TRANSMISSION OF CELL BARRING INFORMATION TO A REMOTE UE THROUGH A RELAY UE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to methods performed by remote communication devices, relay communication devices, and network node, to corresponding remote communication devices, relay communication devices, and network nodes, and computer programs.

BACKGROUND

Proximity services (ProSe) in a communication network enable communication devices that are in proximity of one another to communicate directly, via a path not traversing any network node. By way of example, ProSe are a target use case of the D2D (device-to-devic) communication interface of the 4th Generation (4G) LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology and of the 5th Generation (5G) NR (New Radio) technology specified by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project). The D2D communication interface of the LTE technology and of the NR technology is also known as sidelink (SL) or PC5.

Proximity services relaying exploits ProSe so that one communication device can relay traffic for another communication device in proximity. For example, a so-called ProSe device-to- network relay is a communication device that relays unicast traffic, e.g., at Layer 2 (L2) or Layer 3 (L3) of the protocol stack, between a remote communication device and the communication network. Via a Pro-Se device-to-network relay, then, the remote communication device can communicate with the network even if the remote communication device is outside of the network’s coverage.

ProSe relaying presents challenges, however, in that failed attempts by the remote communication device to access a cell via the relay communication device cause unnecessary signaling overhead and/or power consumption.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network is provided. The method comprises receiving at least one message from or via a relay communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a method performed by a relay communication device configured for use in a communication network is provided. The method comprises transmitting at least one message to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a method performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network is provided. The method comprises transmitting at least one message via a relay communication device to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network is provided. The method comprises checking whether or not a cell to be accessed via a relay communication device is barred; and attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking.

According to a further embodiment, a method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network is provided. The method comprises transmitting, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and receiving a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a method performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network is provided. The method comprises receiving, from a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and transmitting a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a remote communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The remote communication device is configured to receive at least one message from or via a relay communication device. The at least one message that indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred. According to a further embodiment, a remote communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The remote communication device comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the remote communication device is operative to receive at least one message from or via a relay communication device. The at least one message that indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a relay communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The relay communication device is configured to transmit at least one message to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a relay communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The relay communication device comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the relay communication device is operative to transmit at least one message to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a network node for use in a communication network is provided. The network node is configured to transmit at least one message via a relay communication device to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred. According to a further embodiment, a network node for use in a communication network is provided. The network node comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the network node is operative to transmit at least one message via a relay communication device to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a remote communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The remote communication device is configured to check whether or not a cell to be accessed via a relay communication device is barred; and attempt to access the cell, or refrain from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking.

According to a further embodiment, a remote communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The remote communication device comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the remote communication device is operative to check whether or not a cell to be accessed via a relay communication device is barred; and attempt to access the cell, or refrain from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking.

According to a further embodiment, a remote communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The remote communication device is configured to transmit, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and receive a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a remote communication device for use in a communication network is provided. The remote communication device comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the remote communication device is operative to transmit, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and receive a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

According to a further embodiment, a network node for use in a communication network is provided. The network node is configured to receive, from a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and transmit a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred. According to a further embodiment, a network node for use in a communication network is provided. The network node comprises processing circuitry and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the network node is operative to receive, from a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and transmit a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

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 remote communication device. Execution of the program code causes the remote communication device to receive at least one message from or via a relay communication device. The at least one message that indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

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 relay communication device. Execution of the program code causes the relay communication device to transmit at least one message to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

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 transmit at least one message via a relay communication device to a remote communication device. The at least one message indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

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 remote communication device. Execution of the program code causes the remote communication device to check whether or not a cell to be accessed via a relay communication device is barred; and attempt to access the cell, or refrain from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking.

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 remote communication device. Execution of the program code causes the remote communication device to transmit, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and receive a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

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 receive, from a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and transmit a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a relaying scenario according to some embodiments.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates usage of a request and a response in a relaying scenario according to some embodiments.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates usage of a message in a relaying scenario according to some embodiments.

Figs. 4A and 4B schematically illustrate a protocol stack for relaying according to some embodiments.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a relay setup procedure according to some embodiments. Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a message structure according to some embodiments.

Fig. 7 illustrates a further example of a message structure according to some embodiments.

Figs. 8A-8C illustrate a further example of a message structure according to some embodiments.

Fig. 9 illustrates a further example of a message structure according to some embodiments.

Fig. 10 illustrates a further example of a message structure according to some embodiments. Fig. 11 shows a flowchart for illustrating a method according to some embodiments.

Fig. 12 shows a flowchart for illustrating a further method according to some embodiments.

Fig. 13 shows a flowchart for illustrating a further method according to some embodiments.

Fig. 14 shows a flowchart for illustrating a further method according to some embodiments.

Fig. 15 shows a flowchart for illustrating a further method according to some embodiments.

Fig. 16 shows a flowchart for illustrating a further method according to some embodiments.

Fig. 17 shows a flowchart for illustrating a further method according to some embodiments.

Fig. 18 illustrates a communication device according to some embodiments.

Fig. 19 illustrates a network node according to some embodiments.

Fig. 20 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 21 is a block diagram of a user equipment according to some embodiments.

Fig. 22 is a block diagram of a network node according to some embodiments.

Fig. 23 is a block diagram of a host according to some embodiments.

Fig. 24 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment according to some embodiments.

Fig. 25 is a block diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Concepts as further detailed below refer to scenarios where a remote communication device may attempt to access a cell of a communication network via a relay communication device. The communication network may be based on the LTE technology or the NR technology specified by 3GPP, and the remote communication device and the relay communication device may each correspond to a UE (User Equipment), i.e. , to a remote UE and a relay UE. The relaying may thus also be denoted as UE-to-Network (U2N) relaying. The cell may be served by a network node, e.g., an eNB (evolved Node B) of the LTE technology or a gNB (NR Node B). It is however noted that the illustrated concepts could also be applied to other types of wireless communication technologies, e.g., a 6th Generation (6G) technology.

In concepts as illustrated herein, a remote communication device may be enabled to determine whether or not access to a cell via a relay communication device is barred or is considered to be barred. Some embodiments in this regard explicitly inform the remote communication device of whether access to a cell via a relay communication device is barred. Other embodiments by contrast inform the remote communication device of whether or not a cell supports or has enabled option(s) for the remote communication device to access the cell via a relay communication device. These and other embodiments may thereby equip the remote communication device with information (e.g., barring information) for deciding whether or not to attempt to access the cell via a relay communication device. If, based on this information, the remote communication device considers the cell as barred for access via a relay communication device, the remote communication device may refrain from attempting such access. Some embodiments may accordingly prevent access attempts to a cell that would have been barred or rejected, e.g., so as to reduce unnecessary signaling overhead and/or power consumption.

More particularly, embodiments herein include a method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network. The method comprises transmitting, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network. The method also comprises receiving a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, the response includes barring information that indicates whether or not the cell is barred. In one or more of these embodiments, the barring information comprises an information element (IE) indicating that the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating that the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer. In this case, the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

In some embodiments, the response includes information indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer. In this case, the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises setting the timer to the indicated value. The method further comprises, while the timer is running, considering the cell as barred. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises, after or upon expiration of the timer, considering the cell as no longer barred and/or re-attempting access to the cell.

In some embodiments, the request is a radio resource control (RRC) connection setup request, an RRC connection resume request, or an RRC connection re-establishment request.

In some embodiments, the response is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message. In some embodiments, the method further comprises, while considering the cell as barred, refraining from attempting to access the cell via the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

Other embodiments herein include a method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network. The method comprises starting a timer. The method also comprises, while the timer is running, considering a cell as barred.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises, while considering the cell as barred, refraining from attempting to access the cell via a relay communication device.

Other embodiments herein include a method performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network. The method comprises receiving, from a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network. The method also comprises transmitting a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, the response includes barring information that indicates whether or not the cell is barred. In one or more of these embodiments, the barring information comprises an information element indicating that the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating that the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer, wherein the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

In some embodiments, the response includes information indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer. In this case, the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

In some embodiments, the request is a radio resource control, RRC, connection setup request, an RRC connection resume request, or an RRC connection re-establishment request.

In some embodiments, the response is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment. In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining user data. The method further comprises forwarding the user data to a host computer or a communication device.

Other embodiments herein include a method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network. The method comprises checking whether or not a cell to be accessed via a relay communication device is barred. The method also comprises attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking.

In some embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell lacks support for at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving system information (SI) for the cell. The system information may include an SIB (System Information Block) or multiple SIBs. The system information may for example include or correspond to an SIB denoted as SIB #1 (SIB1) and/or an SIB denoted as SIB #12 (SIB12). In some embodiments, the system information for the cell, e.g., the SIB1 or the SIB12, includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device and checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication in the system lOommunicati for the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the sidelink message includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay lOommunicationn device, and checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication.

