritization rules depending on the physical channel used for transmission. That is, different rules apply for a combination of physical control channels (e.g. for physical UL control channels (PUCCHs), physical SL control channels (PSCCHs), or physical SL feedback channels (PSFCHs)) from that of physical data channels (e.g. for physical UL shared channels (PUSCHs) or physical SL shared channels (PSSCHs)). One of the rules related to physical data channels in the current procedures is that, when a gNB schedules (mode-1) overlapping resources in time for SL and UL, the UL transmission is to always be prioritized over SL transmission unless the priority of the SL transmission is higher than a first threshold (or a priority value associated with the SL transmission is lower than a first threshold value) and the corresponding priority of the UL transmission is lower than a second threshold (or a corresponding priority value associated with the UL transmission is higher than a second threshold value). A higher priority value can indicate a lower priority, whereas a lower priority value can indicate a higher priority.

In clause 6.7 of the 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 23.752 V17.0.0 (2021-03), the layer-2 based UE-to-Network relay is described. The protocol architecture supporting a L2 UE-to- Network relay UE is provided. The L2 UE-to-Network relay UE provides forwarding functionality that can relay any type of traffic over the PC5 link. The L2 UE-to-Network relay UE provides the functionality to support connectivity to the 5G system (5GS) for remote UEs. A UE is a remote UE if it has successfully established a PC5 link to the L2 UE-to-Network relay UE. A remote UE can be located within next generation RAN (NG RAN) coverage or outside of NG RAN coverage.

Figure 2 illustrates a user plane stack for an L2 UE-to-Network relay UE, as defined in 3GPP TR 23.752. More specifically, Figure 2 illustrates a protocol stack for a user plane transport, related to a packet data network (PDU) session with a data network (DN), including a Layer 2 UE-to-Network relay UE. The PDU layer corresponds to the PDU carried between the remote UE and the DN over the PDU session. A user plane function (UPF) provides an interconnect point between the remote UE and the DN. It is important to note that the two endpoints of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) link are the remote UE and the gNB of the NG RAN. The relay function is performed below PDCP. This means that data security is ensured between the remote UE and the gNB without exposing raw data at the UE-to-Network relay UE.

Figure 3 illustrates a control plane stack for an L2 UE-to-Network relay UE, as defined in 3GPP TR 23.752. More specifically, Figure 3 illustrates a protocol stack of a non-access stratum (NAS) connection for the remote UE to the NAS mobility management (MM) and NAS session management (SM) components. The NAS messages are transparently transferred between the remote UE and NG RAN over the Layer 2 UE-to-Network relay UE. The NAS message can be transferred using:

• a PDCP end-to-end connection where the role of the UE-to-Network relay UE is to relay the PDUs over a signalling radio bear without any modifications;

• an N2 interface that provides a connection between the NG RAN and an access and mobility management function (AMF); or

• an N11 interface that provides a connection between the AMF and a session management function (SMF).

The role of the UE-to-Network relay UE is to relay the PDUs from the signaling/data radio bearer without any modifications.

There currently exist certain challenge(s). As mentioned earlier, a multipath operation with relays (which will be referred to as a multipath operation) involves a UE connected to the network via both a direct path and an indirect path. This disclosure considers the UL transmission i.e. data from the UE to the network. The problems with the state of the art are as follows.

The UE can request SL/UL resources for a multipath operation based on the current SR/BSR mechanism. In one scenario, the gNB can provide SL resources based on the SL SR/BSR and UL resources based on the UL SR/BSR. However, it is possible that the gNB might provide resources for SL/UL transmission for a multipath operation such that they are overlapping (in time). The resources for SL/UL transmission may be partially overlapping (in time) or fully overlapping (in time). In cases where the UE is limited by capability or any other factor (such as available transmission power) and is unable to transmit at the same time, the UE would need to either prioritize SL or UL. According to the legacy SL/UL prioritization rules mentioned earlier, the UL transmission is prioritized in many cases. However, in a multipath operation, this may not be the most efficient way to utilize the multiple paths.

Based on the gNB LIL/SL scheduling procedures as described earlier, the gNB can differentiate between an UL and SL transmission request based on the corresponding SR/BSR, e.g. based on the SL BSR and UL BSR. However, the UL resources for (SL/UL) BSR are in response to an (SL/UL) SR from the UE and the size of these UL resources is generally only large enough to fit one BSR. As a result, in one instance, the UE can receive scheduling for the data transmission on only one path. This increases the signaling overhead because the UE needs to send the BSR again for transmission on the other path. This evidently leads to a higher signaling overhead and inefficiency as the gNB receives two copies of the BSR for potentially the same transmission on both paths.

Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

Summary

According to an embodiment, a method for managing transmission paths in a network is provided. The method is performed by performed by a first user equipment and comprises receiving configuration information from a network node to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment. The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path.

According to a further embodiment, a method for managing transmission paths in a network is provided. The method is performed by a network node and comprises initiating transmission of configuration information towards a first user equipment to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment, The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path. According to a further embodiment, a first user equipment is provided. The first user equipment is configured to receive configuration information from a network node to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment. The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path.

According to a further embodiment, a first user equipment is provided. The first user equipment comprises at least one processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by said at least one processor, whereby the first user equipment is operative to receive configuration information from a network node to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment. The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path.

According to a further embodiment, a network node is provided. The network node is configured to initiate transmission of configuration information towards a first user equipment to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment, The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path.

According to a further embodiment, a network node is provided. The network node comprises at least one processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by said at least one processor, whereby the network node is operative to initiate transmission of configuration information towards a first user equipment to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment, The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path.

According to a further embodiment, a computer program or computer program product is provided, e.g., in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, which comprises program code to be executed by at least one processor of a first user equipment. Execution of the program code causes the first user equipment toreceive configuration information from a network node to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment. The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path.

According to a further embodiment, a computer program or computer program product is provided, e.g., in the form of a non-transitory storage medium, which comprises program code to be executed by at least one processor of a network node. Execution of the program code causes the network node to initiate transmission of configuration information towards a first user equipment to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first user equipment and a second transmission path between the first user equipment and a second user equipment, The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first user equipment via the second user equipment to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first user equipment for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figures'! A, 1 B, and 1C schematically illustrate BSR structures.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a user plane stack for an L2 UE-to-Network relay UE.

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a control plane stack for an L2 UE-to-Network relay UE.

Figure 4 schematically illustrates a multipath scenario in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 shows a flowchart for schematically illustrating a method in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 6 shows a flowchart for schematically illustrating a further method in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7 shows a flow diagram for schematically illustrating indirect path addition in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 8 schematically illustrates a protocol stack at the UE for a multipath operation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figures 9A and 9B schematically illustrate examples of control elements (CEs) for multipath operation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 10 schematically illustrates an example of a communication system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 11 schematically illustrates an example of a wireless device in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 12 schematically illustrates an example of a network node in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 13 schematically illustrates an example of a host in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 14 schematically illustrates an example of a virtualization environment accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 15 shows a diagram for illustrating communication of a host and a UE in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

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.

The techniques of the present disclosure are performed by a UE and a network node. The UE that performs the techniques described herein can be referred to as a first UE. The network node that performs the techniques described herein can be a gNB according to some embodiments. Thus, any reference to network node herein can be understood to refer to a gNB or any other network node.

In concepts as illustrated herein, the first UE receives configuration information from a network node to configure a first transmission path between the network node and the first UE and a second transmission path between the first UE and a second UE. The second transmission path is part of a relay based path extending from the first UE via the second UE to the network node. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first UE for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path. Such rules may then be applied in an autonomous manner by the first UE. However, such rules could also be applied based on further input from the network side, For example, as further explained below, the rule(s) could be based on a logical channel configuration and/or scheduling information provided from the network side.

