BR112020023922B1 - METHOD FOR A USER EQUIPMENT TO ADVERTISE CAPABILITIES OF RELATED USER EQUIPMENT, USER EQUIPMENT AND NON-TRANSIENT COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA, AND METHOD FOR A NETWORK NODE TO DETERMINE CAPABILITIES OF A USER EQUIPMENT, NETWORK NODE AND NON-TRANSIENT COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA RELATED - Google Patents

Abstract

OPERABLE USER EQUIPMENT FOR ADVERTISING UE CAPABILITIES ON A NETWORK NODE IN A NEW RADIO ACCESS NETWORK AND RELATED METHOD, NETWORK NODE OF A NEW RADIO ACCESS NETWORK RADIO CONFIGURED FOR DETERMINING CAPABILITIES OF A USER EQUIPMENT AND METHOD RELATED, AND NON-TRANSIENT COMPUTER READABLE MEANS. Embodiments include methods for a user equipment (UE) to advertise capabilities to a network node in a radio access network. Embodiments include transmitting, to the network node, information describing a plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. The information may include one or more InitialFeatureLists and one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, with each ExtensionFeatureList being associated with a particular InitialFeatureList. Embodiments also include transmitting, to the network node, one or more BandCombination elements, each of which includes: a list of frequency bands in which the UE is concurrently operable; a FeatureSetCombination element that identifies attributes supported by the UE within each frequency band included in the list. Some embodiments may also include receiving, from the network node, a configuration (e.g., for (...).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications and, more specifically, to techniques that allow a wireless device to advertise its attributes and/or supported capabilities to a wireless network, thereby facilitating interoperability between the device and the network.

BACKGROUND

[002] Generally, all terms used in the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with their common meaning in the relevant technical field, except when a different meaning is clearly provided and/or implied from the context in which it is being used. All references to an element, apparatus, component, means, steps, etc. shall be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed in the present invention need not be performed in the exact order disclosed unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and/or if it is implied that a step must follow or precede another step. Any attribute of any of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention can be applied to any other embodiment, whenever appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any of the modalities may apply to any other modalities and vice versa. Other objectives, attributes and advantages of the appended embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

[003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a generic term for so-called fourth generation (4G) radio access technologies, developed within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and initially standardized in Releases 8 and 9, also known as Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). LTE targets several licensed frequency bands and is accompanied by improvements in non-radio aspects, commonly referred to as System Architecture Evolution (SAE), which include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network. LTE continues to evolve through subsequent releases that are developed in accordance with standards-setting processes with 3GPP and its working groups (WGs), including the Radio Access Network (RAN) WG and subworking groups (e.g. , RAN1, RAN2 etc.).

[004] In LTE, the Radio Resource Configuration (RRC) protocol is used to configure, prepare and maintain the radio connection between the user equipment (UE) and the base station, known as the evolved Node B (eNB) . When the UE receives an RRC message from the eNB, it will apply the configuration (also referred to in the present invention as “compile configuration”) and, if successful, the UE generates a complete RRC message indicating the ID transaction code of the message that triggered this response.

[005] Since LTE Release 8, three Signaling Radio Carriers (SRBs), namely SRB0, SRB1 and SRB2 are available for transporting RRC and Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages between the UE and the eNB . A new SRB, known as SRB1bis, was also introduced in rel-13 to support DoNAS (Data Over NAS) in NB-IoT.

[006] The SRB0 carries RRC messages using the CCCH logical channel, and is used to handle RRC connection preparation, summary and re-establishment. Once the UE is connected to the eNB (i.e., RRC connection preparation or RRC connection reestablishment/resume is successful), SRB1 is used for handling additional RRC messages (which may include a piggybacked NAS message) and NAS messages, prior to the establishment of SRB2, all using a DCCH logical channel. The SRB2 is used for RRC messages, such as logged measurement information, as well as for NAS messages, all using DCCH. SRB2 has lower priority than SRB1 because logged measurement information and NAS messages can be large and can cause smaller, more urgent SRB1 messages to be blocked. SRB2 is always configured by E-UTRAN after security activation.

[007] In many communication protocols, the two participating parties (or “peers”) exchange information about their respective capabilities. This ensures that each peer does not request any capabilities that are not supported by the other peer. In LTE, UE Capability Information is an RRC message that a UE sends to the serving eNB, usually during an initial registration process in the LTE network. This RRC message informs the network about all the details of the UE capabilities.

[008] In the LTE UE Capability Information message, the UE may indicate not only whether it supports a specific attribute, but also whether it supports that attribute when operating in specific frequency band(s). In other words, the UE may indicate that it supports the particular attribute when operating in one or more frequency bands, but not when operating in one or more other frequency bands. Furthermore, the UE may indicate that it supports certain attributes, but not necessarily a combination of them.

[009] Furthermore, the UE may announce supported band combinations. These may be announced, for example, in a BandCombinationList information element (IE) that identifies one or more band combinations. Each advertised band combination indicates one or more bands that the UE is capable of combining in operation, for example, by carrier aggregation (CA) of one or more RF carriers in each band. Furthermore, the UE may indicate whether it supports the particular attribute(s) in each combination of bands that the UE is capable of aggregating. As LTE releases increase and more attributes are added, the UE Capability Information message has become one of the longest and most complicated RRC messages.

[010] Although LTE was primarily designed for user-to-user communications, 5G cellular networks (also called “NR”) are envisioned to support high single-user data rates (e.g., 1 Gb/s) and Large-scale machine-to-machine communication involving short, bursty transmissions from many different devices sharing frequency bandwidth. 5G radio standards (also referred to as “New Radio” or “NR”) are currently driving a wide range of data services, including eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband) and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication). These services may have different requirements and objectives. For example, URLLC is intended to provide a data service with extremely stringent latency and error requirements, e.g., error probabilities as low as 10-5 or lower, and end-to-end latency of 1 ms or lower. For eMBB, the latency and error probability requirements may be less stringent, while the required supported peak rate and/or spectral efficiency may be higher.

[011] In NR, the UE advertises its capabilities in a similar way as in LTE. For example, the UE may indicate not only whether it supports a particular attribute, but also whether it supports such an attribute when operating in a particular frequency band(s). In other words, the UE may indicate that it supports the particular attribute when operating in one or more frequency bands, but not when operating in one or more other frequency bands. Also like LTE, the UE can indicate that it supports certain attributes, but not necessarily a combination of them. As an additional similarity to LTE, the UE can advertise supported band combinations using, for example, the BandCombinationList IE. Additionally, as part of this IE, the UE may indicate whether it supports the particular attribute(s) in each band combination that the UE is capable of aggregating.

[012] Unlike LTE, however, the UE NR Capability Information flag to indicate such fine-grained attribute support has not been directly incorporated within the BandCombinationList IE. Instead, UE NR capability signaling is divided into band combinations and attribute set combinations, which are band independent so that they can be associated with any particular band combination. This arrangement has the potential to reduce overall signaling overhead if multiple band combinations (of which there may be many) point to the same attribute set combinations, if multiple attribute set combinations point to the same attribute sets, and/or or if multiple attribute sets point to the same attribute set by CC. However, compared to the conventional approach used in LTE, this arrangement may result in difficulties if the attributes are extended in future NR releases, as is often the case with LTE.

SUMMARY

[013] The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present invention address these problems, issues and/or disadvantages of existing solutions by providing a flexible and efficient approach to advertising extensible UE capabilities in a radio access network (RAN). Such embodiments can reduce and/or minimize the overhead required to announce extensions to initial and/or original attribute sets, while providing backward compatibility to legacy network nodes that do not recognize and/or support such extensions.

[014] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure include methods and/or procedures for advertising user equipment (UE) capabilities to a network node in a radio access network (RAN). The exemplary method and/or procedure may be performed by a wireless UE or device.

[015] The exemplary method and/or procedure may include transmitting, to the network node, information describing a plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. The information may include one or more InitialFeatureLists, with each InitialFeatureList comprising one or more non-extensible InitialFeatureSet elements and each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more initial attributes. The information may also include one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, with each ExtensionFeatureList being associated with a particular InitialFeatureList. Each ExtensionFeatureList may include one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, with each ExtensionFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more extension attributes.

[016] The exemplary method and/or procedure may also include transmitting, to the network node, one or more BandCombination elements. Each BandCombination element may include a list of frequency bands in which the UE can concurrently transmit and/or receive information. Each BandCombination element may also include a FeatureSetCombination element that identifies attributes supported by the UE within each frequency band included in the list. The attributes identified for a particular frequency band may be based on a particular InitialFeatureSet element from each InitialFeatureList and a corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the ExtensionFeatureList associated with each InitialFeatureList.

[017] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include receiving, from the network node, a configuration that includes the identification of one or more frequency bands, wherein the identified frequency bands are part of a list included in a particular passed BandCombination element. The configuration may also identify, for each of the identified frequency bands, the configuration of one or more attributes identified by the particular BandCombination element. In this way, the UE can receive a configuration that is based on capability information provided to the network node.

[018] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include transmitting or receiving information with the network node in frequency bands identified in accordance with the received configuration.

[019] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also include methods and/or procedures for determining the capabilities of a user equipment (UE). Such an exemplary method and/or procedure may be implemented in a network node (e.g., base station, gNB, eNB or component thereof) of a radio access network (RAN).

[020] The exemplary method and/or procedure may include receiving, from the UE, information that describes a plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. The information may include one or more InitialFeatureLists, with each InitialFeatureList comprising one or more non-extensible InitialFeatureSet elements and each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more initial attributes. The information may also include one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, with each ExtensionFeatureList being associated with a particular InitialFeatureList. Each ExtensionFeatureList may include one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, with each ExtensionFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more extension attributes.

[021] The exemplary method and/or procedure may also include receiving, from the UE, one or more BandCombination elements. Each BandCombination element may include a list of frequency bands in which the UE can concurrently transmit and/or receive information. Each BandCombination element may also include a FeatureSetCombination element that identifies attributes supported by the UE within each frequency band included in the list. The attributes identified for a particular frequency band may be based on a particular InitialFeatureSet element from each InitialFeatureList and a corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the ExtensionFeatureList associated with each InitialFeatureList.

[022] The exemplary method and/or procedure may also include determining UE capabilities based on one or more BandCombination elements and the received information describing the plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE.

[023] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include transmitting, to the UE, a configuration including the identification of one or more frequency bands, wherein the identified frequency bands are part of a list included in a particular transmitted BandCombination element. The configuration may also identify, for each of the identified frequency bands, the configuration of one or more attributes identified by the particular BandCombination element. In this way, the network node can provide the UE with a configuration that is based on the capability information provided to the network node.

[024] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include transmitting or receiving information with the UE in the plurality of frequency bands in accordance with the transmitted configuration.

