Network

Field

The following exemplary embodiments relate to wireless communication and positioning of wireless devices.

Background

Wireless networks, such as cellular communication networks, enable and utilize positioning of terminal devices. Information regarding the position of the terminal device may be utilized in various use cases and thus it is beneficial to be able to determine the location of the terminal device as accurately as possible.

Brief Description

The scope of protection sought for various embodiments of the invention is set out by the independent claims. The exemplary embodiments and features, if any, described in this specification that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the invention.

According to a first aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: transmitting, to another apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between the apparatus and the another apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the other apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the other apparatus, receiving, from the other apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determining, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the other apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmitting, to the other apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the other apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receiving the second report from the other apparatus, and determining, based on the second report, location of the other apparatus.

In some example embodiments according to the first aspect, the means comprises at least one processor, and at least one memory, including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the performance of the apparatus.

According to a second aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: transmit, to another apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between the apparatus and the another apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the other apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the other apparatus, receive, from the other apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determine, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the other apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmit, to the other apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the other apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receive the second report from the other apparatus, and determine, based on the second report, location of the other apparatus.

According to a third aspect there is provided a method comprising: transmitting, to another apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between an apparatus and the other apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the other apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the other apparatus, receiving, from the other apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determining, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the other apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmitting, to the other apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the other apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receiving the second report from the other apparatus, and determining, based on the second report, location of the other apparatus.

According to a fourth aspect there is provided a computer program comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: transmit, to another apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between the apparatus and the another apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the other apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the other apparatus, receive, from the other apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determine, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the other apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmit, to the other apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the other apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receive the second report from the other apparatus, and determine, based on the second report, location of the other apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect there is provided a computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: transmitting, to another apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between an apparatus and the another apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the other apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the other apparatus, receiving, from the other apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determining, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the other apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmitting, to the other apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the other apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receiving the second report from the other apparatus, and determining, based on the second report, location of the other apparatus. According to a sixth aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: transmit, to another apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between the apparatus and the another apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the other apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the other apparatus, receive, from the other apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determine, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the other apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmit, to the other apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the other apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receive the second report from the other apparatus, and determine, based on the second report, location of the other apparatus.

According to a seventh aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: transmitting, to another apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between an apparatus and the another apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the other apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the other apparatus, receiving, from the other apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determining, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the other apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the other apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmitting, to the other apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the other apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receiving the second report from the other apparatus, and determining, based on the second report, location of the other apparatus.

According to an eight aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: receiving, from a network entity, a trigger for a positioning session between the network entity and the apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier, transmitting, to the network entity, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a configuration for path tracking at the apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams being equal to or less than the total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a second request, the second request being for a second report from the apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, and transmitting the second report to the network entity.

In some example embodiments according to the eighth aspect, the means comprises at least one processor, and at least one memory, including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the performance of the apparatus. According to a ninth aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: receive, from a network entity, a trigger for a positioning session between the network entity and the apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier, transmit, to the network entity, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receive, from the network entity, a configuration for path tracking at the apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams being equal to or less than the total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receive, from the network entity, a second request, the second request being for a second report from the apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, and transmitting the second report to the network entity.

According to a tenth aspect there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a network entity, a trigger for a positioning session between the network entity and an apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier, transmitting, to the network entity, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a configuration for path tracking at the apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams being equal to or less than the total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a second request, the second request being for a second report from the apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, and transmitting the second report to the network entity.

According to an eleventh aspect there is provided a computer program comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, from a network entity, a trigger for a positioning session between the network entity and the apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier, transmit, to the network entity, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receive, from the network entity, a configuration for path tracking at the apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams being equal to or less than the total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receive, from the network entity, a second request, the second request being for a second report from the apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, and transmitting the second report to the network entity.

According to a twelfth aspect there is provided a computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving, from a network entity, a trigger for a positioning session between the network entity and an apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier, transmitting, to the network entity, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a configuration for path tracking at the apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams being equal to or less than the total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a second request, the second request being for a second report from the apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, and transmitting the second report to the network entity.

According to a thirteenth aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, from a network entity, a trigger for a positioning session between the network entity and the apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier, transmit, to the network entity, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receive, from the network entity, a configuration for path tracking at the apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams being equal to or less than the total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receive, from the network entity, a second request, the second request being for a second report from the apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, and transmitting the second report to the network entity.

According to a fourteenth aspect there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving, from a network entity, a trigger for a positioning session between the network entity and an apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier, transmitting, to the network entity, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a configuration for path tracking at the apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams being equal to or less than the total number of beams the apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, receiving, from the network entity, a second request, the second request being for a second report from the apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, and transmitting the second report to the network entity.