In some scenarios, the techniques described herein can enable the network node to identify a request for multipath scheduling (i.e. over LIL/SL) based on a special grouping of the logical channels (LCH) across UL and SL to form an LCG such that upon receiving this LCG, the network node can immediately identify that this transmission is for a multipath operation. In some embodiments, the LCG may be received in a BSR. Herein, a BSR is a report comprising information indicative of a size of a buffer of the UE or, more specifically, information indicative of an amount of data (in the buffer) that is to be transmitted. The network node can configure the special grouping at the UE (e.g. via dedicated RRC signaling, such as over the Uu interface) and the UE can correspondingly apply this configuration. In addition, the network node can also, based on the received LCG (e.g. in the BSR), perform UL/SL prioritization (i.e. prioritize either the UL transmission or SL transmission) by signaling only those corresponding resources. The techniques described herein can also be used to modify the legacy SL/UL prioritization rules at the UE when the network node provides overlapping (in time and typically also in frequency) resources for a multipath operation.

The9riorityzation of these transmissions can be based on one or more parameters of the paths (so-called path parameters), which can be calculated/estimated/maintained at the network node or reported/updated by the UE (to the network node) over Uu interface signaling, e.g. either periodically or upon network node request. The one or more path parameters can, for example, comprises the number of hops that the paths comprise, the signal strength on the paths, and/or any other path parameter(s).

Thus, as described herein, a special grouping of SL/UL logical channels can be provided to form an LCG. This can enable the network node to identify an UL scheduling request for a multipath operation and to perform UL/SL prioritization. Furthermore, as described herein, UL/SL prioritization can be performed on the UE side. As mentioned earlier, this prioritization can be based on one or more path parameters.

Herein, any references to “a logical channel” can refer to a control channel or a traffic channel. Also, any references to “logical channels” can refer to one or more control channels and/or one or more traffic channels. A control channel can be a channel used for the transfer of control plane information. Examples of a control channel include, but are not limited to, a Sidelink Control Channel (SCCH), a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) such as a Sidelink Broadcast Control Channel (SBCCH), a Paging Control Channel (PCCH), a Common Control Channel (CCCH), a Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH), Multicast Control Channel (MCCH), and/or any other control channel. A traffic channel can be a channel used for the transfer of user plane information. Examples of the traffic channel include, but are not limited to, a Sidelink Traffic Channel (STCH), a Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH), a Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH), and/or any other traffic channel.

Certain embodiments may provide one or more technical advantage(s). For example, the techniques described herein can enables the network node to identify that an UL scheduling request is for a multipath operation from a single transmission, which thereby reduces signaling overhead and inefficiencies. Also, the techniques described herein can enable the network node to perform LIL/SL prioritization for a multipath operation. The techniques described herein can also enable the UE to perform LIL/SL prioritization for a multipath operation.

Figure 4 illustrates a multipath scenario in which the concepts of the present disclosure may be applied. In the multipath scenarios of Figure 4, a UE 20 (which herein is also referred to as a multipath UE) is connected to a network node 10 (e.g. a gNB or CN node) via both a direct path between the UE 20 and the network node 10 and an indirect path between the UE 20 and the network node 10, with the indirect path extending via a relay UE 30. The indirect path may thus also be referred to as a relay path. In the case of the direct path, the UE 20 can communicate with the network node 10 over a Uu interface. In the case of the indirect path, the UE 20 can communicate with the relay UE 30 over a PC5 interface, and the relay UE 30 can communicate with the network node 10 over the Uu interface. That is, the UE 20 can communicate with the network node 10 indirectly via the PC5 and Uu interface over a single hop. The multi-path operation offers the UE 20 a choice to perform transmission either over the direct path or over the indirect path or over both the direct and indirect path, thereby allowing for transmission flexibility. A transmission over a direct path can comprise a UL transmission and a transmission over the indirect path can comprise an SL transmission and a UL transmission.

Figure 5 depicts a first method 200 in accordance with particular embodiments. The first method 200 may be performed by a user equipment (UE) or wireless device (e.g. the UE 812 or UE 900 as described later with reference to Figures 10 and Figure 11 respectively). This UE is referred to herein as a first UE. The first method is for managing transmission paths in a network. The first method 200 comprises receiving configuration information from a network node to configure multiple transmission paths in the network. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first UE for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path. Such rules may then be applied in an autonomous manner by the first UE.In addition or as alternative, the configuration information may be indicative that a first logical channel (LCH) is assigned to a first transmission path between the network node and the first UE, a second LCH is assigned to a second transmission path between the first UE and a second UE, and the first LCH and the second LCH are grouped into a logical channel group (LCG).

In some embodiments, the first method may comprise initiating transmission of the configuration request towards the network node. For example, the configuration request may be transmitted directly to the network node or the configuration request may be transmitted indirectly to the network node via the second UE.

In some embodiments, receiving the configuration information can comprise receiving the configuration information directly from the network node. In other embodiments, receiving the configuration information can comprise receiving the configuration information indirectly from the network node via the second UE. In some embodiments, receiving the configuration information can comprise receiving broadcast signaling comprising the configuration information. In other embodiments, receiving the configuration information can comprise receiving radio resource control (RRC) signaling comprising the configuration information. In some of these embodiments, the RRC signaling may comprise radio link control (RLC) bearer configurations for the multiple transmission paths. In some embodiments, the RLC bearer configurations may be associated with a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity. In some embodiments, the configuration information may be received from the network node in response to a configuration request transmitted towards the network node, where the configuration request is for multiple transmission paths to be configured in the network.

In some embodiments, the first method may comprise applying the configuration information to configure multiple transmission paths in the network.

In some embodiments, the first method may comprise receiving scheduling information from the network node. The scheduling information can, for example, comprise first scheduling information in the absence of second scheduling information, or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information, or the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information. In these embodiments, the first scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path and the second scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, the first scheduling information may comprise one or more first scheduling resources associated with the first transmission path and the second scheduling information may comprise one or more second scheduling resources associated with the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, the scheduling information may comprise the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information signals to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path. In other embodiments, the scheduling information may comprise the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information signals to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path. In other embodiments, the scheduling information may comprise the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information signals to the first UE that transmissions are to be scheduled via both the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

In some embodiments where the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information, receiving the first scheduling information at an earlier time than the second scheduling information may signal to the first UE that transmissions via the first transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the second transmission path and/or receiving the second scheduling information at an earlier time than the first scheduling information may signal to the first UE that transmissions via the second transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the first transmission path.

In some embodiments, where the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information, the scheduling information may also comprise a first indication that the second scheduling information will not be received. In these embodiments, the first indication can signal to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path. In other embodiments, where the scheduling information comprises the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information, the scheduling information may also comprise a second indication that the first scheduling information will not be received. In these embodiments, the second indication may signal to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, where the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information, the first scheduling information comprises the one or more first scheduling resources, and the second scheduling information comprises the one or more second scheduling resources, the first method may comprise prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path if the one or more first scheduling resources are overlapping in time, in particular in time and frequency, with the one or more second scheduling resources. In some of these embodiments, prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path is based on one or more parameters of the first transmission path and the second transmission path. In some embodiments, the one or more parameters comprise any one or more of a signal strength measurement on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a number of successful transmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, one or more hybrid automatic repeat request statistics on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a number of retransmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a number of hops associated with the first transmission path and the second transmission path, and a priority of the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, the first method may comprise any one or more of determining at least one of the one or more parameter; and initiating transmission of at least one of the one or more parameters towards the network node. In some embodiments, determining at least one of the one or more parameters may comprise determining at least one of the one or more parameters in response to any one or more of a predefined event occurring, expiry of a predefined time period, and a request for at least one of the one or more parameters from the network node. In some embodiments, the predefined event may comprise any one or more of a signal strength on one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path reaching a first predefined threshold, a number of successful transmissions on one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path reaching a second predefined threshold, a number of retransmissions on one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path reaching a third predefined threshold; and an event related to the priority of the first transmission path and/or the priority the second transmission path, e.g., depending on a priority level of data to be transmitted on the first transmission path or the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, the first method may comprise scheduling transmissions via one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the scheduling information. In some embodiments, the first method may comprise initiating transmission of a resource request towards the network node for one or more resources for transmitting data in the network, wherein the resource request comprises information identifying the LCG.