[025] Other exemplary embodiments include user equipment (UEs, wireless device, etc. or components thereof) and network nodes (e.g., base stations, gNBs, eNBs, etc. or components thereof) configured to perform operations corresponding to the exemplary methods and/or procedures described in the present invention. Other exemplary embodiments include non-transitory computer-readable media storage program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a UE or network node, configure such UEs or network nodes to perform operations corresponding to methods and/or procedures exemplars described in the present invention.

[026] These and other objects, attributes and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon reading the following Detailed Description in view of the drawings briefly described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[027] Figure 1 shows exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify a BandCombinationList information element (IE) usable for UE capability signaling in NR networks.

[028] Figure 2 shows the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify an IE FeatureSets usable for UE capability signaling in NR networks.

[029] Figure 3 shows the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify an IE FeatureSetCombination usable for UE capability signaling in NR networks.

[030] Figure 4 shows exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify an IE FeatureSets usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[031] Figure 5 shows exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify a FeatureSetDownlink IE usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[032] Figure 6 shows exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify a FeatureSetUplinkPerCC IE usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[033] Figure 7 shows the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify a UE-MRDC-Capability IE usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[034] Figures 8A-B show exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify FeatureSetDownlinkId and FeatureSetUplinkId IEs, respectively, usable for signaling extensible UE capability in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[035] Figure 9 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary methods and/or procedures performed by a user equipment (UE), wireless device or component thereof, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[036] Figure 10 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary methods and/or procedures performed by a network node (e.g., base station, gNB, eNB, etc.) or component thereof, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the this disclosure.

[037] Figure 11 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a wireless network, in accordance with various aspects described in the present invention.

[038] Figure 12 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a UE, in accordance with various aspects described in the present invention.

[039] Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary virtualization environment usable for implementing various embodiments of network nodes described in the present invention.

[040] Figures 14-15 are block diagrams of various exemplary communication systems and/or networks, in accordance with various aspects described in the present invention.

[041] Figures 16-19 are flow diagrams illustrating various exemplary methods and/or procedures implemented in a communication system, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[042] Some of the embodiments contemplated in the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the attached drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed in the present invention and the subject matter disclosed should not be interpreted as limited only to the embodiments set forth in the present invention; rather, such embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the matter to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the following terms are used throughout the specification provided below: • Radio Node: As used in the present invention, a “radio node” may be a “radio access node” or a “wireless device”. • Radio Access Node: As used in the present invention, a “radio access node” (or “radio network node”) may be any node in a radio access network (RAN) of a communications network cell phones that operate to transmit and/or receive wireless signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) on a 3GPP Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or a Enhanced or Evolved B (eNB) in a 3GPP LTE network), a high-power base station or macro base station, a low-power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), and a relay node. • Core Network Node: As used in the present invention, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, for example, a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or similar . • Wireless Device: As used in the present invention, a “wireless device” (or “WD” for short) is any type of device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications network when communicating wirelessly. wired with network nodes and/or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise indicated, the term “wireless device” is used interchangeably in the present invention with “user equipment” (or “UE” for short). Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a UE in a 3GPP network and a machine-type communication (MTC) device. Wireless communication may involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information through the air. • Network Node: As used in the present invention, a “network node” is any node that is part of the radio access network or the core network of a cellular communications network/system. Functionally, the network node is an equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the cellular communications network, to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device, and/or to perform other functions (e.g., administration) on the cellular communications network.

[043] It is noted that the description provided in the present invention focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is generally used. However, the concepts disclosed in the present invention are not limited to a 3GPP system. Other wireless systems, including, without limitation, Broadband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Mobile Ultra Wideband (UMB), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) , may also benefit from the concepts, principles and/or modalities described in the present invention.

[044] Furthermore, the functions and/or operations described in the present invention as being performed by a wireless device or a network node can be distributed across a plurality of wireless devices and/or network nodes. Furthermore, although the term “cell” is used in the present invention, it is to be understood that (particularly with respect to 5G NR) beams may be used instead of cells and, as such, the concepts described in the present invention apply equally. to cells and beams.

[045] As briefly mentioned above, the UE NR Capability Information flag to indicate fine-grained attribute support has not been directly incorporated into the BandCombinationList IE, as it is in LTE. Instead, UE NR capability signaling is divided into band combinations and attribute set combinations, which are band independent so that they can be associated with any particular band combination. This arrangement has the potential to reduce overall signaling overhead if multiple band combinations (of which there may be many) point to the same attribute set combinations, if multiple attribute set combinations point to the same attribute sets, and/or or if multiple attribute sets point to the same attribute set by CC. However, compared to the conventional approach used in LTE, this arrangement may result in difficulties if the attributes are extended in future NR releases, as is often the case with LTE. These are discussed in more detail below.

[046] Figure 1 shows the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify an IE BandCombinationList usable in NR networks. As illustrated in Figure 1, the BandCombinationList IE includes a sequence of BandCombination elements, each representing a particular band combination that the UE is capable of supporting for NR or LTE carrier aggregation (CA) and/or LTE dual connectivity. /NR (e.g. EN-DC). Each BandCombination element further indicates the list of bands comprising the particular combination, and BandCombinationParameters associated with the particular combination. In addition to NR-related parameters, BandCombinationParameters can also include parameters related to LTE support and DC support for that particular band combination.

[047] Instead of specifying the particular attributes associated with each band combination directly in the BandCombinationList, an NR UE advertises these attributes when sending an IE FeatureSets. FeatureSets IE is used to provide groupings of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) attribute sets, as well as a grouping of FeatureSetCombination elements. Figure 2 shows the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify an IE FeatureSets usable in NR networks. As shown in Figure 2, FeatureSets IE includes FeatureSetDownlink and FeatureSetUplink elements that respectively specify a sequence of DL and UL attribute sets supported by the UE in a band. For example, FeatureSetsDownlink is a sequence (for example, one or more) of FeatureSetDownlink, which is a set of DL attributes. Note, however, that FeatureSets IE does not associate the indicated sets of DL and UL attributes with a particular band. The mechanism for associating these sets of attributes with a particular band is further explained below.

[048] As also shown in Figure 2, FeatureSets IE also include FeatureSetDownlink and FeatureSetUplink elements that respectively specify a sequence of DL and UL attribute sets supported by the UE) for a component carrier (CC) in a band. Note, however, that FeatureSets IE does not associate the DL and UL attribute sets indicated by CC with a particular band. The mechanism for associating these sets of attributes with a particular band is further explained below.

[049] As shown in Figure 2, FeatureSets IE also includes a featureSetCombinations element. This element specifies a sequence of FeatureSetCombination IEs, each of which can be associated with a particular band combination. Figure 3 shows the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify an IE FeatureSetCombination usable in NR networks. In other words, Figure 3 illustrates the structure of each FeatureSetCombination identified by the featureSetCombinations element shown in Figure 2.

[050] As shown in Figure 3, FeatureSetCombination IE includes a list and/or sequence of FeatureSetsPerBand, each of which identifies a sequence of sets of attributes that can be associated with a carrier of a particular band of a combination of bands. Each set in the sequence can be considered an alternative or option, so that the UE can indicate multiple supported attribute set options. Each of these attribute sets is specified by an IE FeatureSet, also shown in Figure 3. In other words, FeatureSetCombination can be considered a two-dimensional array of FeatureSet entries, with one column per band combination and one row per supported attribute combination. . All FeatureSetsPerBand in a FeatureSetCombination must have the same number of entries. The number of FeatureSetsPerBand in FeatureSetCombination must equal the number of band entries in an associated band combination. The first FeatureSetPerBand applies to the first band release of the band combination, and so on.

[051] Each FeatureSet element includes a pair of pointers to particular DL and UL attribute sets specified elsewhere. In the case of NR carriers, for example, downlinkSetNR is an identification of (e.g., an indicator for) a release in the FeatureSetsDownlink sequence shown in Figure 2. Similarly, uplinkSetNR is an identification of a release in the FeatureSetsUplink sequence shown in Figure 2. Similarly, for LTE/E-UTRA carriers, downlinkSetEUTRA and uplinkSetEUTRA identify respective entries in lists of attribute sets defined for LTE (for example, in 3GPP TS 36.331 v.15.1.0).

[052] Returning to Figure 1, each BandCombination entry in BandCombinationList IE also includes an indicator (i.e., FeatureCombinationSetID) for a particular FeatureSetCombination that is included in the IE FeatureSets featureSetCombinations element shown in Figure 2. In this way, the capability flag NR UE is divided into band combinations and attribute set combinations, which are band independent so that they can be associated with any particular band combination.

[053] If new UE-related attributes are standardized in the future, as expected, it will be necessary to add corresponding capability signaling to the various elements used by the UE to advertise support for these attributes. These include FeatureSetDownlink, FeatureSetUplink, FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC, and FeatureSetUplinkPerCC attribute set definitions (also referred to as “data structures”) that comprise the IE FeatureSets shown in Figure 2. However, these data structures are instantiated and sent in lists, each with a particular order and length that are understood by legacy gNBs.

[054] One option is to add a so-called “extension marker” to the attribute set definitions. These extension markers can be 24 bits (e.g., three octets or bytes) in length, which is necessary to indicate to the receiving network node (e.g., gNB) the length of the remainder of the data structure, which can be quite large. far away. In effect, this length allows “legacy” network nodes that do not understand the new capability bits to “skip” over these bits and continue to parse the next set of attributes in the list. However, such overhead is not feasible in a list with several hundred or even thousands of entries, each of which can be extended with new capabilities.

[055] Rather than extending actual attribute sets, as discussed above, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure address these extensibility challenges by creating new lists of extended attribute sets and by associating each of these new lists (or extension lists) with a respective original list. In other words, each of the elements in this extension list is associated with an element in the original list, so that an element in both lists can be identified by the same ID, which can be specified in FeatureSetCombination IE. Consequently, the IE FeatureSetCombination structure does not change when extending attributes in this way. Similarly, each BandCombination in an IE BandCombinationList can indicate support for one or more FeatureSetCombinations by their respective IDs (for example, respective positions in FeatureSetCombinations element of IE FeatureSets). Since there is no need to change FeatureSetCombinations IDs when adding attribute extensions, there is consequently no need to change the structure of the BandCombination element used in BandCombinationList IE.

[056] For example, a FeatureSetDownlink-r16 extension list that identifies new attributes (e.g., from Release 16) can be associated with an original FeatureSetDownlink attribute list. When a UE advertises (for example, by an indicator or identifier in an IE FeatureSetCombination) a particular set of attributes associated with an extension, it indicates that the UE supports the original list and the extension list of that set of attributes. For example, if a UE indicates in FeatureSetCombination that it supports the attributes in FeatureSetDownlink with ID = 5 (for example, the fifth position in the list indicated by featureSetsDownlink), this implies that it also supports the attributes in FeatureSetDownlink-r16 associated with ID = 5 ( for example, the fifth position in a matching extension list).