In some embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell has not enabled at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving system information for the cell. The system information may include or correspond to SIB1 and/or SIB12. In some embodiments, the system information for the cell, e.g., SIB1 or SIB12, includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell has enabled or disabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device, and checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication in the SIB for the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the sidelink message includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell has enabled or disabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, and checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving system information for the cell. In some embodiments, said checking comprises checking whether or not a field or parameter is configured in the system information for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on whether or not the field or parameter is configured in the system information. In one or more of these embodiments, the system information is an SIB1 or an SIB12. In some embodiments, the field or parameter is a ue-TimersAndConstants-RemoteUE- r17 parameter in SI B1.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to discover a relay communication device via which to access the cell.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to establish a connection with a relay communication device via which to access the cell.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring an SIB for the cell, e.g., SIB1 or SIB12.

In some embodiments, attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking comprises initiating, or refraining from initiating, a procedure for establishing, resuming, or reestablishing an RRC connection to the cell via the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a candidate relay communication device. In some embodiments, options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

Other embodiments herein include a method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network. The method comprises receiving, from or via a relay communication device, a message that indicates which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. Additionally or alternatively, the method comprises receiving, from or via a relay communication device, a message that indicates which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. Additionally or alternatively, the method comprises receiving, from or via a relay communication device, a message that indicates whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

In some embodiments, the message is a system information message.

In some embodiments, the message is an SIB1 message or an SIB12 message.

In some embodiments, the message is a sidelink message received from the relay communication device on a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

In some embodiments, the message is a UuMessageTransferSidelink message.

In some embodiments, the message is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the message is a sidelink discovery response message received as part of a procedure for discovering the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises checking whether or not the cell is barred. The method further comprises attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, via the relay communication device, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, as indicated by the message. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell lacks support for at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, as indicated by the message. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell has not enabled at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to discover the relay communication device via which to access the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to establish a connection with the relay communication device via which to access the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring an SIB for the cell, e.g., SIB1 or SIB12. In one or more of these embodiments, attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking comprises initiating, or refraining from initiating, a procedure for establishing, resuming, or re-establishing an RRC connection to the cell via the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises performing access control to the cell based on the message.

Other embodiments herein include a method performed by a relay communication device configured for use in a communication network. The method comprises transmitting, to a remote communication device, a message that indicates which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. Additionally or alternatively, the comprises transmitting, to a remote communication device, a message that indicates which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. Additionally or alternatively, the comprises transmitting, to a remote communication device, a message that indicates whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

In some embodiments, the message is a system information message.

In some embodiments, the message is an SIB1 message or an SIB12 message. In some embodiments, the message is a sidelink message transmitted to the remote communication device on a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

In some embodiments, the message is a UuMessageTransferSidelink message.

In some embodiments, the message is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the message is a sidelink discovery response message transmitted as part of a procedure for the remote communication device to discover the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

Other embodiments herein include a method performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network. The method comprises transmitting, to a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a message that indicates which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. Additionally or alternatively, the method comprises transmitting, to a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a message that indicates which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. Additionally or alternatively, the method comprises transmitting, to a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a message that indicates whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

In some embodiments, the message is a system information message.

In some embodiments, the message is an SIB1 message.

In some embodiments, the message is a sidelink message transmitted to the remote communication device via a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

In some embodiments, the message is a UuMessageTransferSidelink message.

In some embodiments, the message is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the message is a sidelink discovery response message transmitted as part of a procedure for the remote communication device to discover the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

Fig. 1 shows proximity services (ProSe) relaying according to some embodiments. As shown, communication devices 12, 14 are in proximity of one another and communicate directly over a sidelink interface 13, e.g., a PC5 interface as defined according to 3GPP standards. Communicating directly over the sidelink interface 13, communication devices 12, 14 communicate via a path that does not traverse any network node. The communication devices 12, 14 exploit this proximity services direct communication in such a way that communication device 12 can relay traffic for communication device 14, e.g., at layer 2 or layer 3 of the devices’ protocol stack. Communication device 12 is accordingly referred to as a relay communication device 12 whereas communication device 14 is referred to as a remote communication device 14. In one embodiment as shown, for instance, the relay communication device 12 relays traffic between the remote communication device 14 and a communication network 10. Via the relay communication device 12, then, the remote communication device 14 can communicate with the network 10 even if the remote communication device 14 is outside of , in other words remote to, the network’s coverage.

As shown, the relay communication device 12 is served by a cell 14C of the communication network 10, e.g., a cell 14C provided by network node 16. The cell 14C may for instance correspond to a certain carrier frequency and/or be associated with a certain reference signal or coverage area. Regardless, the remote communication device 12 is capable of attempting to access this cell 14C via the relay communication device 12. Such access attempt may for instance involve initiating a procedure to establish, resume, or re-establish a connection, e.g., an RRC connection, with the cell 14C, via the relay communication device 12.

In this context, some embodiments herein enable the remote communication device 14 to determine whether or not access to the cell 14C via the relay communication device 12 is barred or is considered to be barred. Barred access to the cell 14C in this regard may mean that attempts to access the cell 14C are barred and so will be rejected. Some embodiments in this regard explicitly inform the remote communication device 14 of whether access to the cell 14C via the relay communication device 12 is barred. Other embodiments by contrast inform the remote communication device 14 of whether or not the cell 14C supports or has enabled option(s) for the remote communication device 14 to access the cell 14C via the relay communication device 12. These and other embodiments may thereby equip the remote communication device 14 with information, e.g., barring information, for deciding whether or not to attempt to access the cell 14C via the relay communication device 12. If, based on this information, the remote communication device 14 considers the cell 14C as barred for access via the relay communication device 12, the remote communication device 14 may refrain from attempting such access. Some embodiments may accordingly prevent access attempts to a cell 14C that would have been barred or rejected, e.g., so as to reduce unnecessary signaling overhead and/or power consumption.

Fig. 2 shows one embodiment in this regard. As shown, the remote communication device 14 transmits, via the relay communication device 12, a request 18 to establish or resume a connection, e.g., an RRC connection, with the cell 14C of the communication network. The request 18 may for example be an RRC connection setup request, an RRC connection resume request, or an RRC connection re-establishment request. The network node 16 may correspondingly receive the request 18. Regardless, the remote communication device 12 as shown receives a response 20, e.g., from the network node 16. The response 20 may be an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message. This response 20 indicates whether or not the cell 14C is barred. The remote communication device 14 may attempt, or refrain from attempting, access to the cell 14C depending on whether or not access to the cell 14C is barred according to the response 20.

Fig. 3 shows other embodiments that may be implemented alternatively to or in addition to those in Fig. 2. As shown, the remote communication device 14 receives a message 22 from or via the relay communication device 12. In some embodiments, the message 22 indicates which options, if any, the cell 14C has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device 14 to access the cell 14C via the relay communication device 12. In addition or as an alternative, the message 22 may indicate which options, if any, the cell 14C supports for the remote communication device 14 to access the cell 14C via the relay communication device 12. For example, options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device. In some embodiments, the message 22 could alternatively or in addition indicate whether or not the cell 14C to be accessed by the remote communication device 14 via the relay communication device 12 is barred.

The response 20 and/or message 22 in Fig. 2 and/or Fig. 3 may thereby enable the remote communication device 14 to determine whether or not access to the cell 14C via the relay communication device 12 is barred or is considered to be barred.

In these and other embodiments, then, the remote communication device 14 may check whether or not the cell 14C to be accessed via the relay communication device 12 is barred, e.g., before attempting to access that cell 14C via the relay communication device 12. Such check may for instance be performed (i) after, or as part of, a procedure to discover a relay communication device via which to access the cell, or (ii) after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell, e.g., acquiring SIB1 and/or SIB12. Regardless, the remote communication device 12 may accordingly attempt to access the cell 14C, or refrain from attempting to access the cell 14C, depending on whether or not the cell 14C is barred according to that check.

Some embodiments herein are applicable in the following context, where the remote communication device 14 is exemplified by a remote UE, the relay communication device 12 is exemplified by a L2 or L3 UE-to-Network Relay UE, and the network node 14 is exemplified as a gNB.

Sidelink transmissions in NR

Some embodiments herein are applicable for sidelink transmissions over NR as specified for Rel. 16+. With regard to ProSe (PROximity-based Services), some embodiments provide:

• Support for unicast and groupcast transmissions in NR sidelink. For unicast and groupcast, the physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) is available for a receiver UE to reply the decoding status to a transmitter UE.

• Grant-free transmissions, which are adopted in NR uplink (UL) transmissions, are also provided in NR sidelink transmissions, to improve the latency performance.

• To alleviate resource collisions among different sidelink transmissions launched by different UEs, channel sensing and resource selection procedures.

• To achieve a high connection density, congestion control and thus the QoS management are supported in NR sidelink transmissions.

To support the above, some embodiments herein are applicable in a context with the following physical channels and reference signals:

• PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), an SL version of PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel): The PSSCH is transmitted by a sidelink transmitter UE, which conveys sidelink transmission data, system information blocks (SIBs) for radio resource control (RRC) configuration, and a part of the sidelink control information (SCI).

