CN117796028A

CN117796028A - Apparatus, method and computer readable medium for bandwidth part switching

Info

Publication number: CN117796028A
Application number: CN202180101328.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·普拉萨德; V·保利; D·布哈图劳; D·纳夫拉蒂尔; 郑迺铮; U·B·埃尔马利
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2021-08-05
Filing date: 2021-08-05
Publication date: 2024-03-29
Also published as: EP4381786A1; WO2023010380A1

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media for bandwidth portion switching are disclosed. An example apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform: receiving a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; checking whether a notification that the first service is stopped has been received on the second bandwidth portion; and refraining from switching to the first bandwidth portion for the first service if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

Description

Apparatus, method and computer readable medium for bandwidth part switching

Technical Field

Various example embodiments relate to apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media for bandwidth part (BWP) handoff.

Background

A Multicast Broadcast Service (MBS) may support a Common Frequency Region (CFR) in which multicast and/or broadcast traffic including data on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and control messages on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) may be scheduled. CFR is located within the same User Equipment (UE) -specific BWP, e.g., the BWP containing CFR is basically dedicated to MBS-only traffic, and other BWPs are used to deliver unicast traffic. If the UE device initiates a bulk download due to other MBS broadcast services in the CFR and then switches to media consumption such as TV broadcasting, there is very limited or no free capacity in the BWP containing the CFR to accommodate the unicast traffic of the UE device. In case the dynamic BWP handover allows the UE device to switch to a BWP that does not include CFR for unicast service and then switches back to a BWP that includes CFR for MBS, if MBS service is stopped when the UE device receives unicast service on the BWP that does not include CFR, the UE device will still switch to the BWP that includes CFR and try to decode PDCCH for MBS service because the UE device does not know the fact that MBS service is stopped.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of example embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various example embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of the basic elements or to define the scope of the example embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.

In a first aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform: receiving a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; checking whether a notification that the first service is stopped has been received on the second bandwidth portion; and refraining from switching to a first bandwidth portion for the first service if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the notification that the first service is stopped may be transmitted using downlink control information. The downlink control information may have a specific format defined for a notification that the first service is stopped. Alternatively, a notification that the first service is stopped may be signaled via a dedicated radio network temporary identifier. Alternatively, a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message may be used to send a notification that the first service is stopped. An indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving a first service may be sent, and a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent based on receipt of the indication of interest.

In some example embodiments, the first bandwidth portion may be configured as a default bandwidth portion, and the second bandwidth portion may be reconfigured as the default bandwidth portion if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: and if no notification that the first service is stopped is provided, switching to the first bandwidth part when entering a discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth part.

In some example embodiments, entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on expiration of an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth. The inactivity timer and the related time period in which data is not scheduled may be configured based on the indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service on the first bandwidth portion, allowing autonomous switching to the first bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on ceasing to operate an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth to initiate a discontinuous reception command for the discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: when a discontinuous reception mode is entered on the first bandwidth portion, switching to the second bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the second bandwidth portion may be configured as a default bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the first bandwidth portion may include a common frequency region in which the first service is scheduled, and the common frequency region may not be in the second bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the first service may be a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service may be a multicast and/or unicast service. It is contemplated that the multicast and unicast services may be scheduled on the same portion of bandwidth, while the broadcast and/or multicast services may be scheduled on the initial portion of bandwidth. The broadcast service and/or multicast may be received in idle and/or inactive modes that may or may not overlap with the portion of bandwidth for the unicast service.

In some example embodiments, the first bandwidth portion may be a first carrier and the second bandwidth portion may be a second carrier, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier may operate in different frequency ranges.

In a second aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may include computer program code, and the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform: transmitting the second service over a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; checking whether a first service is stopped or to be scheduled on a first bandwidth portion for the first service; and if the first service is stopped on the first bandwidth portion, transmitting a notification on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: configuring the first bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion; and if a notification is transmitted on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped, reconfiguring the second bandwidth portion to the default bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: a discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion and a discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion are configured for at least one user equipment device. The configuration may allow the at least one user equipment to switch from a first bandwidth portion to the second bandwidth portion when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion, and to switch from the second bandwidth portion to the first bandwidth portion when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform: a discontinuous reception command is transmitted to stop operating an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate a discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

In some example embodiments, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform configuring the second bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the first service may be a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service may be a multicast and/or unicast service. It is contemplated that multicast and unicast services may be scheduled on the same portion of bandwidth, while the broadcast and/or multicast services may be scheduled on the initial portion of bandwidth. The broadcast service and/or multicast may be received in idle and/or inactive modes that may or may not overlap with the portion of bandwidth for the unicast service.

In a third aspect, a method is disclosed. The method may comprise: receiving a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; checking whether a notification that the first service is stopped has been received on the second bandwidth portion; and refraining from switching to a first bandwidth portion for the first service if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the notification that the first service is stopped may be transmitted using downlink control information. The downlink control information may have a specific format defined for a notification that the first service is stopped. Alternatively, a notification that the first service is stopped may be signaled via a dedicated radio network temporary identifier. Alternatively, a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message may be used to send a notification that the first service is stopped. An indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service may be sent, and a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent based on receipt of the indication of interest.