[057] In such exemplary embodiments, the network's interpretation of the attribute set announcement in FeatureSetCombination IE depends on whether the network supports a list of extensions associated with a particular original attribute set. For example, if a UE indicates in FeatureSetCombination that it supports FeatureSetDownlink with ID = 5, the network node interprets that the UE also supports extensions in FeatureSetDownlink-r16 associated with ID = 5, as long as the network node supports the release associated with these extensions. On the other hand, if the network node is a legacy node that does not support the release associated with these extensions, the network node interprets from the FeatureSetCombination that the UE supports only the original attributes indicated by the particular FeatureSetDownlink. This can be made easier by adding an “extension marker” in the manner described above. In other words, the network node ignores FeatureSetDownlink-r16 which it does not understand.

[058] Similar approaches can be used with respect to CC attributes. For example, suppose the UE supports CC uplink extensions specified in Release 15.4.0. If the UE indicates in the featureSetListPerUplinkCC of a FeatureSetUplink that it supports the attributes in FeatureSetUplinkPerCC with ID = 7 (for example, the seventh position in the list indicated by featureSetsUplinkPerCC), this implies that it also supports the attributes in FeatureSetUplinkPerCC-v1540 associated with ID = 7 ( for example, the seventh position in a matching extension list).

[059] Unlike conventional approaches, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure require only a single ASN.1 “extension marker” per list (e.g., to add new lists) rather than one per each attribute set element comprising the lists. In this way, exemplary embodiments are advantageously backward compatible with legacy network nodes that do not support such extensions. As such, these legacy nodes may ignore attribute set extensions based on the “extension marker”. Additional advantages of the exemplary embodiments include no changes required to the high-level FeatureSetCombination and BandCombinationList IEs used for advertising, since these IEs still refer to the same attribute set IDs and attribute sets per CC.

[060] Figure 4 shows exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify an IE FeatureSets usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition to the elements specified by the conventional ASN.1 code shown in Figure 2, the IE FeatureSets shown in Figure 4 also include two additional elements. The first - featuresUplinkPerCC-v1540 - comprises a list of uplink attribute set extensions per CC. Each release in this list is associated with a corresponding release in the original list, featuresUplinkPerCC. In other words, each FeatureSetUplinkPerCC-v1540 extension is associated with a corresponding original FeatureSetUplinkPerCC.

[061] This is further illustrated in Figure 6, which shows exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify a FeatureSetUplinkPerCC IE usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, an IE FeatureSetUplinkPerCC includes parameters used to indicate support (or non-support) of various attributes that can be associated with an individual UL CC. Similarly, Figure 6 also shows an associated FeatureSetUplinkPerCC-v1540 IE that includes additional parameters used to indicate support (or non-support) of various extension attributes (labeled “new... Feature1” etc.).

[062] The second additional element in Figure 4 - featuresDownlink-v16 - comprises an extension list of attributes that can be associated with an individual downlink band. Each release in this list is associated with a corresponding release in the original list, featuresUplinkPerCC. In other words, each FeatureSetUplinkPerCC-v16 extension is associated with a corresponding original FeatureSetDownlink.

[063] This is further illustrated in Figure 5, which shows exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify a FeatureSetDownlink IE usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, an IE FeatureSetDownlink includes parameters used to indicate support (or non-support) of various DL attributes that can be associated with an individual band. Similarly, Figure 5 also shows an associated FeatureSetDownlink-v16 IE that includes additional parameters used to indicate support (or non-support) of various extension attributes (labeled “new... Featurel” etc.).

[064] Additionally, the FeatureSetDownlink IE shown in Figure 5 includes a featureSetListPerDownlinkCC that identifies attributes supported by CC (or per cell) specified in FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC. In particular, featureSetListPerDownlinkCC is a sequence of FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC- Id's, each of which points to a particular FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC and a corresponding FeatureSetUplinkPerCC-v1540 supported by each of the CCs or cells. For example, an ID value of seven points for the seventh set of attributes in both lists. This is substantially identical to the technique for indicating support for uplink attributes by CC discussed above.

[065] Figure 7 shows the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify a UE-MRDC-Capability IE usable for extensible UE capability signaling in NR networks, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, the UE-MRDC-Capability exemplar includes an IE featureSetCombinations, which is a sequence or list of FeatureSetCombination elements. As shown in Figure 3, each FeatureSetCombination element includes an array of FeatureSet elements, each of which includes the FeatureSetDownlinkId and FeatureSetUplinkId indicators. Figures 8A-B show the exemplary ASN.1 code used to specify FeatureSetDownlinkId and FeatureSetUplinkId IEs, respectively. As discussed above, FeatureSetDownlinkId points to initial and extend downlink attributes defined in FeatureSets (for example, in Figure 4), while FeatureSetUplinkId points to initial and extend uplink attributes defined in FeatureSets.

[066] The various exemplary embodiments illustrated by the ASN.1 code in Figures 4-8 can be used in conjunction with the conventional BandCombinationList and FeatureSetCombination IEs illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, respectively. As such, attribute extensions can be flagged in a way that is understandable by network nodes that support such extensions, but at the same time remains backward compatible with legacy network nodes that do not recognize such attribute extensions.

[067] Put another way, the meaning of a particular FeatureSetCombination identified in an IE FeatureSets changes when the UE announces elements (e.g., new attributes) from the extension list. Although the same ID is used to identify this particular FeatureSetCombination in a BandCombination element of BandCombinatList IE, the meaning of the BandCombination element also changes as a consequence. Even so, the structures of the original attribute lists do not need to change. Therefore, exemplary embodiments are understandable by a legacy network node that does not understand attribute extensions.

[068] Figure 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method and/or procedure for advertising user equipment capabilities to a network node in a radio access network (RAN), in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the this disclosure. The exemplary method and/or procedure may be implemented in a user equipment (UE, wireless device, etc. or component thereof) shown in, or described in relation to, other figures in the present invention. Furthermore, the exemplary method and/or procedure shown in Figure 9 can be used in cooperation with other exemplary methods and/or procedures described in the present invention (e.g., Figure 10) to provide various exemplary benefits described in the present invention. Although Figure 9 shows blocks in a particular order, that order is merely exemplary and the operations of the exemplary method and/or procedure may be performed in an order different from that shown and may be combined and/or divided into blocks having different functionality than those shown. shown. Optional operations are indicated by dashed lines.

[069] The exemplary method and/or procedure may include the operations of block 910, in which the UE may transmit, to the network node, information describing a plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. The information may include one or more InitialFeatureLists, with each InitialFeatureList comprising one or more non-extensible InitialFeatureSet elements and each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more initial attributes. The information may also include one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, with each ExtensionFeatureList being associated with a particular InitialFeatureList. Each ExtensionFeatureList may include one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, with each ExtensionFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more extension attributes. In some embodiments, one or more InitialFeatureLists may include a first InitialFeatureList associated with the downlink operation and a second InitialFeatureList associated with the uplink operation.

[070] In some embodiments, an ExtensionFeatureSet at a particular position in an ExtensionFeatureList may correspond to an InitialFeatureSet at the same particular position in an InitialFeatureList. In some embodiments, each InitialFeatureSet element and associated ExtensionFeatureSet element may identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to an entire frequency band. In such embodiments, each InitialFeatureSet element may also identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to individual component carriers within the particular frequency band.

[071] In some embodiments, the information describing the plurality of attributes may be IE FeatureSets comprising various elements, such as described above in relation to other figures. In such embodiments, the InitialFeatureLists elements of the InitialFeatureSet may include the featureSetsDownlink list of FeatureSetDownlink elements and the featureSetsUplink list of FeatureSetUplink elements, among others. Similarly, in such embodiments, the ExtensionFeatureLists of ExtensionFeatureSet elements may include the FeatureSetsDownlink-r16 list of FeatureSetDownlink-r16 elements and a corresponding FeatureSetsUplink-r16 list of FeatureSetUplink-r16 elements, among others.

[072] The exemplary method and/or procedure may also include the operations of block 920, in which the UE may transmit, to the network node, one or more BandCombination elements. Each BandCombination element may include a list of frequency bands in which the UE can concurrently transmit and/or receive information. Each BandCombination element may also include a FeatureSetCombination element that identifies attributes supported by the UE within each frequency band included in the list. The attributes supported by the UE within a particular frequency band may be based on a particular InitialFeatureSet element from each InitialFeatureList and a corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the ExtensionFeatureList associated with each InitialFeatureList.

[073] In some embodiments, the FeatureSetCombination element may include one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers for each particular frequency band included in the list of frequency bands. Additionally, each FeatureSetIdentifier can be related to a particular InitialFeatureList and an associated ExtensionFeatureList for that particular frequency band. Additionally, each FeatureSetIdentifier can identify the particular InitialFeatureSet element from the related InitialFeatureList and the corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the related ExtensionFeatureList. In some embodiments, one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers, for each particular frequency band, may include a first FeatureSetIdentifier associated with the downlink operation and a second FeatureSetIdentifier associated with the uplink operation.

[074] For example, the one or more BandCombination elements may be passed as an IE BandCombinationList, as described above in relation to Figure 1. In this case, the BandCombination element of this IE may include a FeatureSetCombinationID element, as described above in relation to Figure 1. Furthermore, this may point to a particular FeatureSetCombination in a list of FeatureSetCombinations, as described above in relation to Figure 7. The identified FeatureSetCombination may include multiple FeatureSet elements (e.g., as shown in Figure 3), each of which which may include FeatureSetDownlinkId and FeatureSetUplinkId elements, each of which identifies the initial and extension attribute sets (for example, within the lists shown in Figure 2).

[075] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include the operations of block 930, wherein the UE may receive, from the network node, a configuration that includes the identification of one or more frequency bands , with the identified frequency bands being part of a list included in a particular transmitted BandCombination element (e.g., transmitted in block 920). The configuration may also include, for each of the identified frequency bands, the configuration of one or more attributes identified by the particular transmitted BandCombination element. In some embodiments, the received configuration identifies a plurality of frequency bands for dual connectivity (DC) or carrier aggregation (CA) operation. In this way, the UE can receive a DC or CA configuration that is based on information provided to the network node in blocks 910-920.

[076] In some embodiments, the received configuration may only include attributes indicated by the InitialFeatureSet elements associated with the respective identified frequency bands. In other embodiments, the received configurations may include attributes indicated by both InitialFeatureSet elements and corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet elements associated with the respective identified frequency bands.

[077] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include the operations of block 940, wherein the UE may transmit or receive information with the network node in frequency bands identified in accordance with the received configuration (e.g. example, in block 930).

[078] Figure 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method and/or procedure for determining the capabilities of a user equipment (UE), in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the exemplary method and/or procedure may be implemented in a network node (e.g., base station, gNB, eNB, etc. or a component thereof) of a radio access network (RAN) such as shown or described in relation to other figures in the present invention. Furthermore, the exemplary method and/or procedure shown in Figure 10 can be used in cooperation with another exemplary method and/or procedures described in the present invention (e.g., Figure 9) to provide various exemplary benefits described in the present invention. Although Figure 10 shows blocks in a particular order, that order is merely exemplary and the operations of the exemplary method and/or procedure may be performed in a different order than that shown and may be combined and/or divided into blocks having different functionality than those shown. shown. Optional operations are represented by dashed lines.

[079] The exemplary method and/or procedure may include the operations of block 1010, wherein the network node may receive, from the UE, information describing a plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. The information may include one or more InitialFeatureLists, with each InitialFeatureList comprising one or more non-extensible InitialFeatureSet elements and each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more initial attributes. The information may also include one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, with each ExtensionFeatureList being associated with a particular InitialFeatureList. Each ExtensionFeatureList may include one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, with each ExtensionFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more extension attributes. In some embodiments, one or more InitialFeatureLists may include a first InitialFeatureList associated with the downlink operation and a second InitialFeatureList associated with the uplink operation.

[080] In some embodiments, an ExtensionFeatureSet at a particular position in an ExtensionFeatureList may correspond to an InitialFeatureSet at the same particular position in an InitialFeatureList. In some embodiments, each InitialFeatureSet element and associated ExtensionFeatureSet element may identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to an entire frequency band. In such embodiments, each InitialFeatureSet element may also identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to individual component carriers within the particular frequency band.

[081] In some embodiments, the information describing the plurality of attributes may be IE FeatureSets comprising various elements, such as described above in relation to other figures. In such embodiments, the InitialFeatureLists elements of the InitialFeatureSet may include the featureSetsDownlink list of FeatureSetDownlink elements and the featureSetsUplink list of FeatureSetUplink elements, among others. Similarly, in such embodiments, the ExtensionFeatureLists of ExtensionFeatureSet elements may include the featureSetsDownlink-r16 list of FeatureSetDownlink-r16 elements and a corresponding FeatureSetsUplink-r16 list of FeatureSetUplink-r16 elements, among others.

[082] The exemplary method and/or procedure may also include the operations of block 1020, where the network node may receive, from the UE, one or more BandCombination elements. Each BandCombination element can identify a list of frequency bands in which the UE can simultaneously transmit and/or receive information. Each BandCombination element may also include a FeatureSetCombination element that identifies attributes supported by the UE within each frequency band included in the list. The attributes supported by the UE within a particular frequency band may be based on a particular InitialFeatureSet element from each InitialFeatureList and a corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the ExtensionFeatureList associated with each InitialFeatureList.

[083] In some embodiments, the FeatureSetCombination element may include one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers for each particular frequency band included in the list of frequency bands. Additionally, each FeatureSetIdentifier can be related to a particular InitialFeatureList and an associated ExtensionFeatureList for that particular frequency band. Additionally, each FeatureSetIdentifier can identify the particular InitialFeatureSet element from the related InitialFeatureList and the corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the related ExtensionFeatureList. In some embodiments, one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers, for each particular frequency band, may include a first FeatureSetIdentifier associated with the downlink operation and a second FeatureSetIdentifier associated with the uplink operation.

[084] For example, the one or more BandCombination elements may be received as an IE BandCombinationList, as described above in relation to Figure 1. In that case, the BandCombination element of this IE may include a FeatureSetCombinationID element, as described above in relation to to Figure 1. Furthermore, this may point to a particular FeatureSetCombination in a list of FeatureSetCombinations, as described above in relation to Figure 7. The identified FeatureSetCombination may include multiple FeatureSet elements (e.g., as shown in Figure 3), each which may include FeatureSetDownlinkId and FeatureSetUplinkId elements, each of which identifies the initial and extension attribute sets (for example, within the lists shown in Figure 2).

[085] The exemplary method and/or procedure may also include the operations of block 1030, wherein the network node may determine UE capabilities based on one or more received BandCombination elements and the received information describing the plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. For example, the network node may determine the capabilities of the UE by analyzing an IE BandCombinationList and an IE FeatureSets received from the UE.

[086] In some embodiments, the operations of block 1030 may include the operations of sub-blocks 1032, wherein the network node may, for each particular BandCombination element received, determine whether the network node supports the respective ExtensionFeatureSet elements identified by the private BandCombination element. Such embodiments may also include the operations of subblock 1034, wherein for each particular ExtensionFeatureSet element that the network node does not support, the network node may determine the capabilities of the UE based on attributes described by the associated InitialFeatureSet element, but not in attributes described by the particular ExtensionFeatureSet element. For example, if the network node is a legacy node that does not support the release corresponding to the extensions associated with the ExtensionFeatureSet, it may “ignore” the ExtensionFeatureSet element when it encounters an “extension marker” when parsing the information received.

[087] Such embodiments may also include the operations of sub-block 1036, wherein for each particular ExtensionFeatureSet element that the network node supports, the network node may determine the capabilities of the UE based on attributes described by the associated InitialFeatureSet element and by the particular ExtensionFeatureSet element.

[088] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include the operations of block 1040, wherein the network node may transmit, to the UE, a configuration that includes identifying one or more frequency bands, with the identified frequency bands being part of a list included in a particular received BandCombination element (e.g., received in block 1020). The configuration may also include, for each of the identified frequency bands, the configuration of one or more attributes identified by the particular received BandCombination element. In some embodiments, the transmitted configuration identifies a plurality of frequency bands for dual connectivity (DC) or carrier aggregation (CA) operation. In this way, the network node can provide the UE with a DC or CA configuration that is based on information received from the UE in blocks 1010-1020.

[089] In some embodiments, the transmitted configuration may only include attributes indicated by the InitialFeatureSet elements associated with the respective identified frequency bands. In other embodiments, the transmitted configurations may include attributes indicated by both InitialFeatureSet elements and corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet elements associated with the respective identified frequency bands.

[090] In some embodiments, the exemplary method and/or procedure may also include the operations of block 1050, wherein the network node may transmit or receive information with the UE in the plurality of frequency bands in accordance with the transmitted configuration ( e.g., in block 1040).

[091] Although the subject matter described in the present invention can be implemented in any appropriate type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are described in relation to a wireless network, such as the exemplary wireless network illustrated in Figure 11. For simplicity, the wireless network in Figure 11 depicts only the network 1106, the network nodes 1160 and 1160b, and the WDs 1110, 1110b and 1110c. In practice, a wireless network may additionally include any additional elements suitable to support communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communicating device, such as a landline telephone, a service provider or any other network node. or end device. Among the illustrated components, the network node 1160 and the wireless device (WD) 1110 are depicted in additional detail. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access of the wireless devices and/or use of services provided by or via the wireless network.

[092] The wireless network can comprise and/or interface with any type of communication network, telecommunications, data, cellular and/or radio or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate in accordance with specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and/or other suitable 2G standards, 3G, 4G, or 5G; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as IEEE 802.11 standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communications standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards.

[093] Network 1106 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, geographically distributed networks (WANs), area networks local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.

[094] The network node 1160 and WD 1110 comprise several components described in more detail below. Such components work together to provide functionality to the network node and/or wireless device, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in communication. of data and/or signals via wired or wireless connections.

[095] 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, NBs, eNBs, and gNBs). Base stations can be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, put differently, their transmit power level) and can then also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed 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 such as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[096] Additional examples of network nodes include multistandard 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, multicell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E- SMLCs) and/or MDTs. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below.

[097] In Figure 11, the network node 1160 includes a set of processing circuits 1170, a device-readable medium 1180, interface 1190, an auxiliary equipment 1184, a power source 1186, a set of power circuits 1187 and an antenna 1162. Although the network node 1160 illustrated in the example wireless network of Figure 11 may represent a device that includes the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise network nodes with different combinations of components. It should be understood that a network node comprises any suitable combination of hardware and/or software necessary to perform the tasks, attributes, functions and methods and/or procedures disclosed in the present invention. Furthermore, while network node components 1160 are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., For example, device-readable medium 1180 may comprise multiple separate hard drives, as well as multiple RAM modules).

[098] Similarly, network node 1160 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a Node B component and an RNC component or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios where the network node 1160 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control multiple NodeBs. In this scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair can, in some cases, be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 1160 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable medium 1180 for the different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1162 may be shared across the RATs). Network node 1160 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1160, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated on the same chip or on a different chip or chip set and other components within the network node 1160.

[099] The processing circuitry 1170 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtain operations) described in the present invention as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by the processing circuitry set 1170 may include processing information obtained by the processing circuitry set 1170, for example, by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node. and/or perform one or more operations based on the information obtained or the information converted and as a result of said processing make a determination.

[100] The processing circuitry 1170 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 coded logic operable to provide, alone or in conjunction with other network node components 1160, such as a device-readable medium 1180, network node functionality 1160. For example, the processing circuitry 1170 may execute instructions stored on the device-readable medium 1180 or in memory within the processing circuitry 1170. Such functionality may include providing any of various wireless attributes, functions, or benefits discussed in the present invention. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1170 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

[101] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry set 1170 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry set 1172 and baseband processing circuitry set 1174. In some embodiments, the transceiver circuitry set 1174 radio frequency (RF) circuitry 1172 and baseband processing circuitry 1174 may be on separate chips (or chip sets), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 1172 and the baseband processing circuitry 1174 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[102] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described in the present invention as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB or other network device may be performed by the processing circuitry 1170 executing instructions stored on a readable medium by device 1180 or memory within the processing circuitry 1170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 1170 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable medium, such as an innate (hard-wired) way. In any of these embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry 1170 may be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by this functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry 1170 individually or other network node 1160 components, but are enjoyed by the network node 1160 as a whole and/or by end users and the wireless network in general.

[103] Device-readable medium 1180 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 (e.g., a hard drive), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a Compact Disc (CD), or a Digital Video Disc (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 can be used by the processing circuitry 1170. device-readable medium 1180 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including a computer program, software, an application that includes one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1170 and used by the network node 1160. The device-readable medium 1180 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry 1170 and/or any data received via interface 1190. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1170 and the device-readable medium 1180 may be considered integrated.