In some embodiments, the first method may comprise initiating transmission of a buffer status report towards the network node. In these embodiments, the buffer status report may comprise information identifying the LCG and at least one parameter indicative of any one or more of a first amount of data to be transmitted via the first transmission path and a second amount of data to be transmitted via the second transmission path. In some embodiments, the first amount of data and the second amount of data may be the same and the buffer status report can comprise a single parameter indicative of the first amount of data and the second amount of data.

In some embodiments, the first transmission path may be over a llu interface between the network node and the first UE, or the second transmission path may over a PC5 interface between the first UE and a second UE, or the first transmission path may be over a Uu interface between the network node and the first UE and the second transmission path is over a PC5 interface between the first UE and a second UE.

In some embodiments, the first LCH and the second LCH may be grouped into the LCG based on any one or more of a priority of the first LCH and the second LCH, a prioritized bit rate of the first LCH and the second LCH, a quality of service parameter for the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a packet delay budget requirement of the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a capacity or bit rate of the first LCH and the second LCH, and an identifier associated with the second LCH, wherein the identifier identifies the second UE.

In some embodiments, the configuration information may be indicative that at least one other first LCH is assigned to at least one other first transmission path between the network node and the first UE and/or at least one other second LCH is assigned to at least one other second transmission path between the first UE and the second UE. In some embodiments, one or more of the at least one other first LCH and the at least one other second LCH may be grouped into the LCG. In some embodiments, one or more of the at least one other first LCH and the at least one other second LCH may be grouped into at least one other LCG.

Figure 6 depicts a second method 100 in accordance with particular embodiments. The second method 100 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node 810 or network node 1000 as described later with reference to Figure 10 and Figure 12 respectively). The second method is for managing transmission paths in a network. The second method 200 comprises initiating transmission of configuration information towards a first UE to configure multiple transmission paths in the network. The configuration information is indicative of one or more rules to be applied the first UE for prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path. Such rules may then be applied in an autonomous manner by the first UE.In addition or as alternative, the configuration information may be indicative that a first LCH is assigned to a first transmission path between the network node and the first UE, a second LCH is assigned to a second transmission path between the first UE and a second UE, and the first LCH and the second LCH are grouped into an LCG.

In some embodiments, the second method may comprise any one or more of assigning the first LCH to the first transmission path, assigning the second LCH to the second transmission path, associating the second LCH with an identifier that identifies the second UE, and grouping the first LCH and the second LCH into the LCG.

In some embodiments, the second method may comprise receiving the configuration request from the first UE. In some embodiments, the configuration request can be received directly from the first UE. In other embodiments, the configuration request can be received indirectly from the first UE via the second UE.

In some embodiments, initiating transmission of the configuration information can comprise initiating transmission of the configuration information directly to the first UE. In other embodiments, initiating transmission of the configuration information can comprise initiating transmission of the configuration information indirectly to the first UE via the second UE. In some embodiments, initiating transmission of the configuration information may comprise initiating transmission of broadcast signaling comprising the configuration information or initiating transmission of RRC signaling comprising the configuration information. In some embodiments, the RRC signaling may comprise RLC bearer configurations for the multiple transmission paths. In some embodiments, the RLC bearer configurations may be associated with a PDCP entity. In some embodiments, transmission of the configuration information may be initiated towards the first UE in response to a configuration request from the first UE, where the configuration request is for multiple transmission paths to be configured in the network.

In some embodiments, the configuration information is to be applied to configure multiple transmission paths in the network.

In some embodiments, the second method may comprise initiating transmission of scheduling information towards the first UE. The scheduling information can, for example, comprise first scheduling information in the absence of second scheduling information, or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information, or the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information. In these embodiments, the first scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path and the second scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, the first scheduling information may comprise one or more first scheduling resources associated with the first transmission path and the second scheduling information may comprise one or more second scheduling resources associated with the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, the scheduling information may comprise the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information signals to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path. In other embodiments, the scheduling information may comprise the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information signals to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path. In other embodiments, the scheduling information may comprise the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information signals to the first UE that transmissions are to be scheduled via both the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, where the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information, transmission of the first scheduling information may be initiated at an earlier time than the second scheduling information to signal to the first UE that transmissions via the first transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the second transmission path and/or transmission of the second scheduling information may be initiated at an earlier time than the first scheduling information to signal to the first UE that transmissions via the second transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the first transmission path.

In some embodiments, where the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information, the scheduling information may also comprise a first indication that the second scheduling information will not be received. In these embodiments, the first indication can signal to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path. In other embodiments, where the scheduling information comprises the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information, the scheduling information may also comprise a second indication that the first scheduling information will not be received. In these embodiments, the second indication may signal to the first UE that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path.

In some embodiments, the second method may comprise prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path. In some of these embodiments, prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path may be based on one or more parameters of the first transmission path and the second transmission path. In some embodiments, the one or more parameters may comprise any one or more of a signal strength measurement on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a number of successful transmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, one or more hybrid automatic repeat request statistics on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a number of retransmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a number of hops associated with the first transmission path and the second transmission path, and a priority of the first transmission path and the second transmission path. In some embodiments, the second method may comprise any one or more of determining at least one of the one or more parameters and receiving at least one of the one or more parameters from the first UE.

In some embodiments, the second method may comprise receiving a resource request from the first UE for one or more resources for transmitting data in the network, where the resource request may comprise information identifying the LCG. In some embodiments, the second method may comprise receiving a buffer status report from the first UE, where the buffer status report may comprise information identifying the LCG and at least one parameter indicative of any one or more of a first amount of data to be transmitted via the first transmission path and a second amount of data to be transmitted via the second transmission path. In some embodiments, the first amount of data and the second amount of data may be the same and the buffer status report can comprise a single parameter indicative of the first amount of data and the second amount of data.

In some embodiments, the first transmission path may be over a Uu interface between the network node and the first UE, or the second transmission path may be over a PC5 interface between the first UE and a second UE, or the first transmission path is over a Uu interface between the network node and the first UE and the second transmission path is over a PC5 interface between the first UE and a second UE.

In some embodiments, the first LCH and the second LCH may be grouped into the LCG based on any one or more of a priority of the first LCH and the second LCH, a prioritized bit rate of the first LCH and the second LCH, a quality of service parameter for the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a packet delay budget requirement of the first transmission path and the second transmission path, a capacity or bit rate of the first LCH and the second LCH, and an identifier associated with the second LCH, wherein the identifier identifies the second UE.

In some embodiments, the configuration information may be indicative that at least one other first LCH is assigned to at least one other first transmission path between the network node and the first UE and/or that at least one other second LCH is assigned to at least one other second transmission path between the first UE and the second UE. In some embodiments, one or more of the at least one other first LCH and the at least one other second LCH may be grouped into the LCG. In some embodiments, one or more of the at least one other first LCH and the at least one other second LCH may be grouped into at least one other LCG.