In some example embodiments, the first bandwidth portion may be configured as a default bandwidth portion, and if a notification is received that the first service is stopped, a second bandwidth portion may be reconfigured as the default bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: if there is no notification that the first service is stopped, switching to the first bandwidth portion when a discontinuous reception mode is entered on the second bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on expiration of an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth. The inactivity timer and related time periods in which data is not scheduled may be configured based on the indication of interest indicating that the first service is received on the first bandwidth portion, allowing autonomous switching to the first bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: switching to the second bandwidth portion when entering discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion.

In a fourth aspect, a method is disclosed. The method may comprise: transmitting a second service over a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; checking whether a first service is stopped or to be scheduled on a first bandwidth portion for the first service; and if the first service is stopped on the first bandwidth portion, transmitting a notification on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the notification that the first service is stopped may be transmitted using downlink control information. The downlink control information may have a specific format defined for a notification that the first service is stopped. Alternatively, a notification that the first service is stopped may be signaled via a dedicated radio network temporary identifier. Alternatively, a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message may be used to send a notification that the first service is stopped. An indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service may be sent, and a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent based on the receipt of the indication of interest.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise: the first bandwidth portion is configured as a default bandwidth portion and the second bandwidth portion is reconfigured as the default bandwidth portion if a notification is transmitted on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the method may further include configuring at least one user equipment device with a discontinuous reception mode over the first bandwidth portion and a discontinuous reception mode over the second bandwidth portion. The configuration may allow the at least one user equipment to switch from a first bandwidth portion to a second bandwidth portion when entering discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion and to switch from the second bandwidth portion to the first bandwidth portion when entering discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the method may further include transmitting a discontinuous reception command to stop operating an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate the discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

In some example embodiments, the method may further comprise configuring the second bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the first service may be a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service may be a multicast and/or unicast service. It is contemplated that the multicast and unicast services may be scheduled on the same portion of bandwidth, while the broadcast and/or multicast services may be scheduled on an initial portion of bandwidth. The broadcast service and/or multicast may be received in idle and/or inactive modes that may or may not overlap with portions of bandwidth for the unicast service.

In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include means for receiving a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service, means for checking whether a notification that a first service was stopped has been received on the second portion of bandwidth, and means for refraining from switching to the first portion of bandwidth of the first service if the notification that the first service was stopped is received.

In some example embodiments, the notification that the first service is stopped may be transmitted using downlink control information. The downlink control information may have a specific format configured for notification that the first service is stopped. Alternatively, a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent via dedicated radio network temporary identifier signaling. Alternatively, a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message may be used to send a notification that the first service is stopped. An indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service may be sent, and a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent based on receipt of the indication of interest.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for: and if no notification that the first service is stopped is provided, switching to the first bandwidth part when entering a discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth part.

In some example embodiments, the entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on expiration of an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth. The inactivity timer and associated time period in which data is not scheduled may be configured based on an indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service on the first bandwidth portion, thereby allowing autonomous switching to the first bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on a discontinuous reception command for stopping operation at an inactivity timing configured for the second bandwidth portion, thereby initiating the discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for switching to the second bandwidth portion upon entering a discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the first service may be a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service may be a multicast and/or unicast service. It is contemplated that the multicast and unicast services may be scheduled on the same portion of bandwidth, while the broadcast and/or multicast services may be scheduled on the initial portion of bandwidth. The broadcast service and/or multicast may be received in idle and/or inactive modes that may or may not overlap with portions of bandwidth for the unicast service.

In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include means for transmitting a second service over a second bandwidth portion for the second service, means for checking whether a first service is stopped or is to be scheduled over a first bandwidth portion for the first service, and means for sending a notification over the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped if the first service is stopped over the first bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, a notification that the first service is stopped may be transmitted using downlink control information. The downlink control information may have a specific format defined for a notification that the first service is stopped. Alternatively, a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent via dedicated radio network temporary identifier signaling. Alternatively, a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message may be used to send a notification that the first service is stopped. An indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service may be sent, and a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent based on receipt of the indication of interest.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for configuring the first bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion; and means for reconfiguring the second bandwidth portion to the default bandwidth portion if a notification is transmitted on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for configuring at least one user equipment device with a discontinuous reception mode over the first bandwidth portion and a discontinuous reception mode over the second bandwidth portion. The configuration may allow the at least one user equipment to switch from the first bandwidth portion to the second bandwidth portion when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion and to switch from the second bandwidth portion to the first bandwidth portion when entering the continuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for: a discontinuous reception command is transmitted to stop operating an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate the discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for configuring the second bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion.