According to a fifteenth aspect there is provided a system comprising a first apparatus and a second apparatus, wherein the system further comprises means for: transmitting, by the first apparatus to the second apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between the first apparatus and the second apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the second apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the second apparatus, receiving, by the first apparatus from the second apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the second apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determining, by the first apparatus, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the second apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the second apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmitting, by the first apparatus to the second apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the second apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receiving, by the first apparatus, the second report from the second apparatus, and determining, by the first apparatus, based on the second report, location of the second apparatus.

According to a sixteenth aspect there is provided a system comprising a first apparatus and a second apparatus, wherein the system configured to: transmit, by the first apparatus to the second apparatus, a trigger for a positioning session between the first apparatus and the second apparatus, wherein the trigger comprises a first request for a first report from the second apparatus, and wherein the first report comprises information regarding at least one carrier associated with the second apparatus, receive, by the first apparatus from the second apparatus, the first report, wherein the first report comprises information regarding a total number of beams the second apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, determine, by the first apparatus, based on the first report, a configuration for path tracking at the second apparatus, wherein the path tracking comprises tracking a path across the at least one carrier and a number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier, the number of beams for receiving on the at least one carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the second apparatus is capable of supporting for receiving on the at least one carrier, transmit, by the first apparatus to the second apparatus, the configuration and a second request, the second request being for a second report from the second apparatus, wherein the second report comprises information regarding the path tracking, receive, by the first apparatus, the second report from the second apparatus, and determine, by the first apparatus, based on the second report, location of the second apparatus.

List of Drawings

In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a radio access network.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example embodiment illustrating beam imperfections and FIG. 2B illustrates a chart depicting location inaccuracies caused by the beam imperfections of the example embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates a signaling chart according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrates example embodiments of an apparatus.

Description of Embodiments

The following embodiments are exemplifying. Although the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations of the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same embodiment(s), or that a particular feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

As used in this application, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations, such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry, and (b) combinations of circuits and software (and/or firmware), such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of processor(s) or (ii) portions of processor(s)/software including digital signal processor(s), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus to perform various functions, and (c) circuits, such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to all uses of this term in this application. As a further example, as used in this application, the term ‘circuitry’ would also cover an implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term ‘circuitry’ would also cover, for example and if applicable to the particular element, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or another network device. The above-described embodiments of the circuitry may also be considered as embodiments that provide means for carrying out the embodiments of the methods or processes described in this document.

The techniques and methods described herein may be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or combinations thereof. For a hardware implementation, the apparatus(es) of embodiments may be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be carried out through modules of at least one chipset (e.g. procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored in a memory unit and executed by processors. The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or externally to the processor. In the latter case, it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via any suitable means. Additionally, the components of the systems described herein may be rearranged and/or complemented by additional components in order to facilitate the achievements of the various aspects, etc., described with regard thereto, and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

Embodiments described herein may be implemented in a communication system, such as in at least one of the following: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or any other second generation cellular communication system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, a system based on IEEE 802.11 specifications, a system based on IEEE 802.15 specifications, and/or a fifth generation (5G) mobile or cellular communication system. The embodiments are not, however, restricted to the system given as an example but a person skilled in the art may apply the solution to other communication systems provided with necessary properties. FIG. 1 depicts examples of simplified system architectures showing some elements and functional entities, all being logical units, whose implementation may differ from what is shown. The connections shown in FIG. 1 are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the system may comprise also other functions and structures than those shown in FIG. 1. The example of FIG. 1 shows a part of an exemplifying radio access network.

FIG. 1 shows terminal devices 100 and 102 configured to be in a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a cell with an access node (such as (e/g)NodeB) 104 providing the cell. The access node 104 may also be referred to as a node. The wireless link from a terminal device to a (e/g)NodeB is called uplink or reverse link and the wireless link from the (e/g) NodeB to the terminal device is called downlink or forward link. It should be appreciated that (e/g)NodeBs or their functionalities may be implemented by using any node, host, server or access point etc. entity suitable for such a usage. It is to be noted that although one cell is discussed in this exemplary embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, multiple cells may be provided by one access node in some exemplary embodiments.

A communication system may comprise more than one (e/g)NodeB in which case the (e/g)NodeBs may also be configured to communicate with one another over links, wired or wireless, designed for the purpose. These links may be used for signalling purposes. The (e/g)NodeB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of communication system it is coupled to. The (e/g)NodeB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point or any other type of interfacing device including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. The (e/g)NodeB includes or is coupled to transceivers. From the transceivers of the (e/g)NodeB, a connection is provided to an antenna unit that establishes bidirectional radio links to user devices. The antenna unit may comprise a plurality of antennas or antenna elements. The (e/g)NodeB is further connected to core network 110 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side may be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), packet data network gateway (P-GW), for providing connectivity of terminal devices (UEs) to external packet data networks, or mobile management entity (MME), etc.