Herein, the techniques may be described in the context of new radio (NR). However, the same principles may be applied to long term evolution (LTE) or any other technology that enables multipath transmission. The terms “direct connection” or “direct path” can be used herein to refer to a connection between a first UE and a network node. The terms “indirect connection” or “indirect path” can be used herein to refer to a connection between the first UE and the network node via a second UE. In this scenario, the first UE can be referred to as a remote UE and the second UE can be referred to as a relay UE. The remote UE is remote from the network node. As such, the remote UE is unable to communicate directly with the network node. Thus, a relay service is provided, which is a service that allows the remote UE to communicate with the network node via the relay UE. In this way, a UE-to-Network relay service can be provided. Herein, the terms multipath operation with relays and multipath operation can be used interchangeably. In addition, any reference herein to a multipath operation (or multipath operation with relays) may refer to all of the operations possible, such as operations involving utilizing multiple paths simultaneously (e.g. duplication of packets or data splitting, such as for higher throughput and/or reliability over multiple paths) and/or operations involving switching among multiple paths.

The techniques described herein are applicable to both types of SL resource allocations i.e. mode 1 and mode 2. In mode 1 , the network node provides the required resources for SL transmissions. In the mode 2, the UE selects the required resources itself, e.g. based on a sensing procedure.

The techniques described herein are applicable to the scenario illustrated in Figure 4, which involves a UE in a multipath operation where the indirect path is via an L2 UE-to-Network relay. Although Figure 1 illustrates a multipath operation to a single network node, the techniques described herein are equally applicable to cases where the multipath operation involves more than one network node. Moreover, although the techniques are described from a two path perspective, it will be understood that the techniques described herein are also valid in the case of . more than two paths, which can be direct and indirect. For example, the techniques described herein can be applied to cases where there are two or more direct paths and one or more indirect paths, and cases where there are one or more direct paths and two or more indirect paths. The two or more direct paths can comprise paths from the first UE to two or more different network nodes. The two or more indirect paths can comprise paths from the first UE to two or more different network nodes via the same relay UE and/or paths from the first UE to the same network node via two or more different relay UEs.

Figure 7 illustrates flow diagram for an indirect path addition. More specifically, Figure 7 illustrates a possible procedure to set up a multipath to a network node 10 by means of an indirect path addition, having already established a direct path. At step 400, a first UE 20 establishes a first connection (or transmission path), which is the direct connection (or direct transmission path) to the network node 10 (e.g. a gNB or any other network node). The first connection can be via a Uu interface between the first UE 20 and the network node 10. The first connection can be used for the transmission of uplink (UL) data from the first UE 20 towards the network node 10 and/or the transmission of downlink (DL) data from the network node 10 towards the first UE 20.

At step 402, the network node 10 transmits measurement configuration information towards the first UE 20 and the first UE 20 receives this measurement configuration information. The measurement configuration information is indicative of one or more conditions/events that are to trigger a measurement report (MR) for multipath transmissions. At step 404, at least one of the one or more conditions/events occur and trigger the MR. Thus, at step 406, the first UE transmits the MR towards the network node 10 and the network node 10 receives this MR. The MR can comprise a list of one or more second UEs that are candidates for relaying transmissions from the first UE to the network node 10. The one or more second UEs can thus also be referred to as one or more relay UEs. The list of one or more second UEs may comprise, for each second UE, a corresponding identifier that identifies the second UE such as a Layer 2 identifier (ID), a corresponding cell ID for the second UE, and/or any other information about the second UE.

At step 408, the network node 10 selects a second UE from the list of one or more second UEs. At step 410, the network node 10 transmits a first reconfiguration (e.g. an RRC reconfiguration) request towards the first UE 20 and the first UE 20 receives this first reconfiguration request. The first reconfiguration request can comprise information indicative that a second connection (or transmission path) is to be added (to form a multipath configuration). The second connection is the indirect connection (or indirect transmission path) to the network node 10 via the selected second UE. The second connection can be via a PC5 interface between the first UE 20 and the selected second UE 30 and a llu interface between the selected second UE 30 and the network node 10. The first reconfiguration request can comprise an identifier that identifies the selected second UE 30, such as a Layer 2 ID for the selected second UE 30.

Steps 412 to 418 illustrate the addition of the selected second UE 30 for a multipath operation. At step 412, the network node 10 transmits a second reconfiguration (e.g. a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration) request towards the selected second UE 30 and the selected second UE 30 receives this second reconfiguration request. The second reconfiguration request can comprise an identifier that identifies the first UE 20, such as a Layer 2 ID for the first UE 20. The second reconfiguration request may also comprise a mapping between the PC5/Uu configuration. At step 414, the selected second UE 30 may transmit a response to the second reconfiguration request towards the network node 10 and the network node 10 can receive this response. The response can indicate that the requested reconfiguration is complete.

At step 416, if a connection (or transmission path) between the first UE 20 and the selected second UE 30 does not already exist, such a connection can be established. For example, a PC5 interface between the first UE 20 and the selected second UE 30 can be established. At step 418, the first UE 20 may transmit a response to the first reconfiguration request towards the network node 10 via the selected second UE 30 and the network node 10 can receive this response. The response can indicate that the requested reconfiguration is complete. Thus, at step 420, a multipath connection is established. The newly established second connection can then be used for the transmission of UL data from the first UE 20 towards the network node 10 via the selected second UE 30 and/or the transmission of DL data from the network node 10 towards the first UE 20 via the selected second UE 30.

An example of a method that can be performed in response to a request for a multipath configuration will now be described. In a first step, a UE may send a request to a network node, where the request is for a multipath configuration. The request can be sent via Uu signaling (e.g. RRC signaling). The request can be initiated when an event is triggered and/or a condition is met to set up a multipath, e.g. to perform the corresponding multipath operations.

The events/conditions can comprise any one or more of the following:

• a PC5 signal strength to an L2 UE-2-Network relay is higher than a predefined threshold;

• a Uu signal strength to the network node is lower than a predefined threshold;

• a UE buffer occupancy is higher than a data rate of a Uu connection to the network node; and

• data with a priority higher than a predefined threshold is to be transmitted. If any of the events/conditions (e.g. any of the above-mentioned events/conditions) are triggered/satisfied, the UE may initiate the request for a multipath configuration. In some embodiments, the request may be in the form of a measurement report (MR) and/or UE assistance information.

In a second step, the network node prepares a multipath logical channel (LCH) configuration with a special grouping, which is referred to herein as a logical channel group (LCG). Upon receiving this request for a multipath configuration, the network node assigns the UE with a set of LCHs. The set of LCHs can be assigned such that a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity (of a radio bearer (RB)) for a multipath operation is associated with at least two LCHs, with one being a Uu LCH and the other being a PC5 LCH.

Figure 8 illustrates a protocol stack at the UE for a multipath operation and, more specifically, a Uu LCH and a PC5 LCH. As illustrated in Figure 8, a PDCP entity that is required to perform a multipath operation can be associated with at least one PC5 LCH and at least one Uu LCH.

In addition, the network node can also perform a special grouping including at least one Uu and PC5 LCH to form an LCG. This LCG configuration and the corresponding LCH configurations can be signaled to the UE (e.g. via the direct/indirect path). The LCG configuration and the corresponding LCH configurations can be signaled using dedicated signaling, such as RRC signaling.

In a third step, when the UE receives the signaling comprising the multipath LCH configuration with the special grouping (e.g. of at least one Uu LCH and at least one PC5 LCH), the UE can apply this LCH configuration with the special grouping and may subsequently request resources for UL/SL transmission.

In a fourth step, the UE can request resources for the multipath operation. In more detail, based on the application of the special grouping to form an LCG, the UE can request resources for a multipath operation, e.g. using a joint SR (Uu and PC5) and joint BSR (Uu and PC5), such as including the LCG in the BSR MAC CE procedure. Upon receiving a BSR with the LCG (consisting of the special grouping), the network node can identify that the UE is requesting resources for a multipath operation.