• PSFCH (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel), an SL version of PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel): The PSFCH is transmitted by a sidelink receiver UE for unicast and groupcast, which conveys 1 bit information over 1 RB for the HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) acknowledgement (ACK) and the negative ACK (NACK). In addition, channel state information (CSI) is carried in the medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) over the PSSCH instead of the PSFCH. • PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), an SL version of PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel): When the traffic to be sent to a receiver UE arrives at a transmitter UE, a transmitter UE should first send the PSCCH, which conveys a part of SCI (Sidelink Control information, SL version of DCI) to be decoded by any UE for the channel sensing purpose, including the reserved time-frequency resources for transmissions, demodulation reference signal (DM RS) pattern and antenna port, etc.

• Sidelink Primary/Secondary Synchronization Signal (S-PSS/S-SSS): Similar to downlink (DL) transmissions in NR, in sidelink transmissions, primary and secondary synchronization signals (called S-PSS and S-SSS, respectively) are supported. Through detecting the S-PSS and S-SSS, a UE is able to identify the sidelink synchronization identity (SSID) from the UE sending the S-PSS/S-SSS. Through detecting the S-PSS/S-SSS, a UE is therefore able to know the characteristics of the UE transmitting the S-PSS/S-SSS. A series of process of acquiring timing and frequency synchronization together with SSIDs of UEs is called initial cell search. Note that the UE sending the S-PSS/S-SSS may not be necessarily involved in sidelink transmissions, and a node (UE/eNB/gNB) sending the S-PSS/S-SSS is called a synchronization source. There are 2 S-PSS sequences and 336 S-SSS sequences forming a total of 672 SSIDs in a cell.

• Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH): The PSBCH is transmitted along with the S-PSS/S-SSS as a synchronization signal/PSBCH block (SSB). The SSB has the same numerology as PSCCH/PSSCH on that carrier, and an SSB should be transmitted within the bandwidth of the configured BWP. The PSBCH conveys information related to synchronization, such as the direct frame number (DFN), indication of the slot and symbol level time resources for sidelink transmissions, incoverage indicator, etc. The SSB is transmitted periodically at every 160 ms.

• DMRS, phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS): These physical reference signals supported by NR downlink/uplink transmissions are also adopted by sidelink transmissions. Similarly, the PT-RS is only applicable for FR2 transmission.

Some embodiments are applicable in a context with two-stage sidelink control information (SCI). This a version of the DCI for SL. Unlike the DCI, only part (first stage) of the SCI is sent on the PSCCH. This part is used for channel sensing purposes (including the reserved time-frequency resources for transmissions, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) pattern and antenna port, etc.) and can be read by all UEs while the remaining (second stage) scheduling and control information such as a 8-bits source identity (ID) and a 16-bits destination ID, NDI, RV and HARQ process ID is sent on the PSSCH to be decoded by the receiver UE. Similar as for ProSe in LTE, some embodiments operate in a context where NR sidelink transmissions have the following two modes of resource allocations:

• Mode 1 : Sidelink resources are scheduled by a gNB.

• Mode 2: The UE autonomously selects sidelink resources from a (pre-)configured sidelink resource pool(s) based on the channel sensing mechanism.

For the in-coverage UE, a gNB can be configured to adopt Mode 1 or Mode 2. For the out-of-coverage UE, only Mode 2 can be adopted.

As in LTE, scheduling over the sidelink in NR is done in different ways for Mode 1 and Mode 2.

In some embodiments, Mode 1 supports the following two kinds of grants:

Dynamic grant: When the traffic to be sent over sidelink arrives at a transmitter UE, this UE should launch the four-message exchange procedure to request sidelink resources from a gNB (SR on UL, grant, BSR on UL, grant for data on SL sent to UE). During the resource request procedure, a gNB may allocate a sidelink radio network temporary identifier (SL-RNTI) to the transmitter UE. If this sidelink resource request is granted by a gNB, then a gNB indicates the resource allocation for the PSCCH and the PSSCH in the downlink control information (DCI) conveyed by PDCCH with CRC scrambled with the SL-RNTI. When a transmitter UE receives such a DCI, a transmitter UE can obtain the grant only if the scrambled CRC of DCI can be successfully solved by the assigned SL-RNTI. A transmitter UE then indicates the time-frequency resources and the transmission scheme of the allocated PSSCH in the PSCCH, and launches the PSCCH and the PSSCH on the allocated resources for sidelink transmissions. When a grant is obtained from a gNB, a transmitter UE can only transmit a single TB (transport block). As a result, this kind of grant is suitable for traffic with a loose latency requirement.

Configured grant: For the traffic with a strict latency requirement, performing the four- message exchange procedure to request sidelink resources may induce unacceptable latency. In this case, prior to the traffic arrival, a transmitter UE may perform the four-message exchange procedure and request a set of resources. If a grant can be obtained from a gNB, then the requested resources are reserved in a periodic manner. Upon traffic arriving at a transmitter UE, this UE can launch the PSCCH and the PSSCH on the upcoming resource occasion. In fact, this kind of grant is also known as grant-free transmissions.

In both dynamic grant and configured grant, a sidelink receiver UE cannot receive the DCI (since it is addressed to the transmitter UE), and therefore a receiver UE should perform blind decoding to identify the presence of PSCCH and find the resources for the PSSCH through the SCI.

When a transmitter UE launches the PSCCH, CRC is also inserted in the SCI without any scrambling. In the Mode 2 resource allocation, when traffic arrives at a transmitter UE, this transmitter UE should autonomously select resources for the PSCCH and the PSSCH. To further minimize the latency of the feedback HARQ ACK/NACK transmissions and subsequently retransmissions, a transmitter UE may also reserve resources for PSCCH/PSSCH for retransmissions. To further enhance the probability of successful TB decoding at one shot and thus suppress the probability to perform retransmissions, a transmitter UE may repeat the TB transmission along with the initial TB transmission. This mechanism is also known as blind retransmission. As a result, when traffic arrives at a transmitter UE, then this transmitter UE should select resources for the following transmissions:

1) The PSSCH associated with the PSCCH for initial transmission and blind retransmissions.

2) The PSSCH associated with the PSCCH for retransmissions.

Since each transmitter UE in sidelink transmissions should autonomously select resources for above transmissions, how to prevent different transmitter UEs from selecting the same resources turns out to be an issue in Mode 2. A particular resource selection procedure is therefore imposed to Mode 2 based on channel sensing. The channel sensing algorithm involves measuring RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) on different subchannels and requires knowledge of the different UEs power levels of DMRS on the PSSCH or the DMRS on the PSCCH depending on the configuration. This information is known only after receiver SCI launched by (all) other UEs. The sensing and selection algorithm is rather complex.

Layer 2 (L2) UE-to-Network relay

Some embodiments are applicable for a L2 UE-to-Network relay, e.g., as described in section 6.7 of3GPP TR 23.752 V17.0.0 (2021-03).

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 5GS (5G System) for Remote UEs. A UE is considered to be 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 NG-RAN coverage or outside of NG-RAN coverage.

Fig. 4A illustrates the protocol stack for the user plane transport, related to a PDU (Packet Data Unit) Session, including a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay UE. The PDU layer corresponds to the PDU carried between the Remote UE and the Data Network (DN) over the PDU session. The PDU layer corresponds to the PDU carried between the Remote UE and the Data Network (DN) over the PDU session. It is important to note that the two endpoints of the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) link are the Remote UE and the gNB. 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. Further details can be implemented as described in 3GPP TR 23.752 V17.0.0.

The adaptation relay layer within the UE-to-Network Relay UE can differentiate between signalling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs) for a particular Remote UE. The adaption relay layer is also responsible for mapping PC5 traffic to one or more DRBs of the Uu.

Fig. 4B illustrates the protocol stack of the NAS (Non-Access Stratum) connection for the Remote UE to the NAS-MM (NAS Mobility Management) and NAS-SM (NAS Session Management) components. The NAS messages are transparently transferred between the Remote UE and 5G-AN (5G Access Network) over the Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay UE using:

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

- N2 connection between the 5G-AN and AMF (Application Management Function) over N2.

- N3 connection AMF and SMF (Session Management Function) over N11.

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

Relay establishment procedure

Some embodiments herein are applicable for a relay establishment procedure via which the remote UE establishes its own PDU sessions, i.e., DRBs, with the network before user plane data transmission.

PC5-RRC aspects of Rel-16 NR V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) PC5 unicast link establishment procedures can be reused to setup a secure unicast link between Remote UE and Relay UE for L2 UE-to-Network relaying before Remote UE establishes a Uu RRC connection with the network via Relay UE.

For both in-coverage and out-of-coverage cases, when the Remote UE initiates the first RRC message for its connection establishment with gNB, the PC5 L2 configuration for the transmission between the Remote UE and the UE-to-Network Relay UE can be based on the RLC (Radio Link Control) and/or MAC configuration defined in specifications.

The establishment of Uu SRB1/SRB2 and DRB of the Remote UE is subject to legacy Uu configuration procedures for L2 UE-to-Network Relay.

Fig. 5 sillustrates a high level connection establishment procedure for L2 UE-to-Network Relay.