[104] Interface 1190 is used in wired or wireless signaling and/or data communication between network node 1160, network 1106 and/or WDs 1110. As illustrated, interface 1190 comprises port(s)/terminal (is) 1194 to send and receive data, for example, to and from network 1106 via a wired connection. The interface 1190 also includes a radio front-end circuitry 1192 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments, be a part of, the antenna 1162. The radio front-end circuitry 1192 comprises filters 1198 and amplifiers 1196. A radio front-end circuitry 1192 may be connected to an antenna 1162 and a processing circuitry 1170. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 1162 and the processing circuitry set 1170. The radio front-end circuitry set 1192 can receive digital data that is to be sent to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1192 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1198 and/or amplifiers 1196. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 1162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1162 may collect radio signals that are then converted to digital data by radio front-end circuitry 1192. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 1170 In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

[105] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1160 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 1192; instead, the processing circuitry 1170 may comprise a radio front-end circuitry and can be connected to the antenna 1162 without a separate radio front-end circuitry 1192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of the RF transceiver circuitry 1172 may be considered an interface part 1190. In still other embodiments, the interface 1190 may include one or more ports or terminals 1194, a front-end circuitry set. radio end 1192 and an RF transceiver circuitry 1172, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the interface 1190 may communicate with the baseband processing circuitry 1174, which is part of a unit digital (not shown).

[106] The antenna 1162 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1162 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1190 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In some embodiments, the antenna 1162 may comprise one or more omnidirectional, sector, or panel antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omnidirectional antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals. radio in any direction, a sector antenna can be used to transmit/receive radio signals from devices within a specific area and a panel antenna can be a line-of-sight antenna used to transmit/receive radio signals in a specific area. relatively straight line. In some cases, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1162 may be separate from the network node 1160 and may be connectable to the network node 1160 through an interface or port.

[107] The antenna 1162, the interface 1190 and/or the processing circuitry 1170 may be configured to perform any receive operations and/or certain obtain operations described in the present invention as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1162, the interface 1190 and/or the processing circuitry 1170 may be configured to perform any transmission operations described in the present invention as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment.

[108] The power circuitry 1187 may comprise or be coupled to a power management circuitry and may be configured to provide power to components of the network node 1160 to perform the functionality described in the present invention. The power circuitry 1187 may receive power from the power source 1186. The power source 1186 and/or power circuitry 1187 may be configured to provide power to the various components of the network node 1160 in a suitable manner. for the respective components (e.g. at a voltage and current level required for each respective component). The power source 1186 may be included in or external to a power circuitry 1187 and/or network node 1160. For example, the network node 1160 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., a electrical outlet) through a set of input or interface circuits such as an electrical cord, whereby the external power source provides power to a set of power circuits 1187. As a further example, the power source 1186 may understand a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack that is connected or integrated into the power circuitry 1187. The battery can provide backup power in the event the external power source fails. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, can also be used.

[109] Alternative embodiments of the network node 1160 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 11 that may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functionalities described in the present invention and/or any functionality necessary to support the matter described in the present invention. For example, the network node 1160 may include user interface equipment for enabling and/or facilitating the input of information to the network node 1160 and for enabling and/or facilitating the output of information from the network node 1160. This may allow and/or facilitate a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1160.

[110] In some embodiments, a wireless device (WD, e.g., WD 1110) may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network at a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the network. Examples of a WD include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cell phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop-type computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras , game device or consoles, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable devices, wireless end-ends, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), smart devices , wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), mobile type communication devices (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc.

[111] A WD can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing a 3GPP standard for side-link, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication and in this case it can be referred to as a D2D communication device. As another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD 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 WD and/or a network node. The WD may in this case be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device which, in a 3GPP context, may be referred to as an MTC device. As a particular example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP narrow bandwidth internet of things (NB-IoT) standard. Particular examples of such machines or devices are sensors, measuring devices such as power meters, industrial machinery or household or personal appliances (e.g. refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearables (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). ). In other scenarios, a WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. A WD as described above may represent the endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, a WD as described above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

[112] As illustrated, the wireless device 1110 includes the antenna 1111, interface 1114, processing circuitry 1120, device-readable medium 1130, user interface equipment 1132, auxiliary equipment 1134, power source 1136, and power circuits 1137. The WD 1110 may include multiple assemblies of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by the WD 1110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX or Bluetooth, just to mention a few. These wireless technologies can be integrated into the same or different chips or chip sets as other components within the WD 1110.

[113] The antenna 1111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and/or receive wireless signals and is connected to the interface 1114. In certain alternative embodiments, the antenna 1111 may be separated from the WD 1110 and be connectable to the WD 1110 via an interface or port. The antenna 1111, the interface 1114, and/or the processing circuitry 1120 may be configured to perform any receive or transmit operations described in the present invention as being performed by a WD. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a network node and/or another WD. In some embodiments, the radio and/or antenna front-end circuitry 1111 may be considered an interface.

[114] As illustrated, interface 1114 comprises radio front-end circuitry 1112 and antenna 1111. Radio front-end circuitry 1112 comprises one or more filters 1118 and amplifiers 1116. The front-end circuitry The radio front-end circuitry 1114 is connected to the antenna 1111 and the processing circuitry 1120 and may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 1111 and the processing circuitry 1120. The radio front-end circuitry 1112 may be coupled to or a portion of the antenna 1111. In some embodiments, the WD 1110 may not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 1112; instead, the processing circuitry 1120 may comprise a radio front-end circuitry and may be connected to the antenna 1111. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or part of the RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may be considered an interface part 1114. The radio front-end circuitry 1112 can receive digital data that is to be sent to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1112 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1118 and/or amplifiers 1116. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 1111. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 1111 may collect radio signals that are then converted to digital data by radio front-end circuitry 1112. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 1120 In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

[115] The processing circuitry 1120 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 coded logic operable to provide, alone or in conjunction with other components of WD 1110, such as a device-readable medium 1130, functionality of WD 1110. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless attributes or benefits described in the present invention. For example, the processing circuitry 1120 may execute instructions stored on the device-readable medium 1130 or in memory within the processing circuitry 1120 to provide the functionality disclosed in the present invention.

[116] As illustrated, the processing circuit set 1120 includes one or more of a set of RF transceiver circuits 1122, a set of baseband processing circuits 1124, and a set of application processing circuits 1126. In In other embodiments, the processing circuitry may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments, the processing circuitry 1120 of WD 1110 may comprise a SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1122, the baseband processing circuitry 1124, and the application processing circuitry 1126 may be on separate chips or chip sets. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the baseband processing circuitry 1124 and application processing circuitry 1126 may be combined into one chip or chipset and the RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may be in one chip or separate chip set. In still alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 1122 and the baseband processing circuitry 1124 may be on the same chip or chipset and the application processing circuitry 1126 may be on a chip or separate chip set. In still other alternative embodiments, part of or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 1122, baseband processing circuitry set 1124, and application processing circuitry set 1126 may be combined on the same chip or chip set. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may be an interface part 1114. The RF transceiver circuitry 1122 may condition RF signals to the processing circuitry 1120.

[117] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described in the present invention as being performed by a WD may be provided by the processing circuitry 1120 executing instructions stored in the device-readable medium 1130, which in certain embodiments may be a medium of computer-readable storage. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 1120 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of these particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium or not, a set of processing circuits 1120 may be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to just one set of processing circuits 1120 or other components of WD 1110, but are enjoyed by WD 1110 as a whole and/or by end users and the wireless network in general.

[118] The processing circuitry 1120 may be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described in the present invention as being performed by a WD. These operations, as performed by the processing circuitry set 1120, may include processing information obtained by the processing circuitry set 1120, for example, by converting the information obtained into other information, comparing the information obtained or information converted to the information stored by the WD 1110 and/or perform one or more operations based on the information obtained or converted information and as a result of said processing make a determination.

[119] The device-readable medium 1130 may be operable to store a computer program, software, an application that includes one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 1120. Device-readable medium 1130 may include computer memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read-Only Memory (ROM)), media mass storage media (e.g., a hard drive), removable storage media (e.g., a Compact Disc (CD) or a Digital Video Disc (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile memory devices, device-readable and/or computer-executable non-transitory information that stores information, data, and/or instructions that can be used by the processing circuitry 1120. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1120 and the device-readable medium 1130 can be considered integrated.

[120] The user interface equipment 1132 may include components that enable and/or facilitate interaction by a human user with the WD 1110. Such interaction may take many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface equipment 1132 may be operable to produce an output for the user and allow and/or facilitate the user to provide input to the WD 1110. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface equipment 1132 installed on the WD 1110. For example, if the WD 1110 is a smartphone, interaction can be through a touch screen; If the WD 1110 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a display that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). . User interface equipment 1132 may include input interfaces, devices, and circuitry, and output interfaces, devices, and circuitry. The user interface equipment 1132 may be configured to permit and/or facilitate the input of information into the WD 1110 and is connected to the processing circuitry 1120 to permit and/or facilitate the processing circuitry 1120 to process the input information. User interface equipment 1132 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other set of input circuitry. The user interface equipment 1132 is also configured to allow and/or facilitate the output of information from the WD 1110 and to allow and/or facilitate the processing circuitry 1120 to output information from the WD 1110. User interface equipment 1132 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a set of vibrating circuits, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other set of output circuits. By using one or more input interfaces, devices and circuits and output interfaces, devices and circuits of user interface equipment 1132, the WD 1110 may communicate with end users and/or the wireless network and enable and/or facilitate that they benefit from the functionality described in the present invention.

[121] Auxiliary equipment 1134 is operable to provide more specific functionalities, which, in general, cannot be performed by WDs. This may comprise specialized sensors to take measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communications, etc. The inclusion and type of auxiliary equipment components 1134 may vary depending on the embodiment and/or scenario.

[122] The power source 1136, in some embodiments, may be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g. an electrical outlet), photovoltaic devices or power cells, can also be used. The WD 1110 may further comprise power circuitry 1137 for delivering power from the power source 1136 to the various parts of the WD 1110 that require power from the power source 1136 to perform any described or indicated functionality. in the present invention. The power circuitry 1137, in certain embodiments, may comprise a power management circuitry. The power circuitry 1137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in this case, the WD 1110 may be connectable to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via an input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cord. The power circuitry 1137 may also, in certain embodiments, be operable to deliver power from an external power source to the power source 1136. This may be, for example, for charging the power source 1136. The power circuitry 1137 may perform any conversion or other modification to the power of the power source 1136 to make it suitable for supply to the respective components of the WD 1110.

[123] Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment of a UE in accordance with various aspects described in the present invention. As used in the present invention, a user equipment or 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 or operation by a human user, but that cannot, or that may not, initially be associated with a specific human user (for example, a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale or operation by an end user, but that may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter). The UE 1200 may be any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including an NB-IoT UE, a machine-type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC UE (eMTC). The UE 1200, as illustrated in Figure 12, is an example of a WD configured to communicate in accordance with one or more communication standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as GSM, UMTS, LTE standards. , and/or 5G from 3GPP. As mentioned previously, the terms WD and EU can be used interchangeably. Consequently, although Figure 12 is a UE, the components discussed in the present invention are equally applicable to a WD and vice versa.