In addition, in a (optional) fifth step, the network node can prioritize the UL/SL transmission, such as using certain path parameters. More specifically, the network node can perform UL/SL prioritization based on the LCG with the special grouping. The path parameters can be calculated/estimated at the network node or can be reported/updated by the UE. In the case where the path parameters are reported/updated by the UE, the path parameters may be reported/updated upon request from the network node, periodically, or in response to an event triggered (i.e. the reporting/updating of path parameters may be triggered by an event).

Sometimes, there may be cases where UL and SL transmissions (resources) scheduled by the network node overlap in time, in particular in time and frequency. For example, this may occur in a case where the fifth step is not performed. When such a case happens, a limited capability UE (i.e. a UE not being able to transmit SL and UL simultaneously or a UE with limited available power) may need to prioritize either UL or SL transmissions. To perform such a prioritization for a multipath operation, path parameters (e.g. a signal strength measure on a path, a number of retransmissions on a path, etc.) can be considered. The path parameters to be used for prioritization may be measured at the UE and/or can be configured by the network node. Thus, in a sixth step, the UE can perform UL/SL prioritization based on path parameters.

Some further details related to the above-described steps will now be provided.

In some embodiments, a UE with the capability to perform a multipath operation with relays may send a request to the network node, such as via Uu signaling (e.g. a dedicated RRC message), to request a multipath configuration. In some embodiments, the request can be in the form of a report (e.g. an MR) and/or in the form of assistance information (e.g. UE assistance information), and/or the request can be triggered by an event/condition, such as an event/condition that the UE satisfies. Upon receiving this request, the network node may assign the UE with a set of LCHs, e.g. such that a PDCP entity (of an RB) for a multipath operation is associated with at least two LCHs. For example, at least one LCH may be a Uu LCH and/or at least one LCH may be a PC5 LCH. The network node can further associate each of the PC5 LCH(s) with corresponding UE-to-Network relay I D(s), such as UE-to-Network relay L2 ID(s). In addition, the network node can decide to perform a special grouping of the LCHs to form an LCG. The LCG may, for example, comprise at least one Uu LCH and/or at least one PC5 LCH.

In a scenario where the multipath operation supports more than two paths to the network node, the set of LCHs/LCGs can comprise more than one Uu LCH and/or more than one PC5 LCH. Furthermore, in this scenario, the network node can perform the grouping of the LCHs such that each group can be associated with multipaths, i.e. at least a pair of paths. For example, if there are four paths to the network node, such as one direct path and three indirect paths, a first group (Group-1) can comprise the LCHs of the one direct path and one indirect path, and a second group (Group-2) can comprise the other two indirect paths. The grouping can implicitly inform the UE of the different combination of paths for a multipath operation.

In some embodiments, the network node can perform the special grouping based on any one or more of the following parameters: • a priority of LIL/SL LCHs;

• a prioritized bit rate of the LIL/SL LCHs;

• one or more quality of service (QoS) parameters of the application/service, such as one or more 5G quality of service identifier and/or presentation quality index (5QI/PQI) QoS flow parameters of the application/service;

• one or more packet delay budget (PDB) requirements of the LIL/SL transmission (where the PDB requirement can, for example, be an upper threshold for the time that a packet may be delayed for the UL/SL transmission); and

• a capacity/bit rate of transmission of the LIL/SL channels.

In some embodiments, in addition to configuring the LCHs and special grouping, the network node can also configure the UE with a set of SR configurations (e.g. comprising SR time and/or frequency resources) specific to the multipath operation. The network node can specify certain scheduling request identifiers (IDs) and corresponding configurations to be associated with the multipath operation. For example, upon receiving the SRs, the network node can identify that the subsequent request for resources is for a multipath operation.

In some embodiments, having generated the LCH configurations and special grouping in the LCG, the network node can signal this multipath LCH configuration with the special grouping to the UE in order to configure the UE. The multipath LCH configuration with the special grouping can be signaled via dedicated signaling, such as RRC signaling.

In some embodiments, having applied the multipath LCH configuration with special grouping, when the UE needs to request UL/SL resources for a multipath operation, the UE can include the LCG with the special grouping in control information or a control element (CE), such as a BSR MAC CE, signaled to the network node. Upon receiving this CE, the network node knows that the UE is requesting UL/SL resources for a multipath operation. Thus, a new CE (e.g. BSR MAC CE) can be specified for a multipath operation.

Figures 9A and 9B illustrate examples of such a new CE or, more specifically, a new BSR MAC CE, that can be specified for a multipath operation. In more detail, Figure 9A illustrates a short BSR MAC CEs for a multipath operation and Figure 9B illustrates a long BSR MAC CEs for a multipath operation. In some embodiments, if the Uu (UL) and PC5 (SL) buffer sizes are the same, only one buffer size may be reported.

In some embodiments, in response to receiving the LCG with the special grouping, the network node can perform UL/SL prioritization. For example, the network node may perform UL/SL prioritization based on considering one or more path parameters over the direct and indirect paths. The one or more path parameters can comprise any one or more of the following path parameters:

• Signal strength measurements on the LIL/SL, such as based on a reference signal (RS) received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and/or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). In the case of a multi-hop path, a combined signal strength of the path can be measured as a minimum, maximum, or average function of the signal strength of all of the hops.

• The number of successful transmissions (e.g. initial transmissions, where there have been no retransmissions) on the LIL/SL, e.g. in a certain time duration.

• One or more hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) statistics on the LIL/SL, e.g. the number of HARQ retransmissions on the LIL/SL such as in a certain time duration.

• The number of (e.g. RLC based) retransmissions on the LIL/SL, e.g. in a certain time duration.

• The number of hops associated with the indirect path.

• A path priority. For example, no other transmission on the SL/LIL may have a higher priority than the LIL/SL. That is, a prioritized path may have the highest priority of transmission at the time.

The one or more path parameters can comprise one or more path parameters calculated/estimated at the network node and/or one or more path parameters reported/updated by the UE. In some embodiments, the network node can configure the UE to perform this reporting periodically, in response to a request, or in response to an event (i.e. the reporting can be triggered by an event). If triggered by an event, the event can comprise any one or more of the following events and/or any other event(s):

• one or more signal strength measurements on the LIL/SL is lower/higher than a predefined threshold;

• the number of successful (e.g. initial) transmissions on the LIL/SL (e.g. during a certain time) is lower/higher than a threshold; and

• the number of retransmissions on the LIL/SL (e.g. during a certain time) is lower/higher than a threshold, e.g. the number of HARQ retransmissions on the LIL/SL (e.g. during a certain time) is lower/higher than a threshold and/or the number of RLC-based retransmissions (e.g. during a certain time) is lower/higher than a threshold. In some embodiments, the network node can schedule the UL transmission and/or the SL transmission, e.g. based on the one or more path parameters. In some of these embodiments, the network node can schedule either the UL or the SL transmission, such as by providing only the corresponding resources (i.e. UL/SL resources) to the UE. In another of these embodiments, the network node can schedule both the UL and SL transmissions. In yet another of these embodiments, the network node can schedule both the UL and SL transmissions but prioritize between UL or SL transmission (such as by providing resources for one of them earlier in time). In yet another of these embodiments, between (e.g. HARQ/RLC) retransmissions and initial transmissions, the network node may always prioritize retransmissions independent of whether the retransmissions are on the SL/UL.

In some embodiments, based on the one or more path parameters, the UE may prioritize either the UL or the SL transmission, such as if the UL and SL resources are overlapped in time, in particular in time and frequency. In some embodiments, the UE (with capability) can transmit both UL and SL transmission simultaneously (i.e. during the same time). In some of these embodiments, the available transmission power may be shared between the UL and SL transmissions using one or more prioritization rules based on the one or more path parameters. In other embodiments, between (e.g. HARQ/RLC) retransmissions and initial transmissions, the UE may always prioritize retransmissions independent of whether the retransmissions are on the SL/UL. In other embodiments, a certain type of transmission (such as control signaling or random access signaling/channel) may be prioritized over any other overlapping transmission.