At step 1 of the procedure of Fig. 5, the Remote and Relay UE perform discovery procedure, and establish PC5-RRC connection. The may be accomplished using the legacy Rel-16 procedure as a baseline. At step 2 of the procedure of Fig. 5, the Remote UE sends a first RRC message, i.e., an RRCSetupRequest, for its connection establishment with gNB via the Relay UE, using a default L2 configuration on PC5. The gNB responds with an RRCSetup message to Remote UE. The RRCSetup delivery to the Remote UE uses the default configuration on PC5. If the relay UE had not started in RRC_CONNECTED, it would need to do its own connection establishment as part of this step. The details for Relay UE to forward the RRCSetupRequest/RRCSetup message for Remote UE at this step can be discussed in Wl phase.

At step 3 of the procedure of Fig. 5, the gNB and Relay UE perform relaying channel setup procedure over Uu. According to the configuration from gNB, the Relay/Remote UE establishes an RLC channel for relaying of SRB1 towards the Remote UE over PC5. This step prepares the relaying channel for SRB1.

At step 4 of the procedure of Fig. 5, Remote UE SRB1 message, e.g., an RRCSetupComplete message, is sent to the gNB via the Relay UE using SRB1 relaying channel over PC5. Then the Remote UE is RRC connected over Uu.

At step 5 of the procedure of Fig. 5, the Remote UE and gNB establish security following legacy procedure and the security messages are forwarded through the Relay UE.

At step 6 of the procedure of Fig. 5, The gNB sets up additional RLC channels between the gNB and Relay UE for traffic relaying. According to the configuration from gNB, the Relay/Remote UE sets up additional RLC channels between the Remote UE and Relay UE for traffic relaying. The gNB sends an RRCReconfiguration to the Remote UE via the Relay UE, to set up the relaying SRB2/DRBs. The Remote UE sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete to the gNB via the Relay UE as a response.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure address certain challenge(s) in this context.

A sidelink remote UE is typically required to check on whether the cell is barred or not when receiving the SIB1 , either directly from the network or via a relay UE. This check may be part of unified access control (UAC). However, according to 3GPP TS 38.331 v17.0.0 (2022- 04), when a remote UE receives the SIB1 , the remote UE does not check if the cell is barred or not and thus the remote UE may perform the sidelink relay connection establishment even if the network does not support the feature, i.e., the feature of sidelink relay, or does not want to use the feature in that moment, e.g., for resource management purposes. As a result, if a remote UE performs the RRC establishment procedure in a cell that is barred, e.g., because the feature is not supported or is disabled by the network, this will cause the network to reject the remote UE connection attempt with a consequent increase in the signaling overhead, connectivity interruption, and/or power consumption.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Some embodiments herein aim to allow for a UE that is interested to be a sidelink remote UE to check on whether the cell is barred or not, e.g., before performing the sidelink relay establishment procedure towards the network (via the relay UE). Some embodiments in this way allow the UE to avoid unnecessary attempts to establish an RRC connection to a network that will reject the UE (either because the network does not support the feature or because the feature is disabled). This will have benefits in terms of decreased signaling overhead, connectivity interruption, and/or power consumption.

First Embodiment

In a first embodiment, for example, when the remote UE discovers a relay UE and performs the RRC connection establishment, resume, or reestablishment towards the cell (via the relay UE), the network replies to the remote UE with an RRC message to indicate that the cell is barred. This cell typically corresponds to a cell in which the relay UE is attached or camped. This RRC message is an example of the response 20 in Fig. 2. For this purpose, an existing RRC message, e.g., RRCReject, RRCResume, RRCSetup, or RRCReestablishment, could be supplemented by corresponding information, or a new RRC message could be defined for this purpose. Also, if the network indicates to the remote UE that the cell is barred, the network may also include a timer to indicate for how long the cell should be considered as barred. When the timer expires the UE should not consider the cell as barred and thus can try to establish a new RRC connection with the network. The remote UE may also consider the presence or absence of this timer on whether to consider the cell as barred or not.

A possible implementation of the first embodiment is as follows, with any of the below messages being an example of the response 20 in Fig. 2:

According to some examples, the response 20 is an RRCReestablishment message. The RRCReestablishment message is used to re-establish SRB1 and has the following characteristics:

Signaling radio bearer: SRB1

- RLC-SAP: AM

Logical channel: DCCH (Downlink Control Channel) Direction: Network to UE.

Fig. 6 shows a possible structure of the RRCReestablishment message according to an example which is based on the message structure of the RRCReestablishment message as specified in section 6.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.0.0. As can be seen, the RRCReestablishment message can be supplemented by one or more fields which enable the remote UE to determine whether the cell is barred or not. These fields are denoted as “cellBarredRekaylnfo”, “cellBarred”, and “timerCellBarred”. If the field “cellBarred” has a value “true”, this indicates that the cell is to be considered as barred. If present, the field “timerCellBarred” indicates the value of the timer to indicate for how long the cell should be considered as barred.

According to some examples, the response 20 is an RRCReject message. The RRCReject message is used to reject an RRC connection establishment or an RRC connection resumption and has the following characteristics:

Signalling radio bearer: SRBO

- RLC-SAP: TM

Logical channel: CCCH

Direction: Network to UE.

Fig. 7 shows a possible structure of the RRCReject message according to an example which is based on the message structure of the RRCReject message as specified in section 6.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.0.0. As can be seen, the RRCReject message can be supplemented by one or more fields which enable the remote UE to determine whether the cell is barred or not. These fields are denoted as “cellBarredRekaylnfo”, “cellBarred”, and “timerCellBarred”. If the field “cellBarred” has a value “true”, this indicates that the cell is to be considered as barred. If present, the field “timerCellBarred” indicates the value of the timer to indicate for how long the cell should be considered as barred.

According to some examples, the response 20 is an RRCResume message. The RRCResume message is used to resume the suspended RRC connection and has the following characteristics:

Signaling radio bearer: SRB1

- RLC-SAP: AM

Logical channel: DCCH

Direction: Network to UE.

Figs. 8A, 8B, and 8C show a possible structure of the RRCResume message according to an example which is based on the message structure of the RRCResume message as specified in section 6.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.0.0. As can be seen, the RRCSetup message can be supplemented by one or more fields which enable the remote UE to determine whether the cell is barred or not. These fields are denoted as “cellBarredRekaylnfo”, “cellBarred”, and “timerCellBarred”. If the field “cellBarred” has a value “true”, this indicates that the cell is to be considered as barred. If present, the field “timerCellBarred” indicates the value of the timer to indicate for how long the cell should be considered as barred.

According to some examples, the response 20 is an RRCSetup message. The RRCSetup message is used to establish SRB1 and has the following characteristics:

Signalling radio bearer: SRBO

- RLC-SAP: TM

Logical channel: CCCH

Direction: Network to UE. Fig. 9 shows a possible structure of the RRCSetup message according to an example which is based on the message structure of the RRCsetup message as specified in section 6.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.0.0. As can be seen, the RRCsetup message can be supplemented by one or more fields which enable the remote UE to determine whether the cell is barred or not. These fields are denoted as “cellBarredRekaylnfo”, “cellBarred”, and “timerCellBarred”. If the field “cellBarred” has a value “true”, this indicates that the cell is to be considered as barred. If present, the field “timerCellBarred” indicates the value of the timer to indicate for how long the cell should be considered as barred.

Second Embodiment

In a second embodiment, when the remote UE discovers a relay UE, if a PC5 connection is available between the remote UE and the relay UE, the relay UE send an indication to the remote UE in order to inform which sidelink relay options, e.g., layer 2 or layer 3, are supported in the cell of the relay UE and/or which ones are enabled or disabled. This cell typically corresponds to a cell in which the relay UE is attached or camped. If the remote UE is interested in one of the sidelink relay UE options that are not supported or are disabled by the cell, the remote UE should consider the cell as barred. Otherwise, the remote UE should consider the cell as not barred.

In the following, a possible implementation of the second embodiment is explained in more detail in particular with respect to an example of the message 22 in Fig. 3. According to an example, the message 22 may correspond to a sidelink message denoted as “UuMessageTransferSidelink”. The UuMessageTransferSidelink message is used for the sidelink transfer of Paging message and System Information messages and hast the following characteristics:

Signalling radio bearer: SL-SRB3

- RLC-SAP: AM

Logical channel: SCCH Direction: L2 U2N Relay UE to L2 U2N Remote UE.

Fig. 10 shows a possible structure of the UuMessageTransferSidelink message according to an example which is based on the message structure of the UuMessageTransferSidelink message as specified in section 6.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.0.0. As can be seen, the UuMessageTransferSidelink message can be supplemented by one or more fields which enable the remote UE to determine whether the cell is barred or not. These fields are denoted as “sl-L2Relay” and “sl-L3Relay”. If the IE “sl-L2Relay” has a value “enabled”, this indicates that the feature of L2 UE-to-Network relay is enabled for the cell. If the field “sl- L2Relay” has a value “disabled”, this indicates that the feature of L2 UE-to-Network relay is disabled for the cell. If the field “sl-L2Relay” is absent, this may indicate that the feature of L2 UE-to-Network relay is not supported for the cell. If the field “sl-L3Relay” has a value “enabled”, this indicates that the feature of L3 UE-to-Network relay is enabled for the cell. If the field “sl- L3Relay” has a value “disabled”, this indicates that the feature of L3 UE-to-Network relay is disabled for the cell. If the field “sl-L3Relay” is absent, this may indicate that the feature of L3 UE-to-Network relay is not supported for the cell. As illustrated, these fields may be part of a field denoted as “sl-SystemlnformationDelivery”, which is used to transfer system information relevant to the L2 U2N Remote UE in RRCJDLE or RRCJNACTIVE. It is however noted that similar information could also be present in other fields, such as in a field denoted as “sl-SIB1- Delivery”, which is used to transfer SIB1 to the L2 U2N Remote UE in RRC DLE or RRC NACTIVE, or in a field denoted as “sl-PagingDelivery”, which is used to transfer a paging record relevant to the L2 U2N Remote UE in RRCJDLE or RRCJNACTIVE.