The terminal device (also called UE, user equipment, user terminal, user device, etc.) illustrates one type of an apparatus to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, and thus any feature described herein with a terminal device may be implemented with a corresponding apparatus, such as a relay node. An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhauling relay) towards the base station. Another example of such a relay node is a layer 2 relay. Such a relay node may contain a terminal device part and a Distributed Unit (DU) part. A CU (centralized unit) may coordinate the DU operation via F1AP -interface for example.

The terminal device may refer to a portable computing device that includes wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), or an embedded SIM, eSIM, including, but not limited to, the following types of devices: a mobile station (mobile phone), smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handset, device using a wireless modem (alarm or measurement device, etc.), laptop and/or touch screen computer, tablet, game console, notebook, and multimedia device. It should be appreciated that a user device may also be an exclusive or a nearly exclusive uplink only device, of which an example is a camera or video camera loading images or video clips to a network. A terminal device may also be a device having capability to operate in Internet of Things (loT) network which is a scenario in which objects are provided with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The terminal device may also utilise cloud. In some applications, a terminal device may comprise a small portable device with radio parts (such as a watch, earphones or eyeglasses) and the computation is carried out in the cloud. The terminal device (or in some embodiments a layer 3 relay node) is configured to perform one or more of user equipment functionalities. Various techniques described herein may also be applied to a cyber-physical system (CPS) (a system of collaborating computational elements controlling physical entities). CPS may enable the implementation and exploitation of massive amounts of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects at different locations. Mobile cyber physical systems, in which the physical system in question has inherent mobility, are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robotics and electronics transported by humans or animals.

Additionally, although the apparatuses have been depicted as single entities, different units, processors and/or memory units (not all shown in FIG. 1) may be implemented.

5G enables using multiple input - multiple output (M1M0) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than the LTE (a so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in co-operation with smaller stations and employing a variety of radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases and/or spectrum available. 5G mobile communications supports a wide range of use cases and related applications including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of data sharing and various forms of machine type applications such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicular safety, different sensors and real-time control. 5G is expected to have multiple radio interfaces, namely below 6GHz, cmWave and mmWave, and also being integratable with existing legacy radio access technologies, such as the LTE. Integration with the LTE may be implemented, at least in the early phase, as a system, where macro coverage is provided by the LTE and 5G radio interface access comes from small cells by aggregation to the LTE. In other words, 5G is planned to support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-Rl operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz - cmWave, below 6GHz - cmWave - mmWave). One of the concepts considered to be used in 5G networks is network slicing in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) may be created within the same infrastructure to run services that have different requirements on latency, reliability, throughput and mobility.

The current architecture in LTE networks is fully distributed in the radio and fully centralized in the core network. The low latency applications and services in 5G may require bringing the content close to the radio which may lead to local break out and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analytics and knowledge generation to occur at the source of the data. This approach requires leveraging resources that may not be continuously connected to a network such as laptops, smartphones, tablets and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It also has the ability to store and process content in close proximity to cellular subscribers for faster response time. Edge computing covers a wide range of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analysis, cooperative distributed peer-to-peer ad hoc networking and processing also classifiable as local cloud/fog computing and grid/mesh computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlet, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomic self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (massive connectivity and/or latency critical), critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analytics, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

The communication system is also able to communicate with other networks, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet 112, and/or utilise services provided by them. The communication network may also be able to support the usage of cloud services, for example at least part of core network operations may be carried out as a cloud service (this is depicted in FIG. 1 by “cloud” 114). The communication system may also comprise a central control entity, or a like, providing facilities for networks of different operators to cooperate for example in spectrum sharing.

Edge cloud may be brought into radio access network (RAN) by utilizing network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). Using edge cloud may mean access node operations to be carried out, at least partly, in a server, host or node operationally coupled to a remote radio head or base station comprising radio parts. It is also possible that node operations will be distributed among a plurality of servers, nodes or hosts. Application of cloudRAN architecture enables RAN real time functions being carried out at the RAN side (in a distributed unit, DU 104) and non-real time functions being carried out in a centralized manner (in a centralized unit, CU 108).

It should also be understood that the distribution of labour between core network operations and base station operations may differ from that of the LTE or even be non-existent. Some other technology that may be used includes for example Big Data and all-IP, which may change the way networks are being constructed and managed. 5G (or new radio, NR) networks are being designed to support multiple hierarchies, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and the base station or nodeB (gNB). It should be appreciated that MEC can be applied in 4G networks as well.

5G may also utilize satellite communication to enhance or complement the coverage of 5G service, for example by providing backhauling or service availability in areas that do not have terrestrial coverage. Satellite communication may utilise geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but also low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, for example, mega-constellations. A satellite 106 comprised in a constellation may carry a gNB, or at least part of the gNB, that create on-ground cells. Alternatively, a satellite 106 may be used to relay signals of one or more cells to the Earth. The on-ground cells may be created through an on-ground relay node 104 or by a gNB located on-ground or in a satellite or part of the gNB may be on a satellite, the DU for example, and part of the gNB may be on the ground, the CU for example. Additionally, or alternatively, high-altitude platform station, HAPS, systems may be utilized.