In some embodiments, a field may be defined in the control information either on the SL or PC5 interface (i.e. in sidelink control information (SCI)) or in the control information on the UL or Uu interface (i.e. in downlink control information (DCI)) to indicate whether or not the corresponding data transmission belongs to a multipath bearer (e.g. either a split bearer or a replicated bearer). For example, a bit may be added in the SCI/DCI, where a value of 0 can indicate that the associated data transmission does not belong to a multipath bearer and a value of 1 can indicate that the associated data transmission belongs to a multipath bearer. Alternatively, the field can be present in the transport blocks (TBs) submitted to the lower layers (e.g. from the medium access control (MAC) layer or higher) for transmission. Such information may be used to perform prioritization among transmissions, e.g. at the physical layer. In some embodiments, the prioritization may comprise applying different prioritization rules (e.g. based on the one or more path parameters and/or priority).

The signaling referred to herein can comprise various different alternatives. For example, the signaling between the UE and the network node can comprise any one or more of: • RRC signaling;

• a CE, such as a MAC CE;

• a control PDU of a protocol layer (e.g. a service data adaption protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, or an adaptation layer such as in the case of a SL relay); and

• L1 signaling, e.g. on channels such as a physical random access channel (PRACH), a physical uplink control channel (PLICCH), or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

The signaling between the UEs can, for example, comprise any one or more of:

• RRC signaling (e.g. PC5 RRC signaling);

• PC5-S signaling;

• Discovery signaling;

• a CE, such as a MAC CE;

• a control PDU of a protocol layer (e.g. a SDAP layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, or an adaptation layer such as in the case of a SL relay); and

• L1 signaling, e.g. on channels such as a PSSCH, PSCCH, or PSFCH.

The signaling between the network nodes can, for example, comprise:

• Xn signaling, which is signaling on an Xn interface between the network nodes.

Figure 10 shows an example of a communication system 800 in accordance with some embodiments.

In the example, the communication system 800 includes a telecommunication network 802 that includes an access network 804, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 806, which includes one or more core network nodes 808. The access network 804 includes one or more access network nodes, such as access network nodes 810A and 810B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as access network nodes 810), or any other similar 3 ^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The access network nodes 810 facilitate direct or indirect connection of wireless devices (also referred to interchangeably herein as user equipment (UE)), such as by connecting UEs 812A, 812B, 812C, and 812D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 812) to the core network 806 over one or more wireless connections. The access network nodes 810 may be, for example, access points (APs) (e.g. radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g. radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).

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 800 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 800 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.

The wireless devices/UEs 812 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 810 and other communication devices. Similarly, the access network nodes 810 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 812 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 802 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 802.

In the depicted example, the core network 806 connects the access network nodes 810 to one or more hosts, such as host 816. 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 806 includes one more core network nodes (e.g. core network node 808) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the wireless devices/UEs, access network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 808. 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 816 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 804 and/or the telecommunication network 802, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 816 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and/or pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services, for example, 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 800 of Figure 10 enables connectivity between the wireless devices/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 802 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 802 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 802. For example, the telecommunications network 802 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 812 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 804 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 804. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT (RAT: Radio Access Technology) or multistandard 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 illustrated in Figure 10, the hub 814 communicates with the access network 804 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g. UE 812C and/or 812D) and access network nodes (e.g. access network node 810B). In some examples, the hub 814 may be a controller, router, a content source and analytics node, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 814 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 806 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 814 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 810, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 814. As another example, the hub 814 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 814 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 814 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 814 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 814 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 814 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 81 OB. The hub 814 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 814 and UEs (e.g. UE 812C and/or 812D), and between the hub 814 and the core network 806. In other examples, the hub 814 is connected to the core network 806 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 814 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 804 and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 810 while still connected via the hub 814 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 814 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 810B. In other embodiments, the hub 814 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 810B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

Figure 11 shows a wireless device or UE 900 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 wireless device/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 camera, 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 (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

A wireless device/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 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input/output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, 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 902 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 910. The processing circuitry 902 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 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 902 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 900 components, such as the memory 910, to provide UE 900 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to cause the UE 902 to perform the methods as described with reference to Figures 5 and Figure 6.

In the example, the input/output interface 906 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 900. 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 908 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 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 908 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 900 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 908. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 908 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 900 to which power is supplied.

The memory 910 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 910 includes one or more application programs 914, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store, for use by the UE 900, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

The memory 910 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 (IIICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and/or Integrated Subscriber Identity Module (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 910 may allow the UE 900 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 910, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

The processing circuitry 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 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 918 and/or a receiver 920 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g. optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g. antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

In some embodiments, communication functions of the communication interface 912 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 912, 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 controls 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 devices which are or which are 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 item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and/or software in dependence on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 900 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 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. 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 1000 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 network nodes such as access points (APs) (e.g. radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g. radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (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 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 1000 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 1000 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 1000 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g. separate memory 1004 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g. a same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1000, 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 1000.

The processing circuitry 1002 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 1000 components, such as the memory 1004, to provide network node 1000 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figures 5 and Figure 6.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and the baseband processing circuitry 1014 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 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

The memory 1004 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 1002. The memory 1004 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 1002 and utilized by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1002 and/or any data received via the communication interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 and memory 1004 is integrated.

The communication interface 1006 is used in wired or wireless communication of signalling and/or data between network nodes, the access network, the core network, and/or a UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1006 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 1016 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. In embodiments, the communication interface 1006 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1018 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1010. Radio front-end circuitry 1018 comprises filters 1020 and amplifiers 1022. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may be connected to an antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 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 1018 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1020 and/or amplifiers 1022. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1010 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1018. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

In certain alternative embodiments, the access network node 1000 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1018, instead, the processing circuitry 1002 includes radio frontend circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 is part of the communication interface 1006. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016, the radio front-end circuitry 1018, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1012, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1006 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1014, which is part of a digital unit (not shown). The antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1010 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1010 is separate from the network node 1000 and connectable to the network node 1000 through an interface or port.

The antenna 1010, communication interface 1006, and/or the processing circuitry 1002 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 1010, the communication interface 1006, and/or the processing circuitry 1002 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 1008 provides power to the various components of network node 1000 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g. at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1008 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1000 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1000 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 1008. As a further example, the power source 1008 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 1000 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 1000 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1000 and to allow output of information from the network node 1000. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1000.

Figure 13 is a block diagram of a host 1100, which may be an embodiment of the host 816 of Figure 10, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1100 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 1100 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

The host 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1104 to an input/output interface 1106, a network interface 1108, a power source 1110, and a memory 1112. 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 11 and Figure 12, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1100.

The memory 1112 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1114 and data 1116, which may include user data, e.g. data generated by a UE for the host 1100 or data generated by the host 1100 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1100 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1114 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. FLAG, 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 1114 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 1100 may select and/or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1114 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 1200 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 1200 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as an access network node, a wireless device/UE, a 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 1202 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1200 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Hardware 1204 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 1206 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1208a and 1208b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1208), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1206 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1208.

The VMs 1208 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1206. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1202 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1208, 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 1208 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 1208, and that part of hardware 1204 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 1208 on top of the hardware 1204 and corresponds to the application 1202.

Hardware 1204 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1204 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1204 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 1210, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1202. In some embodiments, hardware 1204 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 signalling can be provided with the use of a control system 1212 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

Figure 15 shows a communication diagram of a host 1302 communicating via a network node 1304 with a UE 1306 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 812A of Figure 10 and/or UE 900 of Figure 11), network node (such as network node 810A of Figure 10 and/or network node 1000 of Figure 12), and host (such as host 816 of Figure 10 and/or host 1100 of Figure 13) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 15.