Third Embodiment

In a third embodiment, when the remote UE discovers a relay UE, after acquiring SIB1 or SIB12 the remote UE checks in the SIB1 or SIB12 if some sidelink relay specific field/parameter is configured or not. If some sidelink relay specific field/parameter is configured, then the remote UE should not consider the cell as barred. Otherwise, the cell is considered as barred. An example of sidelink relay specific field/parameter can be the ue- TimersAndConstants-RemoteUE-r17 in SIB1.

An alternative to this can also be to have an explicit indication in SIB1 or SIB12 about what sidelink relay options are supported by the cell and/or which ones are enabled or disabled.

Fourth Embodiment

In a fourth embodiment, when the remote UE starts the sidelink discovery procedure in order to find possible relay UEs, each candidate relay UE replying to the discovery message sent by the remote UE includes in the reply information indicating whether its own serving cell is enabling or disabling the L2 relay, L3 relay, or none of them. In this case, the relay UE can be selected as candidate relay UE but if both the L2 and L3 options are disabled (if one of them is enabled but not supported by the remote UE), its serving cell is considered as barred. The remote UE can establish an RRC connection toward the serving cell of the relay UE (i.e., via the relay UE) when the relay option is again enabled by the network. The information on whether the relay option preferred by the remote UE is enabled by the network can be acquired by the network itself, e.g., via broadcast within an SIB, or via an indication of the relay UE.

Generally, then, once the remote UE starts the sidelink discovery procedure by sending a first signaling in order to find possible relay UEs, whether the serving cell to which the candidate relay UE is attached (if candidate relay UE in RRC_CONNECTED) or camping (if the candidate relay UE in RRCJDLE or RRCJNACTIVE) should be considered barred or not is indicated in a second signaling (discovery response message) sent by a candidate relay UE in response to the first signaling sent by the remote UE. This second signaling (e.g., discovery response message) is an example of the message 22 in Fig. 2.

The reply sent as second signaling by each possible candidate relay UE includes whether the serving cell of the possible candidate relay UE is enabling or disabling the L2 relay or/and L3 relay, or none of them. In this case, the relay UE can be selected as candidate relay UE but if both the L2 and L3 options are disabled (if one of them is enabled but not supported by the remote UE), the cell is considered as barred. This means that the remote UE can establish an RRC connection toward the serving cell of the relay UE (i.e., via the relay UE) when the relay option in which the remote UE is interested is again enabled by the network.

The information on whether the relay option preferred by the remote UE is enabled by the network can be acquired by the network itself, e.g., via broadcast within an SIB, or via an indication of the relay UE.

Fifth Embodiment

In a fifth embodiment, when the remote UE starts the sidelink discovery procedure in order to find possible relay UEs, each candidate relay UE replying to the discovery message sent by the remote UE includes in the reply information indicating whether its own serving cell supports L2 relay, L3 relay, or none of them. In this case, if the serving cell of the candidate relay UE does not support a sidelink relay option, the relay UE is not selected as candidate relay UE. This means that this relay UE is considered as barred and so its serving cell.

In the fifth embodiment, once the remote UE starts the sidelink discovery procedure by sending a first signaling, e.g., a discovery message, in order to find possible relay UEs, whether the serving cell to which the candidate relay UE is attached (if candidate relay UE in RRC_CONNECTED) or camping (if the candidate relay UE in RRCJDLE or RRCJNACTIVE) should be considered barred or not may be indicated in a second signaling, e.g., a discovery response message, sent by a candidate relay UE in response to the first signaling sent by the remote UE. This second signaling (e.g., discovery response message) is an example of the message 22 in Fig. 2.

The reply sent as second signaling by each possible candidate relay UE includes whether the serving cell of the possible candidate relay UE is supporting the L2 relay or/and L3 relay, or none of them. In this case, if the serving cell of the possible candidate relay UE does not support a sidelink relay option in which the remote UE is interested, the relay UE is not selected as candidate relay UE. This means that this relay UE is considered as barred and so its serving cell.

It should be noted that some embodiments herein are exemplified with respect to the NR RAT (Radio Access Technology) but can be applied also to LTE RAT and any other RAT enabling the direct transmission between two (or more) nearby devices without any loss of meaning.

It should also be noted that sidelink relay refers to a communication that is generated by a remote UE and is terminated at a gNB (or another destination remote UE) via the use of an intermediate node called relay UE. Further, RM (remote) UE may be referred to as the remote UE that needs to transmit/receive packet from/to the gNB or another UE (called target remote UE) via an intermediate mobile terminal (relay) referred to as relay (RL) UE.

The terms “SI” and “SIB” can be used interchangeably without any loss of meaning.

One scenario targeted by some embodiments herein is when a remote UE needs to establish a sidelink relay connection with the network via a relay UE. This is because the remote UE cannot reach the network directly. In this scenario, once a relay UE is selected for the sidelink relay UE transmission, the remote UE starts to setup the RRC connection with the network via one of the legacy procedures (e.g., RRC setup, RRC resume, RRC reestablishment), but before executing such procedures (or upon executing them) the UE determines whether the cell in which is trying to establish an RRC connection is barred or not. The term “barred” characterizes a cell that the UE is not able to access.

The terms “enabling/disabling” of a feature in a cell refers to a cell that supports the feature but that is willing, or not, to use it in a certain time period. This basically means that the network can indicate to the UE when to use a certain feature or not. At the same time, the term “support/not support” of a feature in a cell refers to a cell that does or does not support a certain feature. If the cell does not support the feature, this means that the cell does not have an actual implementation of the feature and thus the same feature cannot be used even if the cell wants to.

In view of the modifications and variations herein, Fig. 11 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method is performed by a remote communication device 14 configured for use in a communication network 10. The method includes transmitting, via a relay communication device 14, a request 18 to establish or resume a connection with a cell 14C of the communication network 10 (Block 1100). The method also includes receiving a response 20 that indicates whether or not the cell 14C is barred (Block 1110).

In some embodiments, the response includes barring information that indicates whether or not the cell is barred. In one or more of these embodiments, the barring information comprises an information element indicating that the cell is barred. In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating that the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer. In this case, the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

In some embodiments, the response includes information indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer. In this case, the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises setting the timer to the indicated value. The method further comprises, while the timer is running, considering the cell as barred. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises, after or upon expiration of the timer, considering the cell as no longer barred and/or re-attempting access to the cell.

In some embodiments, the request is a radio resource control, RRC, connection setup request, an RRC connection resume request, or an RRC connection re-establishment request.

In some embodiments, the response is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises, while considering the cell as barred, refraining from attempting to access the cell via the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, the method includes setting the timer to the indicated value (Block 1120). In some embodiments, the method includes, while the timer is running, considering the cell 14C as barred (Block 1130). In some embodiments, the method includes, after or upon expiration of the timer, considering the cell 14C as no longer barred and/or reattempting access to the cell 14C (Block 1140). In some embodiments, the method includes, while considering the cell 14C as barred, refraining from attempting to access the cell via the relay communication device 12 (Block 1150).

Fig. 12 depicts a method in accordance with other particular embodiments. The method is performed by a remote communication device 14 configured for use in a communication network. The method includes starting a timer (Block 1200). The method also includes while the timer is running, considering a cell 14C as barred (Block 1210). In some embodiments, the method includes, while considering the cell 14C as barred, refraining from attempting to access the cell 14C via a relay communication device (Block 1220). Fig. 13 depicts a method in accordance with other particular embodiments. The method is performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network. The method includes receiving, from a remote communication device 14, via a relay communication device 12, a request 18 to establish or resume a connection with a cell 14C of the communication network (Block 1300). The method also includes transmitting a response 20 that indicates whether or not the cell 14C is barred (Block 1310).

In some embodiments, the response includes barring information that indicates whether or not the cell is barred. In one or more of these embodiments, the barring information comprises an information element indicating that the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating that the cell is barred.

In some embodiments, whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer, wherein the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

In some embodiments, the response includes information indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer. In this case, the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

In some embodiments, the request is a radio resource control, RRC, connection setup request, an RRC connection resume request, or an RRC connection re-establishment request.

In some embodiments, the response is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

Fig. 14 depicts a method in accordance with other particular embodiments. The method is performed by a remote communication device 14 configured for use in a communication network. The method includes checking whether or not a cell 14C to be accessed via a relay communication device 12 is barred (Block 1400). The method also includes attempting to access the cell 14C, or refraining from attempting to access the cell 14C, depending on whether or not the cell 14C is barred according to said checking (Block 1410).