It is to be noted that the depicted system is an example of a part of a radio access system and the system may comprise a plurality of (e/g)NodeBs, the terminal device may have an access to a plurality of radio cells and the system may comprise also other apparatuses, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements, etc. At least one of the (e/g)NodeBs may be a Home(e/g)nodeB. Additionally, in a geographical area of a radio communication system a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. Radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella cells) which are large cells, usually having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or smaller cells such as micro-, femto- or picocells. The (e/g)NodeBs of FIG. 1 may provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio system may be implemented as a multilayer network including several kinds of cells. In some exemplary embodiments, in multilayer networks, one access node provides one kind of a cell or cells, and thus a plurality of (e/g)NodeBs are required to provide such a network structure.

For fulfilling the need for improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of “plug-and-play” (e/g)NodeBs has been introduced. A network which is able to use “plug-and-play” (e/g)NodeBs, may include, in addition to Home (e/g)NodeBs (H(e/g)nodeBs), a home node B gateway, or HNB-GW (not shown in FIG. 1). A HNB Gateway (HNB-GW), which may be installed within an operator’s network may aggregate traffic from a large number of HNBs back to a core network.

For positioning a terminal device in a cellular communication system, various approaches may be used. The positioning may be performed for example based on downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), uplink time difference of arrival (UL- TDOA) and/or enhance cell-lD (E-C1D). Positioning may also be based on angles such as downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) or uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). A further option for positioning a terminal device is to use multi-cell round trip time (Multi-RTT). Positioning methods may be such that they are specific to the radio access technology (RAT) used or the positioning may be independent of the RAT used. For positioning to be as useful as possible, it is beneficial to have enhancements that improve aspects of positioning such as accuracy, latency and/or efficiency of a network and/or a terminal device.

To improve aspects of positioning, for example, with regard to DL-AoD, there may be enhancement obtained by transmitting to a terminal device more information regarding shape and/or gain of a transmit (Tx) beam of a transmit receive point (TRP). For example, a network entity such as a location management function (LMF) may transmit to the terminal device a quantized version of a relative power between positioning reference signal (PRS) resources per an angle per TRP. In other words, for an angle associated with a TRP, a quantized version of a PRS for the angle is transmitted by the LMF to the terminal device. The relative power may be defined with respect to a peak power in the angle and for the angle, at least two PRS resources may be reported. It is to be noted that the LMF may transmit such information regarding multiple angles and multiple TRPs although the explanation here is from a viewpoint of one TRP and one angle for the sake of making the explanation as clear as possible.

Imperfections associated with transmission (Tx) or receive (Rx) beams are a phenomenon that may be caused by spurious phase shifts in radio frequency (RF) chains and/or delays. Such imperfections may appear as a beam offset or beam sidelobes for example. A beam offset may be understood such that if a beam is to point in a certain direction, the beam actually points in a direction that is different than the certain direction, the difference being the offset. A beam sidelobe may be understood as energy leaks in the adjacency of a given beam, and the beam sidelobe may also be called as spatial aliasing.

The imperfections mentioned above may create problems such as degrading positioning accuracy in both UL and DL due to misdetection of a line of sight (LOS) and/or selection of a wrong beam. FIG 2A illustrates an example embodiment illustrating beam imperfections. In this example embodiment, there is a line of sight (LOS) 205 between a network entity such as an access node 200 and a terminal device 210. There is also an ideal beam bl 220, which illustrates how the terminal device 210 believes a beam bl, which is the actual beam bl, points. Yet, the actual pointing is illustrated as the real beam bl 225. In a similar manner, another beam b2 is believed, by the terminal device 210, to point as illustrated by the ideal beam b2 230, which the beam b2 actually points as illustrated by the real beam b2 235. A non-line of sight (NLOS) component NLOS2 215 is in this example embodiment captured with greater energy than the LOS 205 due to the offset and sidelobes present in this example embodiment. Thus, the NLOS2 215 is incorrectly identified, by the receiver of the terminal device 210, as LOS and therefore the terminal device reports incorrectly the delay of NLOS2 215 and the Rx beam b2 as a LOS. Consequently, there may be erroneous measurements used to compute the location of the terminal device 210. This may yield unacceptable location inaccuracies in the orders of meters as depicted in the chart illustrated by FIG. 2B. Thus, if positioning is based on carrier phase is to be utilized, it is desirable that the terminal device 210 is able to resolve the LOS path and then measure the phase of that path to allow high accuracy use cases.

By identifying and tracking the evolution of a channel path, which may also be understood as a channel tap or a path, across beams, such as reception beams, of a terminal device, carrier and time positioning errors caused by beam imperfections may be mitigated. It is to be noted that although the discussion herein refers to a channel path, multiple channel paths may be identified and tracked in a corresponding manner. Further, by tracking the birth and death of one or more channel paths, inferring terminal device mobility, enhancing LOS detection and enabling location prediction may be enabled. To achieve this, an LMF, which may also be called as a network entity, that comprised in a cellular communication network may transmit to a terminal device a trigger a positioning session between the LMF and the terminal device, which is a target terminal device, by sending required configuration to the target terminal device via LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) assistance data (AD). After this, the LMF may request the target terminal device to provide an enhanced LPP report that comprises information for crossbeam cross- carrier tap-tracking (CB-TT), which may also be understood as path tracking that comprises tracking a path across one or more carriers and beams such as receive beams. It is to be noted that a tap may be understood as a path. In other words, the LMF may transmit to the target terminal device a CC-TT request. This request may indicate to the target terminal device transmission reception points (TRPs)and their resources for which CB-TT is enabled. For example, an information element (IE) CB- TT -flag may be used for indicating the TRP resources by associating the IE to a corresponding positioning reference signal (PRS) index. Additionally, the request may indicate a number of paths, which is herein referred to as K, to be tracked across beams and across carriers. For example, this may be specified explicitly, or the LMF may request the target terminal device to track taps with a minimal energy level, such as at most X dB below the strongest detected path. Further, the request may indicate a number of beams, such as Rx beams, which may be referred to herein as B, over which the channel is to be tracked across. For example, the LMF may have to be informed by the target terminal device regarding the Rx beam width and Rx beam gain(s) per carrier frequency in order to configure a parameter that indicates the number of Rx beams over which the tap is tracked across. It is to be noted that the target terminal device may transfer this capability prior to transmitting the LPP request. The request may also indicate the number of carriers, which is referred to as C, over which the path is to be tracked across by the terminal device, which may be determined based on reported beam widths, the environment of the target terminal device, such as urban, suburban or indoor, and the separation of the carriers in frequency, such as carriers being in frequency range 1 (FR1) or frequency range 2 (FR2), or in a combination of FR1 and FR2 etc. Additionally, the request may indicate a time window, which may be referred to as W over which the path is to be tracked. This may be determined in relation to mobility of the target terminal device, for example using Doppler shift and/or type of the target terminal device.

After the target terminal device has received the CB-TT request, it may start listening for the, one or more, PRSs indicated by the request. If the target terminal device receives an indication of a TRP with a CB-TT flag having status on, the target terminal device may then, correspondingly, activate path tracking. The path tracking may comprise measuring the PRS with associated Rx beams and extracting a channel per Rx beam per carrier in case of a carrier aggregation (CA) positioning. The path tracking may further comprise ordering detected path from all Rx beams by their power, for example, by additionally weighing the paths by the Tx and Rx beam gains. The target terminal device may then select the strongest path and the weakest path using thresholds that may have been indicated by the LMF. Then, for the selected path, the terminal device may obtain by for example extracting its corresponding path gain at the Rx beam for the carrier and the tap delay at the Rx beam. It is to be noted that there may be more than one selected path and thus, the terminal device may perform for the selected paths, individually, the procedure described above as well. It is to be noted that the path gain may be a complex gain for example in case of carrier phase (CP) positioning, or a real gain, such as amplitude A, for timing -based positioning, etc. It is also to be noted that an estimate for a path delay for a single path may vary across Rx beams and it may be for the target terminal device to determine whether the delay variation is due to another reflection or not.

Based on the extracted path gain and path delay, the target terminal device may create a CB-TT report, which it may also transmit for example as a 3D differential report, which is one type of the CB-TT report, in which a path variation may be reported relative to the strongest path, which is associated with a known beam, carrier and time instance. The known beam, carrier and time instance may also be understood as a reference beam, carrier and time instance. 3D maybe understood as including aspects of space, carrier and time. For example, if a path with gain, amplitude and delay (a, p, d) is detected in beam k, carrier c, time instance t, then other detected paths (over time, space and carrier frequency) may be reported relative to the reference path (a,p,d)(k,c,t) using tuples comprising for example differential amplitude, differential phase and/or differential delay. This type of reporting may allow the LMF to track a birth and death of the path over time, space and frequency and create a mobility profile of the target terminal device. For example, the LMF may obtain a Doppler shift indication, LOS conditions, predict future location, etc.

Alternatively, the CB-TT report may be transmitted as a 2D report, which is another type of the CB-TT report, in which a path variation is reported relative to the strongest paths in a beam and carrier. 2D may be understood as including aspects of space and carrier. For example, if a path, that is path 1, is characterized by (a, p, d) and is the strongest in beam k and carrier c, then its reporting may be generated as the reference path being (a,p,d) (k, c), path 1 across beams and across carriers relative to reference path being (diff_a, diff_p, diff_d ) (1, v), ..., (diff_a, diff_p, diff_d)(z, u), and path 2 across beams and across carriers, relative to reference path being (diff_a, diff_p, diff_d)(g,h), .... In these (a,p,d)(k, c) is the reference tuple (amplitude, phase, delay) in beam k, carrier c; diff_a(j, v) = a(k,c)-a(j, v); diff_p(j, v) = p(k, c)-p(j, v); diff_d(j, v) = d(k, c)-d(j, v); and (a,p,d)(j, v) is a non-reference tuple (amplitude, phase, delay) in beam j, carrier v.’

As another alternative, the CB-TT report may be transmitted as a ID report, which is another type of the CB-TT report, in which a path variation is reported relative to the strongest paths in a beam. Thus, ID is understood as including an aspect of carrier. For example, a path 1 may be characterized by (a, p, d, b) and be the strongest in carrier c. Then, its reporting may be generated as the reference path Ibeing (a,p,d, b)(c); path 1 across across carriers, relative to reference path being (diff_a, diff_p, diff_d, diff_b) (1, v), ..., (diff_a, diff_p, diff_d, diff_b)(u), and path 2 across beams across carriers, relative to reference path being (diff_a, diff_p, diff_d, diff_b)(h), .... In these (a,p,d, b)(c) is the reference tuple (amplitude, phase, delay, beam) at carrier c; diff_a(v) = a(c)-a(v); diff_p(j, v) = p(c)-p(v); diff_d(j, v) = d(c)-d(v); diff_d(j, v) = d(c)- d(v); diff_b(j, v) = b(c)-b(v); and (a,p,d, b)(j, v) is a non-reference tuple (amplitude, phase, delay, beam) at carrier v. It is to be noted that the beam may be conveyed as an index, or as an angle of arrival with/without correction for the orientation of the target terminal device.

Table 1 below illustrates the different reporting alternatives that may be used if the reporting is, as a further alternative, to be performed based on a mapping, such as a table, which is another type of the CB-TT report. The mapping then indicates a relation between an amplitude, a phase and a delay for the path across the carriers and across the beams used in the CB-TT. Table 1

The LMF may determine which reporting alternative is to be used. This may be configured for example via LPP configuration. For example, if the 3D reporting is an alternative a, 2D reporting is an alternative b, ID reporting is an alternative c and table-based reporting is an alternative d, then a variable CB-TT -flag may be set to:

1- 3D reporting (variant a)

2- 2D reporting (variant b)

3- ID reporting (variant c)

4- Table reporting (variant d). It is to be noted that when the LMF sets CB-TT-flag = 1, a time window may be explicitly configured a time window over which the target terminal device should look for a reference path. It is also to be noted that although table is illustrated herein, a mapping could also be a multivariate function with which each entry of a table may be generated. Using the CB-TT report, the LMF may then select the relevant paths per PRS resource per TRP and determine the location of the target terminal device. In other words, the LMF may, based on the CB-TT report received, select, for a PRS resource associated with a TRP, a relevant path and based, at least partly, on this relevant path, determine the location of the terminal device.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of signalling. The signalling is for DL positioning. In this example embodiment, there is a network entity, that is an LMF 310. The LMF 310 transmits a trigger 332 to a terminal device 320, which may be understood to be a target terminal device. The trigger 332 is a trigger for a positioning session between the LMF 310 and the terminal device 320. The trigger 332 also comprises a request for a report and the request comprises information regarding a carrier associated with the terminal device 320. The carrier may thus be understood as a requested carrier. The trigger 332, in this example embodiment, is thus enhanced with a request for beam, such as Rx beam, information reporting. The Rx beam may be referred to as B. The terminal device 320 may then transmit the indication 334, which comprises information regarding the Rx beam, for example width of the beam, gain and/or a total number of beams, such as Rx beams, that the terminal device 320 may generate at the requested carrier. For example, the indication 334 may comprise the total number of beams and optionally also width of the beams and/or gains of the beams. The total number of beams may be understood as the total number of beams the terminal device 320 is capable of supporting for receiving on the requested carrier. The indication 334 may also be understood as the requested report that is now transmitted by the terminal device 320 and consequently received by the LMF 310. The requested carrier may be a carrier in the CL and it is to be noted that in the terminal device 320 may provide the information to more than one carrier in case there are more than one requested carriers. Further, using the indication 334 the LMF 310 may then determine 340 a number of paths K, a number of carriers C, a time window W and Rx beams B. The LMF 310 may also generate 340 assistance data which may be used to configure a PRS and types of measurements for the PRS resource such as whether the terminal device 320 is to perform CB-TT or not. For example, whether the terminal device 320 is to perform the CB-TT, that may be indicated using an IE, such as a CB-TT -flag. If the flag is given a value that indicates that the CB-TT is to be performed, the LMF 310 may then transmit an indication 345 that comprises the PRS with CB-TT -flag. It is to be noted that there may be more than one PRS, for which the terminal device 320 is to perform CB-TT, comprised in the indication 345. For example, the LMF 310 may configure, using the indication 345, a tracking parametrization such as the number of paths to track K, the number of carriers C, a size of tracking space in terms of number of Rx beams B and time window W. The number of Rx beams may be equal to or less than the total number of beams the terminal device 320 may be capable of supporting for receiving on at the requested carrier. The beams, in this example embodiment Rx beams, in the number of Rx beams may be adjacent beams in spatial domain. In other words, the LMF 310 may, based on the received report, determine a configuration for path tracking at the terminal device 320 and the path tracking may comprise tracking a path across, at least, the requested carrier and the number of beams for receiving, by the terminal device 320 on at least the requested carrier and the number of beams for receiving on, at least, the requested carrier being equal to or less than the total number of beams the terminal device 320 is capable of supporting for receiving on, at least, the requested carrier.

The LMF may then transmit the determined configuration to the terminal device 320 using indication 345. The Indication may also comprise a request for a report that comprises information regarding the path tracking that is to be performed by the terminal device 320. Once the terminal device 320 receives the indication 345, the terminal device 320 may the collect 350 measurements according to the configuration determined by the LMF 310. This may be achieved by the terminal device 320 performing the measurements. The terminal device 320 may then also identify paths. Then, the terminal device 320 determines 352 if CB-TT flag indicates that the terminal device is to extract past paths from an internal buffer of the terminal device 320. Next, the terminal device 320 determines 354 if CB-TT flag indicates that the current reference path is to be selected, and if so, then it selects the current path. The terminal device 320 then prepares a CB-TT report according to the instructions that are indicated using the CB-TT flag. For example, the CB-TT flag may indicate if the reporting is to be organized as a 3D, 2D, or ID differential report, or alternatively, as a full report. Further, the terminal device 320 determines 358 if the CB-TT flag indicates that a buffer is to be updated regarding the reference tap and if so, the terminal device 320 performs the buffer updating. Finally, the terminal device 320 transmits the report 360 that was prepared to the LMF 310 and based on that report the LMF may then determine the location of the terminal device 320.

It is to be noted that in some example embodiments the values of K, B, C and W may be pre-determined values that are for example specified in a specification. In such an example embodiment, the LMF 310 may request the report 360 directly without determining and indicating those to the terminal device 320.

It is also to be noted that the signalling illustrated in the example embodiment of FIG. 3 may be applicable to UL positioning as well. In UL positioning, the transmissions 332, 334, 345 and 360 between the LMF 310 and the terminal device 320 which are based on LPP may be translated into a new radio positioning protocol (NRPP) based signalling between an LMF and a TRP such that the TRP in such an example embodiment corresponds to the terminal device 320 in the example embodiment of FIG. 3. A benefit associated with such signalling in UL positioning may be a simplified LOS and/or first path detection procedure for the TRP and allowing the LMF to implement the positioning procedure.

It is further to be noted that the signalling illustrated in the example embodiments described above may also be applicable to sidelink (SL) positioning in which an LMF may reside at the side of a target terminal device and may trigger the positioning towards a candidate anchor terminal device. In such an example embodiment, transmissions corresponding to the transmissions 332 and 360 in the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 may be transmitted using SL signalling from the target terminal device to the candidate anchor terminal device. Transmissions corresponding to the transmission 334 and 345 of the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 may then be transmitted from the candidate terminal device to the target terminal device.

The example embodiments described above may have benefits such as minimizing the effect of Rx beams imperfections on the accuracy of positioning, improving LOS identification, achieving a more robust design with direct applicability to CA and CP positioning and/or being applicable to both terminal device and an access node.

FIG. 4 illustrates an apparatus 400, which may be an apparatus such as, or comprised in, a terminal device, according to an example embodiment. The apparatus 400 comprises a processor 410. The processor 410 interprets computer program instructions and processes data. The processor 410 may comprise one or more programmable processors. The processor 410 may comprise programmable hardware with embedded firmware and may, alternatively or additionally, comprise one or more application specific integrated circuits, ASICs.

The processor 410 is coupled to a memory 420. The processor is configured to read and write data to and from the memory 420. The memory 420 may comprise one or more memory units. The memory units may be volatile or non-volatile. It is to be noted that in some example embodiments there may be one or more units of nonvolatile memory and one or more units of volatile memory or, alternatively, one or more units of non-volatile memory, or, alternatively, one or more units of volatile memory. Volatile memory may be for example RAM, DRAM or SDRAM. Non-volatile memory may be for example ROM, PROM, EEPROM, flash memory, optical storage or magnetic storage. In general, memories may be referred to as non-transitory computer readable media. The memory 420 stores computer readable instructions that are execute by the processor 410. For example, non-volatile memory stores the computer readable instructions and the processor 410 executes the instructions using volatile memory for temporary storage of data and/or instructions. The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored to the memory 420 or, alternatively or additionally, they may be received, by the apparatus, via electromagnetic carrier signal and/or may be copied from a physical entity such as computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the apparatus 400 to perform functionality described above.

In the context of this document, a “memory” or “computer-readable media” may be any non-transitory media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

The apparatus 400 further comprises, or is connected to, an input unit 430. The input unit 430 comprises one or more interfaces for receiving a user input. The one or more interfaces may comprise for example one or more motion and/or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons and one or more touch detection units. Further, the input unit 430 may comprise an interface to which external devices may connect to.

The apparatus 400 also comprises an output unit 440. The output unit comprises or is connected to one or more displays capable of rendering visual content such as a light emitting diode, LED, display, a liquid crystal display, LCD and a liquid crystal on silicon, LCoS, display. The output unit 440 further comprises one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs may be for example loudspeakers or a set of headphones.

The apparatus 400 may further comprise a connectivity unit 450. The connectivity unit 450 enables wired and/or wireless connectivity to external networks. The connectivity unit 450 may comprise one or more antennas and one or more receivers that may be integrated to the apparatus 400 or the apparatus 400 may be connected to. The connectivity unit 450 may comprise an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits that provide the wireless communication capability for the apparatus 400. Alternatively, the wireless connectivity may be a hardwired application specific integrated circuit, ASIC.

It is to be noted that the apparatus 400 may further comprise various component not illustrated in the FIG. 4. The various components may be hardware component and/or software components.

The apparatus 500 of FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of an apparatus that may be an access node or be comprised in an access node. The apparatus may be, for example, a circuitry or a chipset applicable to an access node to realize the described embodiments. The apparatus 500 may be an electronic device comprising one or more electronic circuitries. The apparatus 500 may comprise a communication control circuitry 510 such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 520 including a computer program code (software) 522 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code (software) 522 are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus 500 to carry out any one of the example embodiments of the access node described above.

The memory 520 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The memory may comprise a configuration database for storing configuration data. For example, the configuration database may store current neighbour cell list, and, in some example embodiments, structures of the frames used in the detected neighbour cells.

The apparatus 500 may further comprise a communication interface 530 comprising hardware and/or software for realizing communication connectivity according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 530 may provide the apparatus with radio communication capabilities to communicate in the cellular communication system. The communication interface may, for example, provide a radio interface to terminal devices. The apparatus 500 may further comprise another interface towards a core network such as the network coordinator apparatus and/or to the access nodes of the cellular communication system. The apparatus 500 may further comprise a scheduler 540 that is configured to allocate resources.

Even though the invention has been described above with reference to an example according to the accompanying drawings, it is clear that the invention is not restricted thereto but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly and they are intended to illustrate, not to restrict, the embodiment. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. Further, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the described embodiments may, but are not required to, be combined with other embodiments in various ways.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AD - assistance data

ASIC - application-specific integrated system

CA -carrier aggregation

CB-TT - crossbeam cross-barrier tap tracking

CL - carrier list

CN - core network

CP - carrier phase

CPS - cyber-physical system

CU - centralized unit

DL - downlink

DL-AoD - downlink angle of departure DL-TDOA - downlink time-difference of arrival

DRAM - dynamic random-access memory

DSP -digital signal processing

DSPD - digital signal processing device

DU - distributed unit

E-C1D - enhanced cell-lD

EEPROM - electronically erasable programmable read-only memory eSIM - embedded subscriber identification module

FPGA - field programmable gate array

FR1 - frequency range 1

FR2 - frequency range 2

GEO - geostationary earth orbit gNB - g nodeB

GPU - graphics processing unit

GSM - global system for mobile communications

HAPS - high-altitude platform station

HNB - home node B

HSPA - high-speed packet access

ICT - interconnected

IE - information element loT - Internet of things

LED - light emitting diode

LEO - low earth orbit

LCD - liquid crystal display

LCoS - liquid crystal on silicon

LMF - location management function

LOS - line of sight

LPP - LTE positioning protocol

LTE - long term evolution

MEC - multi-access edge computing

M1M0 - multiple input - multiple output MME - mobile management entity mMTC - massive machine-type communication

Multi-RTT - multi-cell round trip time

NFV - network function virtualization

NGC - next generation core

NLOS - non-line of sight

NR - new radio

PDA - personal digital assistant

P-GW - packet data network gateway

PLD - programmable logic devices

PROM - programmable read-only memory

PRS - positioning reference signal

RAM - random access memory

RAN - radio access network

RAT - radio access technology

RF - radio frequency

R1 - radio interface

ROM - read-only memory

Rx - receive

SDN - software defined networking

SDRAM - synchronous dynamic random access memory

S-GW - serving gateway

SIM - subscriber identification module

SL - sidelink

TRP - transmit receive point

Tx - transmit

UE - user equipment

UL - uplink

UL-AoA - uplink angle of arrival

UL-TDOA - uplink time-difference of arrival

UMTS - universal mobile telecommunication system W-CDMA - wideband-code division multiple access