[124] In Figure 12, the UE 1200 includes a set of processing circuitry 1201 that is operatively coupled to the input/output interface 1205, radio frequency (RF) interface 1209, network connection interface 1211, memory 1215 including random access memory (RAM) 1217, read-only memory (ROM) 1219 and storage medium 1221 or similar, communication subsystem 1231, power supply 1233 and/or any other component or any combination thereof. The storage medium 1221 includes operating system 1223, application program 1225, and data 1227. In other embodiments, the storage medium 1221 may include other similar types of information. Certain UEs may utilize all of the components shown in Figure 12 or only a subset of the components. The level of integration between components may vary from one UE to another UE. Additionally, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[125] In Figure 12, processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to process computer instructions and data. A set of processing circuits 1201 may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute machine instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC etc.); programmable logic together with the appropriate firmware; one or more general-purpose stored program processors such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, processing circuitry 1201 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data can be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[126] In the depicted embodiment, the input/output interface 1205 may be configured to provide a communication interface for an input device, output device, or input and output device. The UE 1200 can be configured to use an output device via the input/output interface 1205. An output device can use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from the UE 1200. The output device may be 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. The UE 1200 may be configured to use an input device via the input/output interface 1205 to enable and/or facilitate a user to capture information on the UE 1200. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or touch-sensitive display. presence, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a control ball, 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 detect input from a user. A sensor may be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor or any combination thereof. For example, the input device can be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.

[127] In Figure 12, the RF interface 1209 can be configured to provide a communication interface for RF components such as a transmitter, a receiver and an antenna. The network connection interface 1211 may be configured to provide a communication interface for the network 1243a. Network 1243a may encompass wired and/or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a geographically distributed network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another network similar or any combination thereof. For example, network 1243a may comprise a Wi-Fi network. Network connection interface 1211 may be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface used to communicate with one or more other devices in a communication network in accordance with with one or more communication protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP/IP, SONET, ATM or similar. The network connection interface 1211 may implement appropriate receiver and transmitter functionality for communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, and the like). The transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively may be implemented separately.

[128] The RAM 1217 may be configured to interface via bus 1202 to the processing circuitry 1201 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs, such as the operating system, application programs and device drivers. ROM 1219 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to a set of processing circuits 1201. For example, ROM 1219 may be configured to store low-level system invariant data or code for basic system functions, such as basic input and output (I/O), initialization, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard that are stored in non-volatile memory. The storage medium 1221 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks , optical discs, floppy disks, hard drives, removable cartridges or flash drives. In one example, the storage medium 1221 may be configured to include the operating system 1223, the application program 1225 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine or other application, and data file 1227. The medium storage space 1221 may store, for use by UE 1200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[129] The storage medium 1221 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), floppy disk drive, flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive , flash 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 optical disc drive (HDDS ), external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory, such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity module ( YES/BAD), other memory or any combination thereof. The storage medium 1221 may allow and/or facilitate the UE 1200 to access computer-executable instructions, application programs, or the like, stored on transient or non-transient memory media, to download data or upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly incorporated into the storage medium 1221, which may comprise a device-readable medium.

[130] In Figure 12, the processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to communicate with the network 1243b using the communication subsystem 1231. The network 1243a and the network 1243b may be the same network or networks, or a network or different networks. The communication subsystem 1231 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with the network 1243b. For example, communication subsystem 1231 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication, such as another WD, UE, or base station of an access network. via radio (RAN) according to one or more communication protocols, such as IEEE 802.12, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax or similar. Each transceiver may include transmitter 1233 and/or receiver 1235 to implement transmitter or receiver functionality, respectively, appropriate for RAN links (e.g., frequency allocations and the like). Additionally, the transmitter 1233 and receiver 1235 of each transceiver may share circuitry, software, or firmware components or, alternatively, may be implemented separately.

[131] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 1231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, field proximity communication, location-based communication such as such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, other similar communications function, or any combination thereof. For example, communication subsystem 1231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. Network 1243b may encompass wired and/or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a geographically distributed network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another network similar or any combination thereof. For example, network 1243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and/or a field proximity network. The power source 1213 can be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 1200.

[132] The attributes, benefits and/or functions described in the present invention can be implemented in one of the UE 1200 components or partitioned across multiple components of the UE 1200. Additionally, the attributes, benefits and/or functions described in the present invention can be implemented on any combination of hardware, software or firmware. In one example, communications subsystem 1231 may be configured to include any of the components described in the present invention. Additionally, processing circuitry 1201 can be configured to communicate with any of these components via bus 1202. In another example, any of these components can be represented by program instructions stored in memory that, when executed by the processing circuitry, processing circuits 1201, perform the corresponding functions described in the present invention. In another example, the functionality of any of these components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry 1201 and the communications subsystem 1231. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any of these components may be implemented in software or firmware. and computationally intensive functions can be implemented in hardware.

[133] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualization means creating virtual versions of appliances or devices, which may include virtualization hardware platforms, storage devices, and network resources. As used in the present invention, virtualization can be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node, virtualized core network node) or to a device (e.g., a UE, a virtualized wireless or any other type of communications device) or components thereof and refers to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions , virtual machines or containers running on one or more physical processing nodes on one or more networks).

[134] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described in the present invention can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 1300 hosted by one or more hardware nodes 1330. Additionally, in In embodiments in which the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), the network node may be entirely virtualized.

[135] The functions may be implemented by one or more applications 1320 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operative to implement some of the attributes, functions and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention. Applications 1320 are executed in virtualization environment 1300 which provides hardware 1330 comprising processing circuitry 1360 and memory 1390. Memory 1390 contains instructions 1395 executable by processing circuitry 1360, in which application 1320 is operational to provide one or more of the attributes, benefits and/or functions disclosed in the present invention.

[136] The virtualization environment 1300 comprises general-purpose or special-purpose networking hardware devices 1330 comprising a set of one or more processors or set of processing circuits 1360, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors. ), dedicated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors. Each hardware device may comprise a memory 13901, which may be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 1395 or software executed by processing circuitry 1360. Each hardware device may comprise one or more network interface controllers (NICs). ) 1370, also known as network interface cards, which include the physical network interface 1380. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage medium 1390-2, having stored software thereon 1395 and/or instructions executable by processing circuitry 1360. Software 1395 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 1350 (also referred to as hypervisors), software for running virtual machines 1340, and so on. as software that allows performing functions, attributes and/or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described in the present invention.

[137] Virtual machines 1340 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface, and virtual storage and may be executed by a corresponding virtualization layer 1350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of the virtual appliance instance 1320 can be deployed on one or more virtual machines 1340 and the deployments can be done in different ways.

[138] During operation, the processing circuitry 1360 runs software 1395 to instantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 1350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 1350 may present a virtual operating platform that appears as network hardware for the virtual machine 1340.

[139] As shown in Figure 13, hardware 1330 may be an independent network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1330 may comprise antenna 13225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1330 may be part of a larger group of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or customer premises equipment (CPE)) in which many hardware nodes operate together and are managed via management and orchestration (MANO) 13100, which, among others, oversees the lifecycle management of applications 1320.

[140] Hardware virtualization is referred to, in some contexts, as network functions virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many types of networking equipment into high-volume, industry-standard server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and equipment within customer premises.

[141] In the context of NFV, virtual machine 1340 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that executes programs as if they were running on a non-virtualized physical machine. Each of the virtual machines 1340 and that portion of the hardware 1330 that runs that virtual machine, whether hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and/or hardware shared by that virtual machine with other virtual machines 1340, form separate virtual network elements (VNE).

[142] Still in the context of NFV, the Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions that run on one or more virtual machines 1340 on top of the hardware network infrastructure 1330 and corresponds to the application 1320 in the Figure 13.

[143] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 13200 that each include one or more transmitters 13220 and one or more receivers 13210 may be coupled to one or more antennas 13225. The radio units 13200 may communicate directly with the hardware nodes 1330 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.

[144] In some embodiments, some signaling may be affected using control system 13230 that may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes 1330 and radio units 13200.

[145] Referring to Figure 14, according to one embodiment, a communication system includes telecommunications network 1410, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, which comprises access network 1411, such as a radio access network and core network. 1414. The access network 1411 comprises a plurality of base stations 1412a, 1412b, 1412c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs, or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1413a, 1413b, 1413c. Each base station 1412a, 1412b, 1412c may be connected to the core network 1414 via a wired or wireless connection 1415. A first UE 1491 located in the coverage area 1413c may be configured to connect wirelessly or be radiolocated by the base station 1412c corresponding. A second UE 1492 in coverage area 1413a is wirelessly connectable to the corresponding base station 1412a. While a plurality of UEs 1491, 1492 are illustrated in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to a situation in which a single UE is in the coverage area or in which a single UE is connecting to the corresponding base station 1412.

[146] The telecommunications network 1410 itself is connected to the host computer 1430, which may be incorporated into the hardware and/or software of a stand-alone server, a cloud-deployed server, a distributed server, or as processing resources in a server tower . The host computer 1430 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider or may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 1421 and 1422 between the telecommunications network 1410 and the host computer 1430 may extend directly from the core network 1414 to the host computer 1430 or may pass through an optional intermediate network 1420. The intermediate network 1420 may be one of, or a combination of more than one from a public, private or hosted network; the intermediate network 1420, if it exists, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 1420 may comprise two or more subnets (not shown).

[147] The communication system of Figure 14 as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 1491, 1492 and the host computer 1430. The connectivity can be described as an Over-the-Top (OTT) connection 1450. The host computer 1430 and the connected UEs 1491, 1492 are configured to communicate data and/or signaling via OTT connection 1450, using the access network 1411, core network 1414, any intermediate network 1420 and possible additional infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 1450 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 1450 passes are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, base station 1412 cannot or does not need to be informed of the past routing of a received downlink communication with data from host computer 1430 to be forwarded (e.g., by handover) to a connected UE 1491. Similarly, the base station 1412 does not need to have knowledge of future routing of an outbound uplink communication originating from the UE 1491 toward the host computer 1430.

[148] Examples of implementations, in accordance with one embodiment, of the UE, base station and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 15. In communication system 1500, host computer 1510 comprises hardware 1515, including the communication interface 1516 configured to prepare and maintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a communication device other than the communication system 1500. The host computer 1510 further comprises a set of processing circuitry 1518, which may have capabilities storage and/or processing. In particular, the processing circuitry 1518 may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Host computer 1510 further comprises software 1511, which is stored on or accessible by host computer 1510 and executable by processing circuitry 1518. Software 1511 includes a host application 1512. Host application 1512 may be operable to providing a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1530 connecting via an OTT connection 1550 terminating at the UE 1530 and the host computer 1510. When providing the service to the remote user, the host application 1512 may provide user data that is transmitted using the OTT 1550 connection.

[149] The communication system 1500 may also include the base station 1520 provided in a telecommunications system and comprising hardware 1525 enabling it to communicate with the host computer 1510 and the UE 1530. The hardware 1525 may include the interface communication interface 1526 for preparing and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a communication device other than the communication system 1500, as well as the radio interface 1527 for preparing and maintaining at least the wireless connection 1570 with the UE 1530 located in a coverage area (not shown in Figure 15) served by base station 1520. Communication interface 1526 may be configured to facilitate connection 1560 with host computer 1510. Connection 1560 may be direct or may pass through a core network (not shown in Figure 15) of the telecommunications system and/or through one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunications system. In the embodiments shown, the hardware 1525 of the base station 1520 may also include a processing circuitry 1528, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Base station 1520 additionally has software 1521 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[150] Communication system 1500 may also include the aforementioned UE 1530. Its hardware 1535 may include a radio interface 1537 configured to prepare and maintain wireless connection 1570 with a base station serving a coverage area in which the UE 1530 is currently located. The hardware 1535 of the UE 1530 may also include a processing circuitry 1538, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field-programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to perform instructions. The UE 1530 further comprises software 1531, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1530 and executable by the processing circuitry 1538. The software 1531 includes the client application 1532. The client application 1532 may be operable to provide a service to a user. human or non-human via UE 1530, supported by the host computer 1510. On the host computer 1510, a running host application 1512 can communicate with the running client application 1532 via OTT connection 1550 terminating on the UE 1530 and the host computer 1510 When providing the service to the user, the client application 1532 may receive request data from the host application 1512 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1550 can transfer both request data and user data. The client application 1532 may interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[151] It is noted that the host computer 1510, base station 1520 and UE 1530 illustrated in Figure 15 may be similar or identical to the host computer 1430, one of the base stations 1412a, 1412b, 1412c and one of the UEs 1491, 1492 of the Figure 14, respectively. In other words, the inner workings of these entities may be as shown in Figure 15, and independently, the surrounding network topology may be as shown in Figure 14.

[152] In Figure 15, the OTT connection 1550 was drawn abstractly to illustrate communication between the host computer 1510 and the UE 1530 via base station 1520, without explicit reference to any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices. The network infrastructure may determine routing, which may be configured to hide from the service provider's operating UE 1530 or host computer 1510 or both. While the OTT connection 1550 is active, the network infrastructure may additionally make decisions by which it dynamically changes routing (e.g., based on consideration of load balancing or network reconfiguration).

[153] The wireless connection 1570 between the UE 1530 and the base station 1520 conforms to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of several embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1530 using the OTT connection 1550, in which the wireless connection 1570 forms the last segment. More precisely, the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present invention can improve the flexibility for the network to monitor the end-to-end quality of service (QoS) of data streams, including their corresponding radio carriers, associated with data sessions between a user (UE) and another entity, such as an OTT data service or application external to the 5G network. These and other advantages can facilitate more timely design, implementation and deployment of 5G/NR solutions. Furthermore, such modalities can facilitate flexible and timely control of data session QoS, which can lead to improvements in capacity, throughput, latency, etc. foreseen by 5G/NR and important for the growth of OTT services.

[154] A measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring the data rate, latency, and other aspects improved by one or more modalities. There may additionally be optional network functionality to reconfigure the OTT connection 1550 between the host computer 1510 and the UE 1530 in response to variations in measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1550 may be implemented in software 1511 and hardware 1515 of the host computer 1510 or in the software 1531 and hardware 1535 of the UE 1530 or both. In embodiments, the sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which the OTT connection 1550 passes; The sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by providing values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or by providing values of other physical quantities from which the software 1511, 1531 may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1550 may include a message format, retransmission adjustments, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguration need not affect the base station 1520 and may be hidden or imperceptible to the base station 1520. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling, facilitating measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency, and the like from host computer 1510. The measurements may be implemented such that software 1511 and 1531 causes messages to be transmitted, particularly “dummy” or empty messages, using an OTT 1550 connection while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[155] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method and/or procedure implemented in a communication system in accordance with an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which, in some exemplary embodiments, may be like those described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 16 will be included in this section. In step 1610, the host computer provides the user data. In substep 1611 (which may be optional) of step 1610, the host computer provides user data when executing a host application. In step 1620, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. In step 1630 (which may be optional), the base station transmits to the UE the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host computer initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1640 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[156] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method and/or procedure implemented in a communication system in accordance with an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE that may be like those described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. To simplify the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 17 will be included in this section. In step 1710 of the method, the host computer provides the user data. In an optional substep (not shown) the host computer provides user data when running a host application. In step 1720, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. Transmission may pass via the base station, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1730 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data ported in the transmission.

[157] Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method and/or procedure implemented in a communication system in accordance with an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE that may be like those described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. To simplify the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 18 will be included in this section. In step 1810 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1820, the UE provides user data. In substep 1821 (which may be optional) of step 1820, the UE provides user data when executing a client application. In substep 1811 (which may be optional) of step 1810, the UE executes a client application that provides user data in reaction to input data received and provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may additionally consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE begins, in substep 1830 (which may be optional), the transmission of the user data to the host computer. In method step 1840, the host computer receives user data transmitted from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[158] Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method and/or procedure implemented in a communication system in accordance with an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE that may be like those described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. To simplify the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 19 will be included in this section. In step 1910 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In step 1920 (which may be optional), the base station begins transmitting the received user data to the host computer. In step 1930 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[159] The precedent merely illustrates the principles of disclosure. Various modifications and changes in the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings contained in the present invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems, arrangements and procedures which, although not explicitly shown or described in the present invention, embody the principles of the disclosure and may thus be within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various exemplary embodiments may be used in conjunction with each other, as well as interchangeably with each other, as should be understood by those skilled in the art.

[160] The term “unit”, as used in the present invention, may have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, a set of electrical and/or electronic circuits, devices, modules , processors, memories, solid state and/or discrete logic devices, computer programs or instructions for performing respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs and/or display functions and so on, such as those described in the present invention.

[161] Any appropriate steps, methods, attributes, functions or benefits disclosed in the present invention can be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual appliances. Each virtual appliance can comprise several of these functional units. Such functional units may be implemented through a set of processing circuits, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), special purpose digital logic, and similar. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory , flash memory devices, optical storage devices etc. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communication protocols, as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described in the present invention. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[162] As described in the present invention, the device and/or apparatus can be represented by a semiconductor chip, a chipset, or a (hardware) module comprising such a chip or chipset; This, however, does not preclude the possibility that a functionality of a device or apparatus, rather than being a hardware implemented, is implemented as a software module, such as a computer program or a computer program product comprising portions of executable software code for execution or to be executed on a processor. Furthermore, the functionality of a device or appliance can be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or apparatus can also be considered as a set of multiple devices and/or apparatus, either functionally cooperative or independent of each other. Furthermore, devices and appliances can be implemented in a distributed manner throughout the system, as long as the functionality of the device or appliance is preserved. These and similar principles are considered known by one skilled in the art.

[163] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the present invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It should further be understood that terms used in the present invention should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless expressly defined as such in the present invention.

[164] Furthermore, certain terms used in the present disclosure, including the specification, drawings and exemplary embodiments thereof, may be used synonymously in certain cases, including, but not limited to, for example, data and information. It should be understood that although these words and/or other words that may be synonymous with each other may be used as synonyms in the present invention, there may be cases in which such words may be intended not to be used as synonyms. Additionally, to the extent that prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference above into the present invention, it is explicitly incorporated into the present invention in its entirety. All referenced publications are incorporated by reference into the present invention in their entirety.

[165] Exemplary embodiments of the techniques and apparatus described in the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated examples: 1. A method for a user equipment (UE) to advertise UE capabilities to a network node in an access network via radio (RAN), the method comprising: transmitting, to the network node, information describing a plurality of attribute sets supported by the UE, the information comprising: one or more InitialFeatureLists, each InitialFeatureList comprising one or more InitialFeatureSet elements non-extensible each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicating UE support for one or more initial attributes; one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, wherein: each ExtensionFeatureList is associated with a particular InitialFeatureList; and each ExtensionFeatureList comprises one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, each InitialFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more extension attributes; transmitting, to the network node, one or more BandCombination elements, wherein each BandCombination element comprises: a list of frequency bands in which the UE can operate simultaneously to transmit and/or receive information; and for each particular frequency band comprising the list, a further list of one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers, wherein each FeatureSetIdentifer corresponds to a particular InitialFeatureSet element and an associated ExtensionFeatureSet element that describes attributes supported by the UE when operating in the particular frequency band. 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to a single component carrier (CC). 3. The method of embodiment 1, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to an entire frequency band. 4. The method of any of embodiments 1-3, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes with respect to one of an uplink operation and a downlink operation. 5. The method of any of embodiments 1-4, wherein an ExtensionFeatureSet at a particular position in an ExtensionFeatureList corresponds to an InitialFeatureSet at the same particular position in an InitialFeatureList. 6. The method of any one of embodiments 1-5, wherein: each BandCombination element comprises an identifier of a particular FeatureSetCombination associated with the combination of the plurality of frequency bands comprising the list; and the particular FeatureSetCombination comprises one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers comprising the additional list. 7. A method for a network node, operable in a radio access network (RAN), to receive capabilities advertised by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from the UE, information that describe a plurality of attribute sets supported by the UE, the information comprising: one or more InitialFeatureLists, each InitialFeatureList comprising one or more non-extensible InitialFeatureSet elements, each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more initial attributes; one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, wherein: each ExtensionFeatureList is associated with a particular InitialFeatureList; and each ExtensionFeatureList comprises one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, each InitialFeatureSet element indicating the UE's support for one or more extension attributes; receiving, from the UE, one or more BandCombination elements, wherein each BandCombination element comprises: a list of frequency bands in which the UE can operate simultaneously to transmit and/or receive information; and for each particular frequency band comprising the list, a further list of one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers, wherein each FeatureSetIdentifer corresponds to a particular InitialFeatureSet element and an associated ExtensionFeatureSet element that describes attributes supported by the UE when operating in the particular frequency band. determining the UE capabilities based on one or more received BandCombination elements and the received information describing the plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. 8. The method of embodiment 7, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to a single component carrier (CC). 9. The method of embodiment 7, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to an entire frequency band. 10. The method of any of embodiments 7-9, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes with respect to one of an uplink operation and a downlink operation. 11. The method of any of embodiments 7-10, wherein an ExtensionFeatureSet at a particular position in an ExtensionFeatureList corresponds to an InitialFeatureSet at the same particular position in an InitialFeatureList. 12. The method of any one of embodiments 7-11, wherein: each BandCombination element comprises an identifier of a particular FeatureSetCombination associated with the combination of the plurality of frequency bands comprising the list; and the particular FeatureSetCombination comprises one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers comprising the additional list. 13. The method of any of embodiments 7-12, wherein if the network node does not support an ExtensionFeatureSet element corresponding to a particular FeatureSetIdentifier, determining the capabilities of the UE based on the InitialFeatureSet element corresponding to the particular FeatureSetIdentifier, but not the element Associated ExtensionFeatureSet. 14. A wireless device configurable for advertising the capabilities of the device to a network node in a radio access network (RAN), the wireless device comprising: a set of processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any modalities 1-6; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device. 15. A network node operable in a radio access network (RAN) and configurable to receive capabilities advertised by a user equipment (UE), the network node comprising: a set of processing circuits configured to perform any of the steps of any modalities 7-13; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the base station. 16. A user equipment (UE) configurable for advertising UE capabilities to a network node in a radio access network (RAN), the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; set of radio front-end circuits operatively coupled to the antenna; processing circuitry operatively coupled to the radio front-end circuitry and configured to perform any of the steps of any of embodiments 1-6; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input information to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to provide power to the UE. 17. A communication system including a host computer comprising: a set of processing circuits configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the cellular network comprises a base station having a radio interface and set of processing circuits, the set of base station processing circuitry configured to perform any of the operations comprising embodiments 7-13. 18. The communication system of the previous embodiment additionally including the base station. 19. The communication system of the previous two modalities, additionally including the UE, wherein the UE is configured to perform operations corresponding to any one of modalities 1-6. 20. The communication system of the previous three embodiments, wherein: the host computer's processing circuitry is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing user data; and the UE comprises a set of processing circuits configured to execute a client application associated with the host application. 21. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment (UE), the method comprising: on the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiate a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the base station, wherein the base station performs any of the operations comprising any of embodiments 7-13. 22. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the base station, transmitting user data. 23. The method of the previous two embodiments, wherein user data is provided on the host computer when executing a host application, the method further comprising, in the UE, executing a client application associated with the host application. 24. A User Equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a base station, the UE comprising a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform the method of the previous three embodiments. 25. A communication system including a host computer comprising: a set of processing circuits configured to provide user data; and a communications interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a User Equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a radio interface and a set of processing circuitry, operably coupled and configured to perform any one of the operations of any of modalities 1-6. 26. The communication system of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network additionally includes a base station configured to communicate with the UE. 27. The communication system of the previous two embodiments, in which: the set of processing circuits of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing user data; and the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application. 28. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment (UE) the method comprising: on the host computer, providing user data; and on the host computer, initiate a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the base station, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the embodiments 16. 29. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the UE, receiving user data from the base station. 30. A communication system including a host computer comprising: a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a User Equipment (UE) to a base station; wherein the UE comprises a radio interface and a processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the UE configured to perform any of the operations of any of embodiments 1-6. 31. The communication system of the previous modality including, additionally, the UE. 32. The communication system of the previous two embodiments, further including the base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface configured to communicate with the UE and a communication interface configured to forward, to the host computer, data from users carried by a transmission from the UE to the base station. 33. The communication system of the previous three embodiments, in which: the host computer's processing circuitry is configured to execute a host application; and the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data. 34. The communication system of the previous four embodiments, wherein: the host computer's processing circuitry is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the request data; and the processing circuitry of the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data in response to the requested data. 35. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment (UE) the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving user data transmitted to the base station from the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of modalities 1-6. 36. The method of the previous embodiment further comprising, in the UE, providing user data to the base station. 37. The method of the two previous embodiments further comprising: in the UE, executing a client application, thereby providing user data to be transmitted; and on the host computer, run a host application associated with the client application. 38. The method of the previous three modalities further comprising: in the UE, executing a client application; and in the UE, receiving input data for the client application, the input data being provided to the host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application, wherein the user data to be transmitted is provided by the client application in response to the data input. 39. A communication system including a host computer comprising a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a User Equipment (UE) to a base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the base station processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of embodiments 7-13. 40. The communication system of the previous embodiment additionally including the base station. 41. The communication system of the previous two embodiments, additionally including the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station. 42. The communication system of the previous three embodiments, in which: the host computer's processing circuitry is configured to execute a host application; and the UE is configured to run a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing user data to be received by the host computer. 43. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment (UE) the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving, from the base station, user data originating from a transmission that the station base received from the UE, where the UE performs any of the steps of any of the modalities 1-6. 44. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the base station, receiving user data from the UE. 45. The method of the previous two embodiments, further comprising at the base station, initiating a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. 46. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor comprising a user equipment (UE), configure the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments 1-6. 47. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor comprising a network node, configure the network node to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments 7-13.

Claims (21)

1. Method for a user equipment, UE, to advertise UE capabilities to a network node in a New Radio radio access network, NR RAN, the method comprising: transmitting (910), to the node network, information element describing a plurality of attribute sets supported by the UE, the information element comprising: one or more InitialFeatureLists, wherein: each InitialFeatureList includes one or more non-extensible InitialFeatureSet elements and each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicates the UE support for one or more attributes; one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, wherein: each ExtensionFeatureList is associated with a particular InitialFeatureList, each ExtensionFeatureList includes one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, and each ExtensionFeatureSet element indicates the UE's support for one or more attributes; transmitting (920), to the network node, one or more BandCombination information elements, wherein each BandCombination information element includes: a list of frequency bands in which the UE can concurrently transmit and/or receive information; and a FeatureSetCombination element that identifies attributes supported by the UE within each frequency band included in the list, wherein the attributes supported by the UE within a particular frequency band are based on: a particular InitialFeatureSet element from each InitialFeatureList, and a corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the ExtensionFeatureList associated with each InitialFeatureList. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it further comprises, receiving (930), from the network node, a configuration including: identifying one or more frequency bands, wherein the frequency bands identified are part of a list included in a particular transmitted BandCombination element; and for each of the identified frequency bands, setting one or more attributes identified by the particular transmitted BandCombination element. 3. Method, according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the received configuration identifies a plurality of frequency bands for dual connectivity operation, DC, or carrier aggregation, AC. 4. Method, according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the received configuration includes only attributes indicated by the InitialFeatureSet elements associated with the respective identified frequency bands. 5. Method, according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that the received configuration includes attributes indicated by both the InitialFeatureSet elements and the corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet elements associated with the respective identified frequency bands. 6. Method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized by the fact that it additionally comprises transmitting or receiving (940) information with the network node in the frequency bands identified according to the received configuration. 7. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by the fact that each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to the entire particular frequency band. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element also identifies attributes supported by the UE with respect to individual component carriers within the particular frequency band. 9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the one or more InitialFeatureLists include a first InitialFeatureList associated with the downlink operation and a second InitialFeatureList associated with the uplink operation. 10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein an ExtensionFeatureSet at a particular position in an ExtensionFeatureList corresponds to an InitialFeatureSet at the same particular position in an InitialFeatureList. 11. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by the fact that, for each particular frequency band included in the list of frequency bands: the FeatureSetCombination element includes one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers for that particular frequency band; and each FeatureSetIdentifier is related to a particular InitialFeatureList and an associated ExtensionFeatureList for that particular frequency band; and each FeatureSetIdentifier identifies the particular InitialFeatureSet element from the related InitialFeatureList and the corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the related ExtensionFeatureList. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more FeatureSetIdentifiers, for each particular frequency band, include a first FeatureSetIdentifier associated with the downlink operation and a second FeatureSetIdentifier associated with the uplink operation. 13. Method for a network node, of a New Radio radio access network, NR RAN, to determine capabilities of a user equipment, UE, the method characterized by the fact that it comprises: receiving (1010), from the UE , information element describing a plurality of attribute sets supported by the UE, the information element comprising: one or more InitialFeatureLists, wherein: each InitialFeatureList includes one or more non-extensible InitialFeatureSet elements and each non-extensible InitialFeatureSet element indicates support of the UE for one or more attributes; one or more ExtensionFeatureLists, wherein: each ExtensionFeatureList is associated with a particular InitialFeatureList, each ExtensionFeatureList includes one or more ExtensionFeatureSet elements, and each ExtensionFeatureSet element indicates the UE's support for one or more attributes; receiving (1020), from the UE, one or more BandCombination information elements, wherein each BandCombination information element includes: a list of frequency bands in which the UE can concurrently transmit and/or receive information; and a FeatureSetCombination element that identifies attributes supported by the UE within each frequency band included in the list, wherein the attributes supported by the UE within a particular frequency band are based on: a particular InitialFeatureSet element from each InitialFeatureList, and a corresponding ExtensionFeatureSet element from the ExtensionFeatureList associated with each InitialFeatureList; and determining (1030) the capabilities of the UE based on one or more received BandCombination information elements and the received information describing the plurality of sets of attributes supported by the UE. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining (1030) the capabilities of the UE comprises, for each particular BandCombination element: determining (1032) whether the network node supports the respective ExtensionFeatureSet elements identified by the element private BandCombination; for each particular ExtensionFeatureSet element that the network node does not support, determining (1034) the capabilities of the UE based on the attributes described by the associated InitialFeatureSet element, but not the attributes described by the particular ExtensionFeatureSet element; and for each particular ExtensionFeatureSet element that the network node supports, determining (1036) the capabilities of the UE based on attributes described by the associated InitialFeatureSet element and the particular ExtensionFeatureSet element. 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein each InitialFeatureSet element and the associated ExtensionFeatureSet element identify attributes supported by the UE with respect to the entire particular frequency band. 16. Method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the one or more InitialFeatureLists include a first InitialFeatureList associated with the downlink operation and a second InitialFeatureList associated with the uplink operation. 17. Method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized by the fact that an ExtensionFeatureSet in a particular position in an ExtensionFeatureList corresponds to an InitialFeatureSet in the same particular position in an InitialFeatureList. 18. User equipment, UE (1110, 1200, 1530) adapted to advertise UE capabilities to a network node in a New Radio radio access network, NR RAN, the UE characterized by the fact that it is additionally arranged to perform the steps of any of the methods as defined in any one of claims 1 to 12. 19. Non-transitory computer-readable medium (1150, 1221) characterized by the fact that it stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a set of processing circuits (1120, 1201, 1538) of a user equipment (1110, 1200, 1530), configure the user equipment to perform the steps of any of the methods as defined in any one of claims 1 to 12. 20. Network node (1160, 1527), of a New Radio radio access network, NR RAN, configured to determine the capabilities of a user equipment, UE, the network node characterized by the fact that it is willing to perform the steps of any of the methods as defined in any one of claims 13 to 17. 21. Non-transitory computer-readable medium (1150, 1221) characterized by the fact that it stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a set of processing circuits (1170, 1528) of a network node (1160, 1527), configure the network node for performing the steps of any of the methods as defined in any one of claims 13 to 17.