In some embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell lacks support for at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving system information for the cell, e.g., SIB1 and/or SIB12. In some embodiments, the system information for the cell includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device and checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication in the system information for the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the sidelink message includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, and checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication.

In some embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell has not enabled at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving system information for the cell, e.g., SIB1 and/or SIB12. In some embodiments, the system information for the cell includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell has enabled or disabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device, and checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication in the system for the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, the method further comprises receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the sidelink message includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell has enabled or disabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, and checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving system information for the cell. In some embodiments, said checking comprises checking whether or not a field or parameter is configured in the system information for accessing the cell via a relay communication device. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on whether or not the field or parameter is configured in the system information. In one or more of these embodiments, the system information is SIB1 and/or SIB12. In some embodiments, the field or parameter is a ue-TimersAndConstants-RemoteUE- r17 parameter in SI B1.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to discover a relay communication device via which to access the cell.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to establish a connection with a relay communication device via which to access the cell.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell.

In some embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information, e.g.,SIB1 and/or SIB12, for the cell.

In some embodiments, attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking comprises initiating, or refraining from initiating, a procedure for establishing, resuming, or reestablishing an RRC connection to the cell via the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a candidate relay communication device.

In some embodiments, options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the method includes receiving system information for the cell 14C (Block 1420). The system information may include SIB1 and/or SIB12. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device 12 (Block 1430). In some embodiments, the method includes receiving system information for the cell 14C (Block 1440). The system information may include SIB1 and/or SIB12. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device 12 (Block 1450). In some embodiments, the method includes receiving system information for the cell 14C (Block 1460). The system information may include SIB1 and/or SIB12.

Fig. 15 depicts a method in accordance with other particular embodiments. The method is performed by a remote communication device 14 configured for use in a communication network. The method includes receiving at least one message 22 from or via a relay communication device 12 (Block 1500). In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 indicates which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 alternatively or additionally indicates which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 alternatively or additionally indicates whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a system information message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises an SIB1 message and/or an SIB12 message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a sidelink message received from the relay communication device on a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a UuMessageT ransferSidelink message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a sidelink discovery response message received as part of a procedure for discovering the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises checking whether or not the cell is barred. The method further comprises attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, via the relay communication device, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, as indicated by the message. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell lacks support for at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking comprises checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, as indicated by the message. Said checking also comprises considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell has not enabled at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to discover the relay communication device via which to access the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to establish a connection with the relay communication device via which to access the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell. In one or more of these embodiments, said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell, e.g., SIB1 or SIB12. In one or more of these embodiments, attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking comprises initiating, or refraining from initiating, a procedure for establishing, resuming, or re-establishing an RRC connection to the cell via the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises performing access control to the cell based on the message.

In some embodiments, the method includes checking whether or not the cell 14C is barred (Block WW510). In some embodiments, the method includes attempting to access the cell 14C, or refraining from attempting to access the cell 14C, via the relay communication device 12, depending on whether or not the cell 14C is barred according to said checking (Block 1520). In some embodiments, the method includes performing access control to the cell 14C based on the message (Block 1530).

Fig. 16 depicts a method in accordance with other particular embodiments. The method is performed by a relay communication device 12 configured for use in a communication network. The method includes transmitting at least one message 22 to a remote communication device 14 (Block 1600).

In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 indicates which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 alternatively or additionally indicates which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 alternatively or additionally indicates whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a system information message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises an SIB1 message and/or an SIB12 message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a sidelink message received from the relay communication device on a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a UuMessageT ransferSidelink message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a sidelink discovery response message received as part of a procedure for discovering the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

Fig. 17 depicts a method in accordance with other particular embodiments. The method is performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network. The method includes transmitting a message 22 to a remote communication device 14 via a relay communication device 12 (Block 1700).

In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 indicates which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 alternatively or additionally indicates which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device. In some embodiments, the at least one message 22 alternatively or additionally indicates whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a system information message. In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises an SIB1 message and/or an SIB12 message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a sidelink message received from the relay communication device on a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a UuMessageT ransferSidelink message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

In some embodiments, the at least one message is or comprises a sidelink discovery response message received as part of a procedure for discovering the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

In some embodiments, the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

In some embodiments, options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

Embodiments herein also include corresponding apparatuses. Embodiments herein for instance include a communication device configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the remote communication device 14 or the relay communication device 12.

Embodiments also include a communication device comprising processing circuitry and power supply circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the remote communication device 14 or the relay communication device 12. The power supply circuitry is configured to supply power to the communication device.

Embodiments further include a communication device comprising processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the remote communication device 14 or the relay communication device 12. In some embodiments, the communication device further comprises communication circuitry.

Embodiments further include a communication device comprising processing circuitry and memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the communication device is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the remote communication device 14 or the relay communication device 12.

Embodiments moreover include a user equipment (UE). The UE comprises an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals. The UE also comprises 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 is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the remote communication device 14 or the relay communication device 12. In some embodiments, the UE also comprises 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. The UE may comprise an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry. The UE may also comprise a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

Embodiments herein also include a network node configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the network node.

Embodiments also include a network node comprising processing circuitry and power supply circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the network node. The power supply circuitry is configured to supply power to the network node.

Embodiments further include a network node comprising processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the network node. In some embodiments, the network node further comprises communication circuitry.

Embodiments further include a network node comprising processing circuitry and memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the network node is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the embodiments described above for the network node.

More particularly, the apparatuses described above may perform the methods herein and any other processing by implementing any functional means, modules, units, or circuitry. In one embodiment, for example, the apparatuses comprise respective circuits or circuitry configured to perform the steps shown in the method figures. The circuits or circuitry in this regard may comprise circuits dedicated to performing certain functional processing and/or one or more microprocessors in conjunction with memory. For instance, the circuitry may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory may include program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments. In embodiments that employ memory, the memory stores program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, carries out the techniques described herein.

Fig. 18 for example illustrates a communication device 1800 as implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments. The communication device 1800 may be the remote communication device 14 or the relay communication device 12. As shown, the communication device 1800 includes processing circuitry 1810 and communication circuitry 1820. The communication circuitry 1820 (e.g., radio circuitry) is configured to transmit and/or receive information to and/or from one or more other nodes, e.g., via any communication technology. Such communication may occur via one or more antennas that are either internal or external to the wireless communication device 1800. The processing circuitry 1810 is configured to perform processing described above, such as by executing instructions stored in memory 1830. The processing circuitry 1810 in this regard may implement certain functional means, units, or modules.

Fig. 19 illustrates a network node 1900 as implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments. The network node 1900 may be the above network node 16. As shown, the network node 1900 includes processing circuitry 1910 and communication circuitry 1920. The communication circuitry 1920 is configured to transmit and/or receive information to and/or from one or more other nodes, e.g., via any communication technology. The processing circuitry 1910 is configured to perform processing described above, such as by executing instructions stored in memory 1930. The processing circuitry 1910 in this regard may implement certain functional means, units, or modules.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that embodiments herein further include corresponding computer programs.

A computer program comprises instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out any of the respective processing described above. A computer program in this regard may comprise one or more code modules corresponding to the means or units described above.

Embodiments further include a carrier containing such a computer program. This carrier may comprise one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storage medium.

In this regard, embodiments herein also include a computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable (storage or recording) medium and comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform as described above.

Embodiments further include a computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the steps of any of the embodiments herein when the computer program product is executed by a computing device. This computer program product may be stored on a computer readable recording medium.

Fig. 20 shows an example of a communication system 2000 in accordance with some embodiments.

In the example, the communication system 2000 includes a telecommunication network 2002 that includes an access network 2004, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 2006, which includes one or more core network nodes 2008. The access network 2004 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 2010a and 2010b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 2010), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 2010 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, and 2012d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 2012) to the core network 2006 over one or more wireless connections. The network nodes 2010a, 2010b may for example correspond to the above-mentioned network node 16 or the above-mentioned network node 1900. The UEs 2012a, 2012b may for example correspond to the above-mentioned relay UE 12 or remote UE 14.

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 2000 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 2000 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.

The UEs 2012 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 2010 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 2010 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 2012 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 2002 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 2002. In the depicted example, the core network 2006 connects the network nodes 2010 to one or more hosts, such as host 2016. 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 2006 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 2008) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 2008. 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 (ALISF), 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 2016 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 2004 and/or the telecommunication network 2002, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 2016 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

As a whole, the communication system 2000 of Fig. 20 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

In some examples, the telecommunication network 2002 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 2002 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 2002. For example, the telecommunications network 2002 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 2012 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 2004 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 2004. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

In the example, the hub 2014 communicates with the access network 2004 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 2012c and/or 2012d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 2010b). In some examples, the hub 2014 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 2014 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 2006 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 2014 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 2010, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 2014. As another example, the hub 2014 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 2014 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 2014 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 2014 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 2014 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 2014 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 2010b. The hub 2014 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 2014 and UEs (e.g., UE 2012c and/or 2012d), and between the hub 2014 and the core network 2006. In other examples, the hub 2014 is connected to the core network 2006 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 2014 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 2004 and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 2010 while still connected via the hub 2014 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 2014 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 2010b. In other embodiments, the hub 2014 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 2010b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

Fig. 21 shows a UE 2100 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (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 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 2100 includes processing circuitry 2102 that is operatively coupled via a bus 2104 to an input/output interface 2106, a power source 2108, a memory 2110, a communication interface 2112, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 21. 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 2102 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 2110. The processing circuitry 2102 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 2102 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

In the example, the input/output interface 2106 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 2100. 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 2108 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 2108 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 2108 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 2100 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 2108. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 2108 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 2100 to which power is supplied.