In a seventh aspect, a computer readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform the following: receiving a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; checking whether a notification is received on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped; and refraining from switching to a first bandwidth portion for the first service if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the apparatus to further perform: when entering discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth part, switching to the first bandwidth part if there is no notification that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on a discontinuous reception command for stopping operation of an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion, thereby initiating the discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to further perform: switching to the second bandwidth portion upon entering the discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion.

In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform the following: transmitting a second service over a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; checking whether a first service is stopped or to be scheduled on a first bandwidth portion for the first service; and if a first service is stopped on a first bandwidth portion, transmitting a notification on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped.

In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the apparatus to further perform the following: configuring the first bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion; and if a notification is transmitted on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped, reconfiguring the second bandwidth portion to the default bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the apparatus to further perform: a discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion and a discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion are configured for at least one user equipment device. The configuration may allow the at least one user equipment to switch from the first bandwidth portion to the second bandwidth portion when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion and to switch from the second bandwidth portion to the first bandwidth portion when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion.

In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the apparatus to further perform: a discontinuous reception command is sent to stop running an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate a discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions stored thereon for causing the apparatus to further perform configuring the second bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion.

Other features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will also be apparent from the following description of certain exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an example sequence diagram for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 shows an example scenario of a DRX configuration in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

Fig. 3 shows an example scenario of a DRX configuration in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements. Repeated descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, some example embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details for providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known circuits, techniques, and components have been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the described concepts and features.

According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, an optimized BWP switching mechanism is implemented.

Fig. 1 shows an example sequence diagram for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 1, a ue apparatus 110 may be a terminal device for receiving MBS services and unicast services, and a network device 120 may be a network device for transmitting MBS services as well as unicast services in a Base Station (BS), for example. UE device 110 is associated with a cell covered by network equipment 120.

The network device 120 may transmit the first service 125 on the first BWP and/or the second service 130 on the second BWP to the at least one UE apparatus. UE device 110 may be any one of at least one UE device. The first service 125 may be, for example, a multicast service and/or a broadcast service, such as an MBS service. The second service 130 may be, for example, a multicast and/or unicast service. It is understood that the first service 125 may be a unicast service and the second service 130 may be a multicast service and/or a broadcast service. The first BWP may be, for example, a BWP comprising CFR, wherein the multicast service and/or the broadcast service may be scheduled, for example, BWP-3, and may be on, for example, frequency Range (FR) 1. The second BWP may be, for example, a CFR that does not contain BWP, e.g., any of BWP-0, BWP-1 and BWP-2, and may be on, for example, FR 2, which may indicate a frequency range, e.g., above 24GHz and possibly below 52.6 GHz. It is understood that the second BWP may be a BWP comprising a CFR and the first BWP may be other BWP and/or may be in other frequency ranges such as FR 1, which FR 1 may indicate a frequency range between 410MHz to 7.125GHz, for example. It is contemplated that multicast and unicast services may be scheduled on the same BWP, while broadcast and/or multicast services may be scheduled on the initial BWP. UE device 110 may receive broadcast services and/or multicast in idle and/or inactive modes that may or may not overlap with the BWP of UE device 110 for unicast services. In some example embodiments, the first BWP may be a first carrier and the second BWP may be a second carrier, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier may operate in different FRs.

UE device 110 may signal (e.g., an interest indication message) to network apparatus 120 that UE device 110 is receiving or is interested in receiving both first service 125 and second service 130, and network apparatus 120 may perform the following operations to allow UE device 110 to dynamically switch between the first BWP and the second BWP.

In operation 135, the network apparatus 120 may configure a default BWP for the UE device 110. For example, if UE device 110 may support Downlink Control Information (DCI) -based BWP handover, e.g., if UE110 may decode DCI related to transmission of first service 125 or second service 130, network equipment 120 may configure the first BWP as a default BWP for UE device 110. For example, if UE device 110 does not support a DCI-based BWP handover, e.g., if UE110 does not decode DCI related to transmission of first service 125 or second service 130, network equipment 120 may configure the second BWP as a default BWP for UE device 110. Network device 120 may then notify UE apparatus 110 of the configured default BWP.

In operation 140, the network apparatus 120 may configure a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode on the first BWP and a DRX mode on the second BWP for at least one UE device, such as the UE device 110. The network apparatus 120 may then transmit the DRX configuration 145 to at least one UE device, such as UE device 110.

Fig. 2 shows an example scenario of a DRX configuration 145 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Referring to fig. 2, DRX configuration 145 may allow UE device 110 to switch from the first BWP to the second BWP when UE device 110 enters DRX mode 240 on the first BWP, and DRX configuration 145 may allow UE device 110 to switch from the second BWD to the first BWP when UE device 110 enters DRX mode 230 on the second BWP. Accordingly, DRX configuration 145 may allow UE device 110 to perform autonomous BWP handover between the first BWP and the second BWP. For example, if UE device 110 is receiving second service 130 on the second BWP and is interested in first service 125, UE device 110 may switch to the first BWP when entering DRX mode 230 on the second BWP in operation 180, which will be further described later. When UE device 110 enters DRX mode 240 on the first BWP, UE device 110 may switch back to the second BWP in operation 185, which will be further described later.