Like host 1100, embodiments of host 1302 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1302 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1302 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 1306 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1350 extending between the UE 1306 and host 1302. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1350.

The network node 1304 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1302 and UE 1306. The connection 1360 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 806 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 1306 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1306 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 1306 with the support of the host 1302. In the host 1302, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1350 terminating at the UE 1306 and host 1302. 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 1350 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 1350.

The OTT connection 1350 may extend via a connection 1360 between the host 1302 and the network node 1304 and via a wireless connection 1370 between the network node 1304 and the UE 1306 to provide the connection between the host 1302 and the UE 1306. The connection 1360 and wireless connection 1370, over which the OTT connection 1350 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1302 and the UE 1306 via the network node 1304, 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 1350, in step 1308, the host 1302 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 1306. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1306 that shares data with the host 1302 without explicit human interaction. In step 1310, the host 1302 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1306. The host 1302 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1306. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1306 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1306. The transmission may pass via the network node 1304, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1312, the network node 1304 transmits to the UE 1306 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1302 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1314, the UE 1306 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1306 associated with the host application executed by the host 1302.

In some examples, the UE 1306 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1302. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1302. Accordingly, in step 1316, the UE 1306 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 1306. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1306 initiates, in step 1318, transmission of the user data towards the host 1302 via the network node 1304. In step 1320, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1304 receives user data from the UE 1306 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1302. In step 1322, the host 1302 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1306.

One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1306 using the OTT connection 1350, in which the wireless connection 1370 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the data rate and/or latency and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time and/or better responsiveness.

In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analysed by the host 1302. As another example, the host 1302 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1302 may collect and analyse real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g. controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1302 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1302 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 1302 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, analysing 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 1350 between the host 1302 and UE 1306, 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 1302 and/or UE 1306. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1350 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 1350 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1304. 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 1302. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1350 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.

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

EMBODIMENTS

Group A Embodiments

1. A method performed by a first user equipment (20) for managing transmission paths in a network, the method comprising: receiving (200) configuration information from a network node (10) to configure multiple transmission paths in the network, wherein the configuration information is indicative that: a first logical channel is assigned to a first transmission path between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20); a second logical channel is assigned to a second transmission path between the first user equipment (20) and a second user equipment (30); and the first logical channel and the second logical channel are grouped into a logical channel group.

2. The method of embodiment 1 , the method comprising: initiating transmission of the configuration request towards the network node (10).

3. The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein: the configuration request is transmitted directly to the network node (10); or the configuration request is transmitted indirectly to the network node (10) via the second user equipment (30).

4. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein: receiving the configuration information comprises: receiving the configuration information directly from the network node (10); or receiving the configuration information indirectly from the network node (10) via the second user equipment (30).

5. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein: receiving the configuration information comprises: receiving broadcast signaling comprising the configuration information; or receiving radio resource control signaling comprising the configuration information. 6. The method of embodiment 5, wherein: the radio resource control signaling comprises radio link control bearer configurations for the multiple transmission paths.

7. The method of embodiment 6, wherein: the radio link control bearer configurations are associated with a packet data convergence protocol entity.

8. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein: the configuration information is received from the network node (10) in response to a configuration request transmitted towards the network node (10), wherein the configuration request is for multiple transmission paths to be configured in the network.

9. The method of any of the previous embodiments, the method comprising: applying the configuration information to configure multiple transmission paths in the network.

10. The method of any of the previous embodiments, the method comprising: receiving, from the network node (10), scheduling information comprising: first scheduling information in the absence of second scheduling information; or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information; or the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information; wherein the first scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path and the second scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path.

11. The method of embodiment 10, wherein: the first scheduling information comprises: one or more first scheduling resources associated with the first transmission path; and the second scheduling information comprises: one or more second scheduling resources associated with the second transmission path. The method of embodiment 10 or 11 , wherein: the scheduling information comprising: the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path; or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path; or the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions are to be scheduled via both the first transmission path and the second transmission path. The method of any of embodiments 10 to 12, wherein: the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information; and receiving the first scheduling information at an earlier time than the second scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions via the first transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the second transmission path; and/or receiving the second scheduling information at an earlier time than the first scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions via the second transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the first transmission path. The method of any of embodiments 10 to 12, wherein: the scheduling information comprises: the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information; and a first indication that the second scheduling information will not be received, wherein the first indication signals to the first user equipment (30) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path; or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information; and a second indication that the first scheduling information will not be received, wherein the second indication signals to the first user equipment (30) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path. The method of embodiment 11 , or embodiment 12 when dependent on embodiment 11 , wherein: the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information, the first scheduling information comprises the one or more first scheduling resources, and the second scheduling information comprises the one or more second scheduling resources; and the method comprises: prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path if the one or more first scheduling resources are overlapping in time with the one or more second scheduling resources. The method of any of embodiment 15, wherein: prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path is based on one or more parameters of the first transmission path and the second transmission path. The method of embodiment 16, wherein: the one or more parameters comprise any one or more of: a signal strength measurement on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a number of successful transmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; one or more hybrid automatic repeat request statistics on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a number of retransmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a number of hops associated with the first transmission path and the second transmission path; and a priority of the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

18. The method of embodiment 16 or 17, the method comprising any one or more of: determining at least one of the one or more parameters; and initiating transmission of at least one of the one or more parameters towards the network node (10).

19. The method of embodiment 18, wherein: determining at least one of the one or more parameters comprises: determining at least one of the one or more parameters in response to any one or more of: a predefined event occurring; expiry of a predefined time period; and a request for at least one of the one or more parameters from the network node (10).

20. The method of embodiment 19, wherein: the predefined event comprises any one or more of: a signal strength on one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path reaching a first predefined threshold; a number of successful transmissions on one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path reaching a second predefined threshold; and a number of retransmissions on one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path reaching a third predefined threshold.

21 . The method of any of embodiments 10 to 20, the method comprising: scheduling transmissions via one or both of the first transmission path and the second transmission path according to the scheduling information.

22. The method of any of the previous embodiments, the method comprising: initiating transmission of a resource request towards the network node (10) for one or more resources for transmitting data in the network, wherein the resource request comprises information identifying the logical channel group.

23. The method of any of the previous embodiments, the method comprising: initiating transmission of a buffer status report towards the network node (10), wherein the buffer status report comprises information identifying the logical channel group and at least one parameter indicative of any one or more of a first amount of data to be transmitted via the first transmission path and a second amount of data to be transmitted via the second transmission path.

24. The method of embodiment 23, wherein: the first amount of data and the second amount of data is the same; and the buffer status report comprises a single parameter indicative of the first amount of data and the second amount of data.

25. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein: the first transmission path is over a llu interface between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20); the second transmission path is over a PC5 interface between the first user equipment (20) and a second user equipment (30); or the first transmission path is over a llu interface between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20) and the second transmission path is over a PC5 interface between the first user equipment (20) and a second user equipment (30).

26. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein: the first logical channel and the second logical channel are grouped into the logical channel group based on any one or more of: a priority of the first logical channel and the second logical channel; a prioritized bit rate of the first logical channel and the second logical channel; a quality of service parameter for the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a packet delay budget requirement of the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a capacity or bit rate of the first logical channel and the second logical channel; and an identifier associated with the second logical channel, wherein the identifier identifies the second user equipment (30).

27. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein: the configuration information is indicative that: at least one other first logical channel is assigned to at least one other first transmission path between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20); and/or at least one other second logical channel is assigned to at least one other second transmission path between the first user equipment (20) and the second user equipment (30).

28. The method of embodiment 27, wherein: one or more of the at least one other first logical channel and the at least one other second logical channel are grouped into the logical channel group.

29. The method of embodiment 27 or 28, wherein: one or more of the at least one other first logical channel and the at least one other second logical channel are grouped into at least one other logical channel group.

30. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node (10).

Group B Embodiments

31 . A method performed by a network node (10) for managing transmission paths in a network, the method comprising: initiating (100) transmission of configuration information towards a first user equipment (20) to configure multiple transmission paths in the network, wherein the configuration information is indicative that: a first logical channel is assigned to a first transmission path between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20); a second logical channel is assigned to a second transmission path between the first user equipment (20) and a second user equipment (30); and the first logical channel and the second logical channel are grouped into a logical channel group.

32. The method of embodiment 31 , the method comprising any one or more of: assigning the first logical channel to the first transmission path; assigning the second logical channel to the second transmission path; associating the second logical channel with an identifier that identifies the second user equipment (30); and grouping the first logical channel and the second logical channel into the logical channel group.

33. The method of embodiment 31 or 32, the method comprising: receiving the configuration request from the first user equipment (20).

34. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 33, wherein: the configuration request is received directly from the first user equipment (20); or the configuration request is received indirectly from the first user equipment (20) via the second user equipment (30).

35. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 34, wherein: initiating transmission of the configuration information comprises: initiating transmission of the configuration information directly to the first user equipment (20); or initiating transmission of the configuration information indirectly to the first user equipment (20) via the second user equipment (30).

36. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 35, wherein: initiating transmission of the configuration information comprises: initiating transmission of broadcast signaling comprising the configuration information; or initiating transmission of radio resource control signaling comprising the configuration information. 37. The method of embodiment 36, wherein: the radio resource control signaling comprises radio link control bearer configurations for the multiple transmission paths.

38. The method of embodiment 37, wherein: the radio link control bearer configurations are associated with a packet data convergence protocol entity.

39. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 38, wherein: transmission of the configuration information is initiated towards the first user equipment (20) in response to a configuration request from the first user equipment (20), wherein the configuration request is for multiple transmission paths to be configured in the network.

40. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 39, wherein: the configuration information is to be applied to configure multiple transmission paths in the network.

41. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 40, the method comprising: initiating transmission, towards the first user equipment (20), of scheduling information comprising: first scheduling information in the absence of second scheduling information; or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information; or the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information; wherein the first scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path and the second scheduling information is for scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path.

42. The method of embodiment 41 , wherein: the first scheduling information comprises: one or more first scheduling resources associated with the first transmission path; and the second scheduling information comprises: one or more second scheduling resources associated with the second transmission path.

43. The method of embodiment 41 or 42, wherein: the scheduling information comprising: the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path; or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path or that scheduling transmissions via the second transmission path is to be prioritized over scheduling transmissions via the first transmission path; or the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information signals to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions are to be scheduled via both the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

44. The method of any of embodiments 41 to 43, wherein: the scheduling information comprises the first scheduling information and the second scheduling information; and transmission of the first scheduling information is initiated at an earlier time than the second scheduling information to signal to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions via the first transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the second transmission path; and/or transmission of the second scheduling information is initiated at an earlier time than the first scheduling information to signal to the first user equipment (20) that transmissions via the second transmission path are to be scheduled with a higher priority than transmissions via the first transmission path.

45. The method of any of embodiments 41 to 43, wherein: the scheduling information comprises: the first scheduling information in the absence of the second scheduling information; and a first indication that the second scheduling information will not be received, wherein the first indication signals to the first user equipment (30) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the first transmission path; or the second scheduling information in the absence of the first scheduling information; and a second indication that the first scheduling information will not be received, wherein the second indication signals to the first user equipment (30) that transmissions are only to be scheduled via the second transmission path. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 45, the method comprising: prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path. The method of embodiment 46, wherein: prioritizing transmissions via the first transmission path or transmissions via the second transmission path is based on one or more parameters of the first transmission path and the second transmission path. The method of embodiment 47, wherein: the one or more parameters comprise any one or more of: a signal strength measurement on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a number of successful transmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; one or more hybrid automatic repeat request statistics on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a number of retransmissions on the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a number of hops associated with the first transmission path and the second transmission path; and a priority of the first transmission path and the second transmission path. The method of embodiment 47 or 48, the method comprising any one or more of: determining at least one of the one or more parameters; and receiving at least one of the one or more parameters from the first user equipment (20). The method of any embodiments 31 to 49, the method comprising: receiving a resource request from the first user equipment (20) for one or more resources for transmitting data in the network, wherein the resource request comprises information identifying the logical channel group. The method of any embodiments 31 to 50, the method comprising: receiving a buffer status report from the first user equipment (20), wherein the buffer status report comprises information identifying the logical channel group and at least one parameter indicative of any one or more of a first amount of data to be transmitted via the first transmission path and a second amount of data to be transmitted via the second transmission path. The method of embodiment 51 , wherein: the first amount of data and the second amount of data is the same; and the buffer status report comprises a single parameter indicative of the first amount of data and the second amount of data. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 52, wherein: the first transmission path is over a llu interface between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20); the second transmission path is over a PC5 interface between the first user equipment (20) and a second user equipment (30); or the first transmission path is over a llu interface between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20) and the second transmission path is over a PC5 interface between the first user equipment (20) and a second user equipment (30). The method of any of embodiments 31 to 53, wherein: the first logical channel and the second logical channel are grouped into the logical channel group based on any one or more of: a priority of the first logical channel and the second logical channel; a prioritized bit rate of the first logical channel and the second logical channel; a quality of service parameter for the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a packet delay budget requirement of the first transmission path and the second transmission path; a capacity or bit rate of the first logical channel and the second logical channel; and an identifier associated with the second logical channel, wherein the identifier identifies the second user equipment (30).

55. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 54, wherein: the configuration information is indicative that: at least one other first logical channel is assigned to at least one other first transmission path between the network node (10) and the first user equipment (20); and/or at least one other second logical channel is assigned to at least one other second transmission path between the first user equipment (20) and the second user equipment (30).

56. The method of embodiment 55, wherein: one or more of the at least one other first logical channel and the at least one other second logical channel are grouped into the logical channel group.

57. The method of embodiment 55 or 56, wherein: one or more of the at least one other first logical channel and the at least one other second logical channel are grouped into at least one other logical channel group.

58. The method of any of embodiments 31 to 57, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

Group C Embodiments 59. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code being configured such that, on execution by a suitable computer or processor, the computer or processor is caused to perform the method of any of the Group A embodiments or the Group B embodiments.

60. A first user equipment (20, 900) configured to perform the method of any of the Group A embodiments.

61. A first user equipment (20, 900) comprising a processor (902) and a memory (910), said memory (910) containing instructions executable by said processor (902) whereby said first user equipment (20, 900) is operative to perform the method of any of the Group A embodiments.

62. A network node (10, 1000) configured to perform the method of any of the Group B embodiments.

63. A network node (10, 1000) comprising a processor (1002) and a memory (1004), said memory (1004) containing instructions executable by said processor (1002) whereby said network node (10, 1000) is operative to perform the method of any of the Group B embodiments.

64. A user equipment for managing transmission paths in a network, comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

65. A network node for managing transmission paths in a network, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

66. A user equipment (UE) for managing transmission paths in a network, the 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 A 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.

67. 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 A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

68. The host of the previous 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.

69. The host of the previous 2 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.

70. 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. 71 . The method of the previous 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.

72. The method of the previous 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.

73. 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 A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

74. The host of the previous 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.

75. The host of the previous 2 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.

76. 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 A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host. 77. The method of the previous 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.

78. The method of the previous 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.

79. 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 embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

80. The host of the previous 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.

81. 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 embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE. 82. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

83. The method of any of the previous 2 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.

84. 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 embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

85. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and/or the user equipment.

86. 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 embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

87. The host of the previous 2 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. 88. The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data. 89. 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 embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

90. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.