The memory 2110 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 2110 includes one or more application programs 2114, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 2116. The memory 2110 may store, for use by the UE 2100, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems. The memory 2110 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM (Unviersal SIM) and/or ISIM (Integrated SIM), 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 2110 may allow the UE 2100 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 2110, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

The processing circuitry 2102 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 2112. The communication interface 2112 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 2122. The communication interface 2112 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 2118 and/or a receiver 2120 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 2118 and receiver 2120 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 2122) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 2112 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 2112, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

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

A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a flood/moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or 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 of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 2100 shown in Fig. 21.

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.

Fig. 22 shows a network node 2200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and/or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and 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-cel l/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 2200 includes a processing circuitry 2202, a memory 2204, a communication interface 2206, and a power source 2208. The network node 2200 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 2200 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 2200 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 2204 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 2210 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 2200 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 2200, 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 2200.

The processing circuitry 2202 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 2200 components, such as the memory 2204, to provide network node 2200 functionality.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2202 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2202 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 2212 and baseband processing circuitry 2214. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 2212 and the baseband processing circuitry 2214 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 2212 and baseband processing circuitry 2214 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

The memory 2204 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 2202. The memory 2204 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 2202 and utilized by the network node 2200. The memory 2204 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 2202 and/or any data received via the communication interface 2206. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 2202 and memory 2204 is integrated.

The communication interface 2206 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between a network node, access network, and/or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 2206 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 2216 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 2206 also includes radio front-end circuitry 2218 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 2210. Radio front-end circuitry 2218 comprises filters 2220 and amplifiers 2222. The radio front-end circuitry 2218 may be connected to an antenna 2210 and processing circuitry 2202. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 2210 and processing circuitry 2202. The radio front-end circuitry 2218 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 2218 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 2220 and/or amplifiers 2222. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 2210. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 2210 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 2218. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 2202. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 2200 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 2218, instead, the processing circuitry 2202 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 2210. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 2212 is part of the communication interface 2206. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 2206 includes one or more ports or terminals 2216, the radio front-end circuitry 2218, and the RF transceiver circuitry 2212, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 2206 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 2214, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

The antenna 2210 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 2210 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 2218 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 2210 is separate from the network node 2200 and connectable to the network node 2200 through an interface or port.

The antenna 2210, communication interface 2206, and/or the processing circuitry 2202 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 2210, the communication interface 2206, and/or the processing circuitry 2202 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 2208 provides power to the various components of network node 2200 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 2208 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 2200 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 2200 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 2208. As a further example, the power source 2208 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 2200 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 22 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 2200 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 2200 and to allow output of information from the network node 2200. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 2200.

Fig. 23 is a block diagram of a host 2300, which may be an embodiment of the host 2016 of Fig. 20, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 2300 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 2300 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

The host 2300 includes processing circuitry 2302 that is operatively coupled via a bus 2304 to an input/output interface 2306, a network interface 2308, a power source 2310, and a memory 2312. 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 Fig. 21 and Fig. 22, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 2300.

The memory 2312 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 2314 and data 2316, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 2300 or data generated by the host 2300 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 2300 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 2314 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 2314 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 2300 may select and/or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 2314 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.

Fig. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 2400 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 2400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

Applications 2402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Hardware 2404 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 2406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 2408a and 2408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 2408), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 2406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 2408. The VMs 2408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 2406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 2402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 2408, 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 2408 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 2408, and that part of hardware 2404 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 2408 on top of the hardware 2404 and corresponds to the application 2402.

Hardware 2404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 2404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 2404 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 2410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 2402. In some embodiments, hardware 2404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 2412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

Fig. 25 shows a communication diagram of a host 2502 communicating via a network node 2504 with a UE 2506 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 2012a of Fig. 20 and/or UE 2100 of Fig. 21), network node (such as network node 2010a of Fig. 20 and/or network node 2200 of Fig. 22), and host (such as host 2016 of Fig. 20 and/or host 2300 of Fig. 23) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Fig. 25.

Like host 2300, embodiments of host 2502 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 2502 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 2502 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 2506 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 2550 extending between the UE 2506 and host 2502. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 2550.

The network node 2504 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 2502 and UE 2506. The connection 2560 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 2006 of Fig. 20) 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 2506 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 2506 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 2506 with the support of the host 2502. In the host 2502, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 2550 terminating at the UE 2506 and host 2502. 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 2550 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 2550.

The OTT connection 2550 may extend via a connection 2560 between the host 2502 and the network node 2504 and via a wireless connection 2570 between the network node 2504 and the UE 2506 to provide the connection between the host 2502 and the UE 2506. The connection 2560 and wireless connection 2570, over which the OTT connection 2550 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 2502 and the UE 2506 via the network node 2504, 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 2550, in step 2508, the host 2502 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 2506. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 2506 that shares data with the host 2502 without explicit human interaction. In step 2510, the host 2502 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 2506. The host 2502 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 2506. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 2506 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 2506. The transmission may pass via the network node 2504, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 2512, the network node 2504 transmits to the UE 2506 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 2502 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 2514, the UE 2506 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 2506 associated with the host application executed by the host 2502.

In some examples, the UE 2506 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 2502. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 2502. Accordingly, in step 2516, the UE 2506 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 2506. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 2506 initiates, in step 2518, transmission of the user data towards the host 2502 via the network node 2504. In step 2520, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 2504 receives user data from the UE 2506 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 2502. In step 2522, the host 2502 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 2506.

One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 2506 using the OTT connection 2550, in which the wireless connection 2570 forms the last segment. Here, it is to be noted that in the case of a relay based connection as described herein, the wireless connection could extend via a relay UE.

In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 2502. As another example, the host 2502 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 2502 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 2502 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 2502 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 2502 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and/or transmitting data.

In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 2550 between the host 2502 and UE 2506, 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 2502 and/or UE 2506. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 2550 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 2550 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 2504. 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 2502. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 2550 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.

EMBODIMENTS

In view of the above, example embodiments provided by the present disclosure include:

Group A Embodiments

A1. A method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network, the method comprising: transmitting, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and receiving a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

A2. The method of embodiment A1 , wherein the response includes barring information that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

A3. The method of embodiment A2, wherein the barring information comprises an information element indicating that the cell is barred.

A4. The method of any of embodiments A1-A3, wherein whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating that the cell is barred.

A5. The method of any of embodiments A1-A4, wherein whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer, wherein the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

A6. The method of any of embodiments A1-A5, wherein the response includes information indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer, wherein the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

A7. The method of any of embodiments A5-A6, further comprising: setting the timer to the indicated value; and while the timer is running, considering the cell as barred.

A8. The method of embodiment A7, further comprising, after or upon expiration of the timer, considering the cell as no longer barred and/or re-attempting access to the cell. A9. The method of any of embodiments A1-A8, wherein the request is a radio resource control, RRC, connection setup request, an RRC connection resume request, or an RRC connection re-establishment request.

A10. The method of any of embodiments A1-A9, wherein the response is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

A11. The method of any of embodiments A7-A8, further comprising, while considering the cell as barred, refraining from attempting to access the cell via the relay communication device.

A12. The method of any of embodiments A1-A11 , wherein the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

A13. The method of any of embodiments A1-A12, wherein the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

A14. The method of any of embodiments A1-A13, wherein the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

A15. The method of any of embodiments A1-A14, further comprising attempting, or refraining from attempting, access to the cell depending on whether or not access to the cell is barred according to the response.

AA1. A method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network, the method comprising: starting a timer; and while the timer is running, considering a cell as barred.

AA2. The method of embodiment AA1, further comprising, while considering the cell as barred, refraining from attempting to access the cell via a relay communication device.

AA. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to a base station. Group B Embodiments

B1. A method performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network, the method comprising: receiving, from a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a request to establish or resume a connection with a cell of the communication network; and transmitting a response that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

B2. The method of embodiment B1, wherein the response includes barring information that indicates whether or not the cell is barred.

B3. The method of embodiment B2, wherein the barring information comprises an information element indicating that the cell is barred.

B4. The method of any of embodiments B1-B3, wherein whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating that the cell is barred.

B5. The method of any of embodiments B1-B4, wherein whether or not the cell is barred is respectively indicated via inclusion or exclusion of information in the response indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer, wherein the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

B6. The method of any of embodiments B1-B5, wherein the response includes information indicating a value to which the remote communication device is to set a timer, wherein the remote communication device is to consider the cell as barred while the timer is running.

B7. The method of any of embodiments B1-B6, wherein the request is a radio resource control, RRC, connection setup request, an RRC connection resume request, or an RRC connection re-establishment request.

B8. The method of any of embodiments B1-B7, wherein the response is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

B9. The method of any of embodiments B1-B8, wherein the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device. B10. The method of any of embodiments B1-B9, wherein the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

B11. The method of any of embodiments B1-B10, wherein the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

BB. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer or a communication device.

Group C Embodiments

C1. A method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network, the method comprising: checking whether or not a cell to be accessed via a relay communication device is barred; and attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking.

C2. The method of embodiment C1 , wherein said checking comprises: checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device; and considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device.

C3. The method of embodiment C2, wherein said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell lacks support for at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device.

C4. The method of any of embodiments C2-C3, further comprising receiving SIB1 for the cell, wherein the SIB1 for the cell includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device, and wherein checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication in the SIB1 for the cell.

C5. The method of any of embodiments C2-C4, further comprising receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device, wherein the sidelink message includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, and wherein checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication.

C6. The method of embodiment C1 , wherein said checking comprises: checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device; and considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device.

C7. The method of embodiment C6, wherein said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell has not enabled at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device.

C8. The method of any of embodiments C6-C7, further comprising receiving SIB1 for the cell, wherein the SIB1 for the cell includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell has enabled or disabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device, and wherein checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication in the SIB1 for the cell.

C9. The method of any of embodiments C6-C8, further comprising receiving a sidelink message from the relay communication device, wherein the sidelink message includes an explicit indication of which options, if any, the cell has enabled or disabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, and wherein checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via a relay communication device is performed based on the explicit indication.

C10. The method of embodiment C1 , further comprising receiving system information for the cell, and wherein said checking comprises: checking whether or not a field or parameter is configured in the system information for accessing the cell via a relay communication device; and considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on whether or not the field or parameter is configured in the system information.

C11. The method of embodiment C10, wherein the system information is a System Information Block #1 (SIB1), and wherein the field or parameter is a ue-TimersAndConstants-RemoteUE- r17 parameter in SI B1.

C12. The method of any of embodiments C1-C11, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to discover a relay communication device via which to access the cell.

C13. The method of any of embodiments C1-C11, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to establish a connection with a relay communication device via which to access the cell.

C14. The method of any of embodiments C1-C11, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell.

C15. The method of any of embodiments C1-C11, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring a System Information Block #1 (SI B 1 ) for the cell.

C16. The method of any of embodiments C1-C15, wherein attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking comprises initiating, or refraining from initiating, a procedure for establishing, resuming, or re-establishing an RRC connection to the cell via the relay communication device.

C17. The method of any of embodiments C1-C16, wherein the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

C18. The method of any of embodiments C1-C17, wherein the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

C19. The method of any of embodiments C1-C18, wherein the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

C20. The method of any of embodiments C1-C19, wherein the relay communication device is a candidate relay communication device.

C21. The method of any of embodiments C2-C9, wherein options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

Group D Embodiments

D1. A method performed by a remote communication device configured for use in a communication network, the method comprising: receiving, from or via a relay communication device, a message that indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

D2. The method of embodiment D1, wherein the message is a system information message.

D3. The method of any of embodiments D1-D2, wherein the message is an SIB1 message.

D4. The method of any of embodiments D1-D3, wherein the message is a sidelink message received from the relay communication device on a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

D5. The method of any of embodiments D1-D4, wherein the message is a UuMessage Transfer Sidelink message .

D6. The method of any of embodiments D1-D4, wherein the message is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

D7. The method of embodiment D1 , wherein the message is a sidelink discovery response message received as part of a procedure for discovering the relay communication device.

D8. The method of any of embodiments D1-D8, wherein the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

D9. The method of any of embodiments D1-D9, wherein the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

D10. The method of any of embodiments D1-D10, wherein the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

D11. The method of any of embodiments D1-D10, wherein options for accessing the cell via a relay communication device include a first option to access the cell via a Layer 2 relay communication device and a second option to access the cell via a Layer 3 relay communication device.

D12. The method of any of embodiments D1-D11, further comprising: checking whether or not the cell is barred; and attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, via the relay communication device, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking.

D13. The method of embodiment D12, wherein said checking comprises: checking which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, as indicated by the message; and considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell supports for accessing the cell via the relay communication device.

D14. The method of embodiment D13, wherein said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell lacks support for at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via the relay communication device.

D15. The method of embodiment D12, wherein said checking comprises: checking which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device, as indicated by the message; and considering the cell as barred or not barred depending on which options, if any, the cell has enabled for accessing the cell via the relay communication device.

D16. The method of embodiment D15, wherein said considering comprises considering the cell as barred if the cell has not enabled at least one option within a set of one or more options for accessing the cell via the relay communication device. D17. The method of any of embodiments D12-D16, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to discover the relay communication device via which to access the cell.

D18. The method of any of embodiments D12-D16, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, a procedure to establish a connection with the relay communication device via which to access the cell.

D19. The method of any of embodiments D12-D16, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring system information for the cell.

D20. The method of any of embodiments D12-D16, wherein said checking is performed after, or as part of, acquiring a System Information Block #1 (SIB1) for the cell.

D21. The method of any of embodiments D12-D20, wherein attempting to access the cell, or refraining from attempting to access the cell, depending on whether or not the cell is barred according to said checking comprises initiating, or refraining from initiating, a procedure for establishing, resuming, or re-establishing an RRC connection to the cell via the relay communication device.

D22. The method of any of embodiments D1-D21, further comprising performing access control to the cell based on the message.

Group E Embodiments

E1. A method performed by a relay communication device configured for use in a communication network, the method comprising: transmitting, to a remote communication device, a message that indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

E2. The method of embodiment E1 , wherein the message is a system information message. E3. The method of any of embodiments E1-E2, wherein the message is an SIB1 message.

E4. The method of any of embodiments E1-E3, wherein the message is a sidelink message transmitted to the remote communication device on a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

E5. The method of any of embodiments E1-E4, wherein the message is a UuMessage Transfer Sidelink message .

E6. The method of any of embodiments E1-E4, wherein the message is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

E7. The method of embodiment E1 , wherein the message is a sidelink discovery response message transmitted as part of a procedure for the remote communication device to discover the relay communication device.

E8. The method of any of embodiments E1-E8, wherein the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

E9. The method of any of embodiments E1-E9, wherein the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

E10. The method of any of embodiments E1-E10, wherein the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

Group F Embodiments

F1. A method performed by a network node configured for use in a communication network, the method comprising: transmitting, to a remote communication device, via a relay communication device, a message that indicates: which options, if any, a cell supports for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; which options, if any, a cell has enabled or disabled for the remote communication device to access the cell via the relay communication device; and/or whether or not a cell to be accessed by the remote communication device via a relay communication device is barred.

F2. The method of embodiment F1 , wherein the message is a system information message.

F3. The method of any of embodiments F1-F2, wherein the message is an SIB1 message.

F4. The method of any of embodiments F1-F3, wherein the message is a sidelink message transmitted to the remote communication device via a sidelink between the relay communication device and the remote communication device.

F5. The method of any of embodiments F1-F4, wherein the message is a UuMessage Transfer Sidelink message .

F6. The method of any of embodiments F1-F4, wherein the message is an RRC reject message, an RRC re-establishment message, an RRC resume message, or an RRC setup message.

F7. The method of embodiment F1 , wherein the message is a sidelink discovery response message transmitted as part of a procedure for the remote communication device to discover the relay communication device.

F8. The method of any of embodiments F1-F8, wherein the cell is a serving cell of the relay communication device.

F9. The method of any of embodiments F1-F9, wherein the relay communication device is a Layer 2 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment or a Layer 3 UE-to-Network Relay User Equipment.

F10. The method of any of embodiments F1-F10, wherein the remote communication device is out of coverage of the communication network.

Group G Embodiments

G1. A communication device configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A, Group C, Group D, or Group E embodiments.

G2. A communication device comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A, Group C, Group D, or Group E embodiments.

G3. A communication device comprising: communication circuitry; and processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A, Group C, Group D, or Group E embodiments.

G4. A communication device comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A, Group C, Group D, or Group E embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the communication device.

G5. A communication device comprising: processing circuitry and memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the communication device is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A, Group C, Group D, or Group E embodiments.

G6. The communication device of any of embodiments G1-G5, wherein the communication device is a wireless communication device.

G7. A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A, Group C, Group D, or Group E 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.

G8. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a communication device, causes the communication device to carry out the steps of any of the Group A, Group C, Group D, or Group E embodiments.

G9. A carrier containing the computer program of embodiment G7, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storage medium.

G10. A network node configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B or Group F embodiments.

G11. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B or Group F embodiments.

G12. A network node comprising: communication circuitry; and processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B or Group F embodiments.

G13. A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B or Group F embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the network node.

G14. A network node comprising: processing circuitry and memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the network node is configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B or Group F embodiments.

G15. The network node of any of embodiments G10-G14, wherein the network node is a base station.

G16. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a network node, causes the network node to carry out the steps of any of the Group B or Group F embodiments.

G17. The computer program of embodiment G16, wherein the network node is a base station.

G18. A carrier containing the computer program of any of embodiments G16-G17, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer readable storage medium.