When UE device 110 is receiving second service 130 on the second BWP, UE device 110 may not be able to receive first service 125 on the first BWP. For example, if the first service 125 relates to a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) and/or a Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) scheduled on a CFR included in the first BWP, and the UE device 110 is receiving on the second BWP, the UE device 110 cannot receive the BCCH and/or the MCCH.

When UE device 110 is receiving second service 130 on the second BWP, UE device 110 will not be aware of the fact that first service 125 is stopped on the first BWP if first service 125 is stopped on the first BWP, e.g., first service 125 has stopped on the first BWP, or first service 125 will not be scheduled on the first BWP. Even if a notification that the first service 125 was stopped on the first BWP is transmitted on the first BWP, the UE device 110 may miss the notification that the first service 125 was stopped transmitted on the first BWP due to receiving the second service 130 on the second BWP. The result is that UE device 110 will perform autonomous BWP handover and unnecessarily attempt to decode the PDCCH for first service 125. Energy will be wasted in finding data scheduled on the first BWP that is not being received for the service the UE is interested in.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure may optimize autonomous BWP switching. In an example embodiment, in operation 150, the network device 120 may check whether the first service 125 is stopped or to be scheduled on the first BWP. If the first service 125 is stopped on the first BWP, the network device 120 may transmit a notification 155 to the UE apparatus 110 on the second BWP that the first service 125 is stopped.

When UE device 110 receives the notification from network apparatus 120, UE device 110 may check whether a notification 155 that first service 125 is stopped is received on the second BWP in operation 160. In operation 165, if a notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped is received, the UE device 110 may refrain from switching to the first BWP. For example, if UE device 110 checks that UE device 110 receives notification 155 on the second BWP that first service 125 is stopped on the first BWP, UE device 110 may avoid unnecessary BWP switching from the second BWP to the first BWP upon entering, for example, DRX 230, so that energy for unnecessary BWP switching and PDCCH decoding may be saved.

The notification 155 of the first service 125 being stopped may be transmitted via dedicated signaling to a single UE device, such as UE device 110, alternatively the notification of the first service 125 being stopped may be a group notification transmitted to multiple UE devices on a second BWP of interest to the first service 125. In an example embodiment, the notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped may be transmitted using DCI. The DCI may have a specific format defined for notification 155 that first service 125 is stopped. If UE device 110 may support a DCI-based BWP handover, UE device 110 may decode the DCI to check notification 155 that first service 125 is stopped. In this case, in operation 170, if the notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped is transmitted on the second BWP, the network device 120 may reconfigure the second BWP to the default BWP.

The network apparatus 120 may decide to send a notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped based on receiving an indication of interest from the UE device 110 indicating that the UE device 110 is interested in receiving the first service 125.

For example, if UE device 110 may support DCI-based BWP handover, the first BWP may have been configured as a default BWP in operation 135. If the network device 120 transmits DCI for transmitting the notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped on the second BWP and the UE apparatus 110 decodes the DCI to check the notification that the first service 125 is stopped in operation 160, the UE apparatus 110 may not switch to the first BWP in operation 165. In this case, in operation 170, the network device 120 may reconfigure the second BWP to a default BWP for the UE apparatus 110. Network device 120 may then notify UE apparatus 110 of the reconfigured default BWP.

Alternatively, in operation 150, if the network device 120 checks that there is the first service 125 to be scheduled on the first BWP, the network device 120 may notify the UE apparatus 110 of the fact that there is the first service 125 to be scheduled on the first BWP using the DCI. Such notifications may be transmitted to UE device 110 alone or to a group of multiple UE devices including UE device 110. UE device 110 may decode the DCI to check out the notification and, in operation 180, UE device 110 may switch to the first BWP, e.g., upon entering DRX 230. Additionally or alternatively, if there is no notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped, the UE device 110 may switch to the first BWP when entering the DRX mode 230 on the second BWP in operation 180, regardless of whether a notification of the presence of the first service 125 to be scheduled is received.

In the case where the UE device 110 does not support DCI-based BWP handover, the notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped may be transmitted using dedicated signaling (e.g., a dedicated radio network temporary identifier), radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling (e.g., an RRC configuration or reconfiguration message), or medium access control element (MAC-CE). If the UE device 110 checks that the notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped, which is transmitted via RRC signaling or MAC-CE, is received in operation 160, the UE device 110 may not switch to the first BWP when entering the DRX mode 230 in operation 165.

If the notification 155 that the first service 125 is stopped is not received, the UE device 110 may switch to the first BWP when entering the DRX mode 230 on the second BWP in operation 180. Alternatively or additionally, if a notification that there is a first service 125 to be scheduled, which is transmitted using RRC signaling or MAC-CE, is received, the UE device 110 may switch to the first BWP when entering the DRX mode 230 on the second BWP in operation 180.

In an example embodiment, UE device 110 may enter DRX mode 230 based on expiration of an inactivity timer configured for the second BWP. Referring to fig. 2, the inactivity timer 220 may be an example of an inactivity timer configured for the second BWP, e.g., a DRX inactivity timer, and when the inactivity timer expires, the UE device 110 may enter the DRX mode 230. Network device 120 may configure inactivity timer 220 and the related time period (e.g., DRX mode 230) in which data is not scheduled based on the indication from UE device 110 that UE device 110 is interested in receiving the indication of interest of first service 125 on the first BWP, thereby allowing UE device 110 to autonomously switch to the first BWP.

Alternatively, UE device 110 may enter DRX mode 230 based on DRX command 175, which DRX command 175 stops operating inactivity timer 220 configured for the second BWP to initiate DRX mode 230. For example, if in operation 150, the network apparatus 120 checks that there is a first service 125 to schedule while the inactivity timer 220 is running, the network apparatus 120 may transmit a DRX command 175 to the UE device 110 to stop running the inactivity timer 220 so that the UE device 110 may enter the DRX mode 230. The DRX command 175 may be transmitted using a MAC-CE or RRC configuration or reconfiguration message. By sending the DRX command 175, the network apparatus 120 may ensure that the UE device 110 interested in the first service 125 may enter a DRX mode, e.g., an idle period of a DRX cycle, in time when the first service 125 is scheduled.

Fig. 3 shows an example scenario of a DRX configuration 145 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Referring to fig. 3, while the inactivity timer 220 is running, the UE device 110 receives the DRX command 175, and the dotted line represents the timing at which the inactivity timer 220 would normally expire without the DRX command 175. DRX command 175 may stop running inactivity timer 220 and thus UE device 110 may enter DRX mode 230. If UE device 110 receives DRX command 175 while on duration timer 210 (e.g., a DRX-on duration timer) configured for the second BWP is running, DRX command 175-may stop running on duration timer 210 so that UE device 110 may enter DRX mode 230.

The DRX command 175 may be transmitted using a MAC-CE, which may or may not be a MAC-CE carrying a notification that there is a first service 125 to schedule. When UE device 110 enters DRX mode 230, a timer configured for the second BWP configuration, such as a DRX-on duration timer, a DRX-inactivity timer, a DRX-retransmission timer DL, or a DRX-retransmission timer UL, will not be run.

If UE device 110 has switched to the first BWP, UE device 110 may switch back to the second BWP when entering the DRX mode on the first BWP in operation 185. When an inactivity timer configured for the first BWP (e.g., inactivity timer 250 shown in fig. 2 and 3) expires, UE device 110 may enter DRX mode on the first BWP and may switch back to the second BWP at the beginning of the next DRX cycle.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 400 for BWP switching, according to an example embodiment of the disclosure. The example method 400 may be performed, for example, at a terminal device, such as the UE apparatus 110.

Referring to fig. 4, an example method 400 may include: operation 410 receives a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; an operation 420 of checking whether a notification that the first service is stopped has been received on the second bandwidth portion; and operation 430 of refraining from switching to the first bandwidth portion for the first service if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

Details of operation 410 have been described in the above description of at least the second service 130, and a repeated description thereof is omitted herein.

Details of operation 420 have been described above at least in the description of operation 160, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

Details of operation 430 have been described above at least in the description of operation 165, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

In an example embodiment, the notification that the first service is stopped may be transmitted using downlink control information. The downlink control information may have a specific format defined for the notification that the first service is stopped. Alternatively, the notification that the first service is stopped may be sent via dedicated radio network temporary identifier signaling. Alternatively, the notification that the first service is stopped may be sent using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message. An indication of interest may be sent indicating an interest in receiving the first service, and a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent based on the receipt of the indication of interest. Further details have been described above in at least the description of notification 155, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

In an example embodiment, the first bandwidth portion may be configured as a default bandwidth portion, and the second bandwidth portion may be reconfigured as a default bandwidth portion if a notification is received that the first service is stopped. Further details have been described in the above description of at least operations 135 and 170, and their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

In one example embodiment, the example method 400 may further include the operations of: when entering discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth part, switching to the first bandwidth part if there is no notification that the first service is stopped. Further details have been described in the above description regarding at least the operation 180 and the DRX mode 230, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted herein.

In one example embodiment, entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on expiration of an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth. The inactivity timer and associated time period in which data is not scheduled may be configured based on the indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service on the first bandwidth portion, thereby allowing autonomous switching to the first bandwidth portion. Further details have been described in the above description at least with respect to the inactivity timer 220 and the DRX mode 230, and their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

In one example embodiment, entering the discontinuous reception mode may be based on a discontinuous reception command to stop operating an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate the discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message. Further details have been described in the above description at least with respect to the DRX command 175, the inactivity timer 220, and the DRX mode 230, and their repeated descriptions are omitted herein.

In an example embodiment, the example method 400 may further include the following operations: the second bandwidth portion is switched to when the discontinuous reception mode is entered on the first bandwidth portion. Further details have been described in the above description at least with respect to operation 185 and inactivity timer 250, and their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

In an example embodiment, the second bandwidth portion may be configured as a default bandwidth portion. Further details have been described above at least in the description of operation 135, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an example embodiment, the first bandwidth portion may contain a common frequency region in which the first service is scheduled, and the common frequency region may not be in the second bandwidth portion. Further details have been described in the above description about the first BWP and the second BWP, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In an example embodiment, the first service may be a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service may be a multicast and/or unicast service. It is contemplated that multicast and unicast services may be scheduled on the same portion of bandwidth, while broadcast and/or multicast services may be scheduled on the initial portion of bandwidth. Broadcast services and/or multicasting may be received in idle and/or inactive modes that may or may not overlap with portions of bandwidth for unicast services. In some example embodiments, the first bandwidth portion may be a first carrier and the second bandwidth portion may be a second carrier, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier may operate in different frequency ranges. Further details have been described in the above description about the first BWP, the second BWP, FR 1, FR 2, the first service 125 and the second service 130, and their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

Fig. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 500 for BWP switching, according to an example embodiment of the disclosure. The example method 500 may be performed, for example, at a network device, such as the network device 120.

Referring to fig. 5, an example method 500 may include: operation 510 transmitting a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service; operation 520, checking whether the first service is stopped or to be scheduled on a first bandwidth portion for the first service; and an operation 530 of transmitting a notification on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped if the first service is stopped on the first bandwidth portion.

Details of operation 510 have been described in the above description of at least the second service 130, and a repeated description thereof is omitted herein.

Details of operation 520 have been described above at least in the description of operation 150, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted herein.

Details of operation 530 have been described above in at least the description of notification 155, and a repeated description thereof is omitted herein.

In an example embodiment, the notification that the first service is stopped may be transmitted using downlink control information. The downlink control information may have a specific format defined for the notification that the first service is stopped. Alternatively, the notification that the first service is stopped may be sent via dedicated radio network temporary identifier signaling. Alternatively, the notification that the first service is stopped may be sent using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message. An indication of interest indicating an interest in receiving the first service may be sent, and a notification that the first service is stopped may be sent based on the receipt of the indication of interest. Further details have been described above in at least the description of notification 155, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

In one example embodiment, the example method 500 may further include an operation of configuring the first bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion and an operation of reconfiguring the second bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion if a notification is transmitted on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped. Further details have been described in the above description of at least operations 135 and 170, and their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

In an example embodiment, the example method 500 may further include the following operations: a discontinuous reception mode on a first bandwidth portion and a discontinuous reception mode on a second bandwidth portion are configured for at least one user equipment device. The configuration may allow at least one user equipment to switch from the first bandwidth portion to the second bandwidth portion when entering discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion and from the second bandwidth portion to the first bandwidth portion when entering discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion. Further details have been described in the above description of at least operation 140 and DRX configuration 145, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted herein.

In an example embodiment, the example method 500 may further include the following operations: a discontinuous reception command is transmitted to stop running an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth to initiate a discontinuous reception mode. The discontinuous reception command may be transmitted using a medium access control-control element or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message. Further details have been described in the above description at least with respect to the DRX command 175, the inactivity timer 220, and the DRX mode 230, and their repeated descriptions are omitted herein.

In an example embodiment, the example method 500 may further include an operation of configuring the second bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion. Further details have been described above at least in the description of operation 135, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted here.

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 600 for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the disclosure. For example, in the above examples, the apparatus may be at least a portion of UE apparatus 110.

As shown in fig. 6, the example apparatus 600 may include at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620 that may include computer program code 630. The at least one memory 620 and the computer program code 630 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 610, cause the apparatus 600 to perform at least the example method 400 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 610 in the example apparatus 600 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor including at least one microprocessor such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special purpose processor, such as those developed based on, for example, field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). In addition, the at least one processor 610 may also include at least one other circuit or element not shown in fig. 6.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 620 in the example apparatus 600 may include various forms of at least one storage medium, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include, for example, but is not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory, and the like. The non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read Only Memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, and the like. Furthermore, at least memory 620 may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the above.

Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 600 may also include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and so forth.

In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 600 including the at least one processor 610 and the at least one memory 620 may be coupled together in any suitable manner, e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc., via any suitable connection, including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wires, and/or wireless lines.

It should be appreciated that the structure of the apparatus on the UE apparatus 110 side is not limited to the example apparatus 600 described above.

Fig. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 700 for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the disclosure. For example, the apparatus may be at least a portion of the network device 120 in the above examples.

As shown in fig. 7, the example apparatus 700 may include at least one processor 710 and at least one memory 720 that may include computer program code 730. The at least one memory 720 and the computer program code 730 may be configured to, with the at least one processor 710, cause the apparatus 700 to perform at least one of the example methods 500 described above.

In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 710 in the example apparatus 700 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor including at least one microprocessor such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable special purpose processor, such as those developed based on, for example, field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). In addition, the at least one processor 510 may also include at least one other circuit or element not shown in fig. 7.

In various example embodiments, the at least one memory 720 in the example apparatus 700 may include various forms of at least one storage medium, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include, for example, but is not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory, and the like. The non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read Only Memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, and the like. Furthermore, at least memory 720 may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the above.

Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 700 may further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example apparatus 700 including the at least one processor 710 and the at least one memory 720 may be connected together in any suitable manner, e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc., via any suitable connection including, but not limited to, buses, crossbars, wiring, and/or wireless links.

It should be appreciated that the structure of the apparatus on the network device 120 side is not limited to the example apparatus 700 described above.

Fig. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 800 for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, in the above examples, the apparatus may be at least a portion of UE device 110.

As shown in fig. 8, the example apparatus 800 may include means 810 for performing operation 410 of the example method 400, means 820 for performing operation 420 of the example method 400, and means 830 for performing operation 430 of the example means 400. In one or more other example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, etc. may also be included in the example apparatus 800.

In some example embodiments, an example of an apparatus in the example device 800 may include circuitry. For example, an example of apparatus 810 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 410 of example method 400, an example of apparatus 820 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 420 of example method 400, and an example of apparatus 830 may encompass circuitry configured to perform operation 430 of example method 400. In some example embodiments, examples of the apparatus may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

Fig. 9 shows a block diagram illustrating an example device 900 for BWP switching according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the device may be at least a portion of the network device 120 in the examples described above.

As shown in fig. 9, the example apparatus 900 may include means 910 for performing operation 510 of the example method 500, means 920 for performing operation 520 of the example method 500, and means 930 for performing operation 530 of the example method 500. In one or more other example embodiments, at least one I/O interface, at least one antenna element, etc. may also be included in the example device 900.

In some example embodiments, an example of an apparatus in the example device 900 may include circuitry. For example, an example of apparatus 910 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 510 of example method 500, an example of apparatus 920 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 520 of example method 500, and an example of apparatus 930 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 530 of example method 500. In some example embodiments, examples of the apparatus may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

The term "circuitry" throughout this disclosure may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in analog and/or digital circuits only); (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) a hardware processor and software (including digital signal processors), software, and any portion of memory, working together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions, if applicable; and (c) hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but when software is not required to operate, the software may not be present. This definition of circuit applies to one or all uses of that term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuit also encompasses embodiments of only a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses, for example and if applicable to the element in question, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

Another example embodiment may relate to computer program code or instructions that may cause an apparatus to perform at least the various methods described above. Another example embodiment may relate to a computer-readable medium having such computer program code or instructions stored thereon. In some example embodiments, such computer-readable media may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include, for example, but is not limited to, RAM, cache, and the like. The non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. The non-volatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the preceding.

Throughout the specification and claims, the words "comprise," "include," and the like are to be construed in an inclusive rather than exclusive or exhaustive sense unless the context clearly requires otherwise; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to". As generally used herein, the term "coupled" refers to two or more elements that may be connected directly, or through one or more intervening elements. Also, as generally used herein, the term "connected" refers to two or more elements that may be connected directly or through one or more intervening elements. Furthermore, the words "herein," "above," "below," and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context allows, words in the specification using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number, respectively. The term "or" refers to a list of two or more items, which term encompasses all of the following interpretations of the term: any item in the list, all items in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

Furthermore, conditional language such as "may," "for example," "such as," etc., as used herein is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, but other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or states unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise understood in the context of use. Thus, such conditional language does not generally imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required by one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

As used herein, the term "determine/determine" (and grammatical variants thereof) may include at least the following: calculation, operation, processing, derivation, measurement, investigation, lookup (e.g., in a table, database, or other data structure), validation, and the like. Further, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), retrieving, and so forth. Further, "determining/determining" may include parsing, selecting, establishing, and the like.

While some embodiments have been described, they are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in a given arrangement, alternative embodiments may utilize different components and/or circuit topologies to perform similar functions, and some blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. At least one of these blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. The order of the blocks may also be changed. Any suitable combination of the elements and acts of some of the above embodiments can be combined to provide further embodiments. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Abbreviations used in the specification and/or drawings are defined as follows:

BCCH broadcast control channel

BS base station

BWP bandwidth part

CFR common frequency region

DCI downlink control information

DL downlink

DRX discontinuous reception

FR frequency range

MAC-CE media access control-control element

MBS multicast broadcast service

MCCH multicast control channel

PDCCH physical downlink control channel

PDSCH physical downlink shared channel

RRC radio resource control

UE user equipment

UL uplink

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform:

receiving a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service;

checking whether a notification that the first service is stopped has been received on the second bandwidth portion; and

if a notification is received that the first service is stopped, a switch to a first bandwidth portion for the first service is suppressed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein downlink control information is used to send a notification that the first service is stopped.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the notification that the first service is stopped is sent using a dedicated radio network temporary identifier, a medium access control-control element, and/or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first bandwidth portion is configured as a default bandwidth portion and the second bandwidth portion is reconfigured as the default bandwidth portion if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

if there is no notification that the first service is stopped, switching to the first bandwidth portion when a discontinuous reception mode is entered on the second bandwidth portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the entering the discontinuous reception mode is based on expiration of an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the entering the discontinuous reception mode is based on ceasing to operate an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate discontinuous reception commands for the discontinuous reception mode.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 7, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

When a discontinuous reception mode is entered on the first bandwidth portion, switching to the second bandwidth portion.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the second bandwidth portion is configured as a default bandwidth portion.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1-9, wherein the first bandwidth portion comprises a common frequency region in which the first service is scheduled, and the common frequency region is not present in the second bandwidth portion.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first service is a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service is a unicast service.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

transmitting a second service over a second portion of bandwidth for the second service;

checking whether a first service is stopped or to be scheduled on a first bandwidth portion for the first service; and

if the first service is stopped on the first bandwidth portion, a notification is transmitted on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein downlink control information is used to send a notification that the first service is stopped.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification that the first service is stopped is sent using a dedicated radio network temporary identifier, a medium access control-control element, and/or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

configuring the first bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion; and

if a notification is transmitted on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped, the second bandwidth portion is reconfigured to the default bandwidth portion.

16. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 14, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

configuring a discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion and a discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth portion for at least one user equipment device, the configuring allowing the at least one user equipment device to: switching from the first bandwidth portion to the second bandwidth portion when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth portion; and switching from the second bandwidth portion to the first bandwidth portion when the discontinuous reception mode is entered on the second bandwidth portion.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

a discontinuous reception command is transmitted to stop operating an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate the discontinuous reception mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 or 17, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further perform:

the second bandwidth portion is configured as a default bandwidth portion.

19. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 18, wherein the first bandwidth portion comprises a common frequency region in which the first service is scheduled, and the common frequency region is not present in the second bandwidth portion.

20. The apparatus of any of claims 12 to 19, wherein the first service is a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service is a unicast service.

21. A method, comprising:

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the notification that the first service is stopped is transmitted using downlink control information.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the notification that the first service is stopped is sent using a dedicated radio network temporary identifier, a medium access control-control element and/or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the first bandwidth portion is configured as a default bandwidth portion, and the second bandwidth portion is reconfigured as the default bandwidth portion if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

25. The method of any of claims 21 to 23, further comprising:

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the entering the discontinuous reception mode is based on expiration of an inactivity timer configured for the second portion of bandwidth.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the entering the discontinuous reception mode is based on ceasing to operate an inactivity timer configured for the second bandwidth portion to initiate discontinuous reception commands for the discontinuous reception mode.

28. The method of any one of claims 25 to 27, further comprising:

29. The method of any of claims 25 to 28, wherein the second bandwidth portion is configured as a default bandwidth portion.

30. The method of any of claims 21 to 29, wherein the first bandwidth portion comprises a common frequency region in which the first service is scheduled, and the common frequency region is not present in the second bandwidth portion.

31. The method of any of claims 21 to 30, wherein the first service is a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service is a unicast service.

32. A method, comprising:

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the notification that the first service is stopped is transmitted using downlink control information.

34. The method according to claim 32, wherein the notification that the first service is stopped is sent using a dedicated radio network temporary identifier, a medium access control-control element and/or a radio resource control configuration or reconfiguration message.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

configuring the first bandwidth portion as a default bandwidth portion; and

36. The method of any one of claims 32 to 34, further comprising:

A discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth part and a discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth part are configured for at least one user equipment device, the configuration allowing the at least one user equipment to switch from the first bandwidth part to the second bandwidth part when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the first bandwidth part and to switch from the second bandwidth part to the first bandwidth part when entering the discontinuous reception mode on the second bandwidth part.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

38. The method of claim 36 or 37, further comprising:

the second bandwidth portion is configured as a default bandwidth portion.

39. The method of any of claims 32 to 38, wherein the first bandwidth portion comprises a common frequency region in which the first service is scheduled, and the common frequency region is not present in the second bandwidth portion.

40. The method of any of claims 32 to 39, wherein the first service is a multicast and/or broadcast service and the second service is a unicast service.

41. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a second service on a second portion of bandwidth for the second service;

means for checking whether a notification that the first service is stopped has been received on the second bandwidth portion; and

means for refraining from switching to a first bandwidth portion for the first service if a notification is received that the first service is stopped.

42. An apparatus, comprising:

means for checking whether a first service is stopped or to be scheduled on a first bandwidth portion for the first service; and

means for transmitting a notification on the second bandwidth portion that the first service is stopped if the first service is stopped on the first bandwidth portion.

43. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to:

44. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to: