EP3453207A1

EP3453207A1 - Methods for multi-carrier operation with multiple anchor carriers in narrow-band internet-of-things

Info

Publication number: EP3453207A1
Application number: EP17723590.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Debdeep CHATTERJEE; Ralf Bendlin; Seau S. Lim; Marta MARTINEZ TARRADELL
Original assignee: Intel IP Corp
Current assignee: Apple Inc
Priority date: 2016-05-02
Filing date: 2017-05-02
Publication date: 2019-03-13
Also published as: WO2017192624A1

Abstract

Described is an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE). The apparatus may comprise a first circuitry and a second circuitry. The first circuitry may be operable to process a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the first NB-IoT carrier directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB-IoT carrier. The second circuitry may be operable to determine one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier based on the RRC message. The one or more parameters may include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier.

Description

METHODS FOR MULTI-CARRIER OPERATION WITH MULTIPLE ANCHOR CARRIERS IN NARROW-BAND INTERNET-OF-THINGS

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

[0001] The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to United

States Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 62/330,660 filed May 2, 2016 and entitled "Multi-Carrier Operation With Multiple Anchor Carriers In NB-IoT," which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] A variety of wireless cellular communication systems have been implemented or are being proposed, including a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, a 3GPP LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, and a 5th Generation wireless / 5th Generation mobile networks (5G) system. Next-generation wireless cellular communication systems may provide support for massive numbers of user devices like Narrow-Band Internet-of- Things (NB-IoT) devices, Cellular Internet-of-Things (CIoT) devices, or Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices. Such devices may have very low device complexity, may be latency -tolerant, and may be designed for low throughput and very low power consumption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The embodiments of the disclosure will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the disclosure. However, while the drawings are to aid in explanation and understanding, they are only an aid, and should not be taken to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments depicted therein.

[0004] Fig. 1 illustrates a scenario of an anchor NB-IoT carrier and a non-anchor

NB-IoT carrier for Multi-Carrier Operation (MCO), in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0005] Fig. 2 illustrates a scenario of repetitions of Narrow-Band System Information

Block 1 (SIB1-NB) transmissions, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0006] Fig. 3 illustrates a scenario of Starting Radio Frame Numbers (SRFNs) of

SIB1-NB transmissions, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. [0007] Fig. 4 illustrates an Evolved Node B (eNB) and a User Equipment (UE), in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0008] Fig. 5 illustrates hardware processing circuitries for a UE for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in Narrow-Band Intemet-of-Things (NB-IoT) systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0009] Fig. 6 illustrates hardware processing circuitries for an eNB for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in NB-IoT systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0010] Fig. 7 illustrates methods for a UE for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in

NB-IoT systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0011] Fig. 8 illustrates methods for an eNB for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in NB-IoT systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0012] Fig. 9 illustrates example components of a UE device, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Various wireless cellular communication systems have been implemented or are being proposed, including a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system, a 3GPP LTE-Advanced (LTE- A) system, and a 5th Generation wireless system / 5th Generation mobile networks (5G) system / 5th Generation new radio (NR) system. A Narrow-Band Intemet-of-Things (NB-IoT) design has been introduced in Release 13 of the 3GPP specifications. The 3GPP NB-IoT specifications describe a Radio Access Technology (RAT) for a cellular Intemet-of-Things (CIoT) system based on a non-backward-compatible variant of the Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) standard, which may support a massive number of low throughput devices, ultra-low device complexity and cost, low device power consumption, support for low delay sensitivity, improved indoor coverage, and optimized network architecture.

[0014] NB-IoT systems under development may support low complexity devices and

180 kiloherz (kHz) User Equipment (UE) Radio Frequency (RF) bandwidth, for both DL and UL, in three different modes of operation: stand-alone deployment, NB-IoT guard-band deployment (e.g., deployment in a guard band of an LTE carrier), and NB-IoT in-band deployment. An NB-IoT carrier may comprise a legacy LTE Physical Resource Block (PRB) for in-band mode and its equivalent in stand-alone mode or guard-band modes (which may correspond to a system bandwidth of 180kHz).

[0015] It may be possible to support Multi-Carrier Operation (MCO) for NB-IoT systems, so that more than a single 180 kHz carrier may be used from a UE's perspective. Thus, a UE in an RRC connected mode with a first NB-IoT carrier may be directed to a second NB-IoT carrier via dedicated RRC signaling, and may retune from the current NB-IoT carrier to the second NB-IoT carrier for Downlink (DL) transmission, Uplink (UL) transmission, or both, in order to receive or transmit, respectively.

[0016] Fig. 1 illustrates a scenario of an anchor NB-IoT carrier and a non-anchor

NB-IoT carrier for MCO, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. An NB-IoT scenario 100 may comprise a first NB-IoT carrier 1 10, a second NB-IoT carrier 120, and a UE 130. First NB-IoT carrier 1 10 may be operable to provide NB-IoT services over a geographic area within a first cell 11 1 , and second NB-IoT carrier 120 may be operable to provide NB-IoT services over a geographic area within a second cell 121.

[0017] In some embodiments, first NB-IoT carrier 110 may support DL transmissions and/or UL transmissions with UE 130. For some embodiments, second NB-IoT carrier 120 may also support DL transmissions and/or UL transmissions with UE 130.

[0018] In various embodiments, with respect to the first NB-IoT carrier and the second NB-IoT carrier, various combinations of deployments may be supported for NB-IoT MCO (e.g., in-band deployment with in-band deployment, in-band deployment with guard- band deployment, or guard-band deployment with guard-band deployment). Both a guard- band and an in-band may be associated with the same LTE donor cell (e.g., a total span might not exceed 110 PRBs from the same Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)).

[0019] In some embodiments, NB-IoT multi-carrier operation might not be supported for stand-alone deployment in combination with either guard-band deployment or in-band deployment.

[0020] For some embodiments, stand-alone deployment in combination with standalone deployment may be allowed for NB-IoT MCO. Some such embodiments may be constrained such that a total frequency span does not exceed 20 megaherz (MHz) and both NB-IoT carriers are synchronized (e.g., a time alignment error may not exceed a minimum requirement for intra-band contiguous carrier aggregation).

[0021] In some embodiments, on PRBs other than the NB-IoT carrier on which an

NB-IoT UE has received Narrow-Band Primary Synchronization Signal (NB-PSS), Narrow- Band Secondary Synchronization Signal (NB-SSS), Narrow-Band Physical Broadcast Channel (NB-PBCH), and/or System Information Block (SIB) transmissions, the NB-IoT UE might not rate match around NB-PBCH, NB-PSS, and/or NB-SSS. In some embodiments, a mapping of Narrow-Band Physical Downlink Control Channel (NB-PDCCH) and/or Narrow- Band Physical Downlink Shared Channel (NB-PDSCH) symbols to Resource Elements (REs) may occur without consideration of NB-PSS, NB-SSS, and/or NB-PBCH.

[0022] As discussed herein, a carrier may be termed an "anchor carrier" and/or an

"anchor NB-IoT carrier" if it carries NB-PSS, NB-SSS, NB-PBCH, Narrow-Band System Information Block 1 (SIB1-NB), and/or other Narrow-Band System Information (NB-SI) messages. A carrier may otherwise be termed a "non-anchor carrier" and/or a "non-anchor NB-IoT carrier." In various embodiments, carriers described with different terminology may benefit from the mechanisms and methods discussed herein (e.g., such as primary carriers and secondary carriers).

[0023] In various embodiments, a UE directed to an additional NB-IoT carrier might be disposed to using the additional NB-IoT carrier for unicast traffic (e.g., primarily, or exclusively). Some or all common control message transmissions, including procedures like Random Access (RA) and paging, may be performed on an anchor NB-IoT carrier. In general, support of MCO for NB-IoT may be based on the presence of a single anchor NB-IoT carrier in the case of multiple carriers being configured for NB-IoT deployment.

[0024] In various embodiments, support for MCO involving multiple anchor NB-IoT carriers may include various aspects. According to a first aspect, a Physical Cell Identity (PCID) of a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier may optionally be different than a PCID of an associated anchor NB-IoT carrier, and otherwise may be the same the PCID of the associated anchor NB-IoT carrier.

[0025] According to a second aspect, if a parameter indicating that an NB-IoT carrier serves as an anchor for others (e.g., a parameter such as "servesAsAnAnchorForOthers") is set to a predetermined value (e.g., a value of "true") in a configuration for a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier for UL and/or DL as discussed herein, a UE may assume the same available subframes as in an associated anchor NB-IoT carrier. The available subframes may in turn be determined by and/or established by PSS, SSS, Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block 1 (SIB1) and other System Information (SI) messages (or by their Narrow- Band (NB) counterparts), and/or by a signaled available-subframes bitmap.

[0026] According to a third aspect, if the parameter indicating that an NB-IoT carrier serves as an anchor for others (e.g., the "servesAsAnAnchorForOthers" parameter) is set to a predetermined value (e.g., a value of "false") in the configuration for a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier for UL and/or DL as discussed herein, a UE may assume that a bitmap of available subframes for an anchor NB-IoT carrier may also be applied for a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier.

[0027] However, certain combinations resulting from the first aspect and the second aspect might not be possible in practice. For example, if the PCID is different between two NB-IoT carriers, then when the parameter indicating that an anchor NB-IoT carrier serves as an anchor for others (e.g., the "servesAsAnAnchorForOthers" parameter) is set to a predetermined value (e.g., a value of "true"), subframes used for SIBl-NB transmissions may be different between the anchor NB-IoT carrier and the non-anchor NB-IoT carriers. This may occur as a result of a PCID mod 4 operation that may be used to determine a Starting Radio Frame Number (SRFN) for SIBl-NB transmissions. In addition, different numbers of repetitions may be used for both SIBl-NB and/or other NB-SI messages between the two carriers, for various reasons as discussed herein. Hence, additional methods need to be introduced to support MCO scenarios wherein multiple anchor carriers are used.

[0028] Discussed herein are various mechanisms and methods for supporting MCO scenarios involving multiple anchor carriers in NB-IoT deployments. Some embodiments comprise the signaling of information to UEs for MCO operation regarding, for example, time-domain resources used for SIBl-NB and other NB-SI messages, signaling options to indicate a UE's rate-matching behavior, potential use of NB-PSS and/or NB-SSS in an additional NB-IoT carrier, and related UE behavior.

[0029] In the following description, numerous details are discussed to provide a more thorough explanation of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0030] Note that in the corresponding drawings of the embodiments, signals are represented with lines. Some lines may be thicker, to indicate a greater number of constituent signal paths, and/or have arrows at one or more ends, to indicate a direction of information flow. Such indications are not intended to be limiting. Rather, the lines are used in connection with one or more exemplary embodiments to facilitate easier understanding of a circuit or a logical unit. Any represented signal, as dictated by design needs or preferences, may actually comprise one or more signals that may travel in either direction and may be implemented with any suitable type of signal scheme. [0031] Throughout the specification, and in the claims, the term "connected" means a direct electrical, mechanical, or magnetic connection between the things that are connected, without any intermediary devices. The term "coupled" means either a direct electrical, mechanical, or magnetic connection between the things that are connected or an indirect connection through one or more passive or active intermediary devices. The term "circuit" or "module" may refer to one or more passive and/or active components that are arranged to cooperate with one another to provide a desired function. The term "signal" may refer to at least one current signal, voltage signal, magnetic signal, or data/clock signal. The meaning of "a," "an," and "the" include plural references. The meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on."

[0032] The terms "substantially," "close," "approximately," "near," and "about" generally refer to being within +/- 10% of a target value. Unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first," "second," and "third," etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

[0033] It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

[0034] The terms "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "over," "under," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions.

[0035] For purposes of the embodiments, the transistors in various circuits, modules, and logic blocks are Tunneling FETs (TFETs). Some transistors of various embodiments may comprise metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors, which include drain, source, gate, and bulk terminals. The transistors may also include Tri-Gate and FinFET transistors, Gate All Around Cylindrical Transistors, Square Wire, or Rectangular Ribbon Transistors or other devices implementing transistor functionality like carbon nanotubes or spintronic devices. MOSFET symmetrical source and drain terminals i.e., are identical terminals and are interchangeably used here. A TFET device, on the other hand, has asymmetric Source and Drain terminals. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other transistors, for example, Bi-polar junction transistors-BJT PNP/NPN, BiCMOS, CMOS, etc., may be used for some transistors without departing from the scope of the disclosure. [0036] For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases "A and/or B" and "A or

B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and/or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

[0037] In addition, the various elements of combinatorial logic and sequential logic discussed in the present disclosure may pertain both to physical structures (such as AND gates, OR gates, or XOR gates), or to synthesized or otherwise optimized collections of devices implementing the logical structures that are Boolean equivalents of the logic under discussion.

[0038] In addition, for purposes of the present disclosure, the terms "NB-IoT carrier,"

"NB-IoT eNB," and "eNB" may refer to a legacy LTE capable Evolved Node-B (eNB), a NB-IoT capable eNB, a Cellular Internet-of-Things (CIoT) capable eNB, a Machine-Type Communication (MTC) capable eNB, and/or another base station for a wireless

communication system. For purposes of the present disclosure, the terms "NB-IoT UE" and "UE" may refer to a legacy LTE capable UE, an NB-IoT capable UE, a CIoT capable UE, an MTC capable UE, and/or another mobile equipment for a wireless communication system.

[0039] Various embodiments of eNBs and/or UEs discussed below may process one or more transmissions of various types. Some processing of a transmission may comprise demodulating, decoding, detecting, parsing, and/or otherwise handling a transmission that has been received. In some embodiments, an eNB or UE processing a transmission may determine or recognize the transmission's type and/or a condition associated with the transmission. For some embodiments, an eNB or UE processing a transmission may act in accordance with the transmission's type, and/or may act conditionally based upon the transmission's type. An eNB or UE processing a transmission may also recognize one or more values or fields of data carried by the transmission. Processing a transmission may comprise moving the transmission through one or more layers of a protocol stack (which may be implemented in, e.g., hardware and/or software-configured elements), such as by moving a transmission that has been received by an eNB or a UE through one or more layers of a protocol stack.

[0040] Various embodiments of eNBs and/or UEs discussed below may also generate one or more transmissions of various types. Some generating of a transmission may comprise modulating, encoding, formatting, assembling, and/or otherwise handling a transmission that is to be transmitted. In some embodiments, an eNB or UE generating a transmission may establish the transmission's type and/or a condition associated with the transmission. For some embodiments, an eNB or UE generating a transmission may act in accordance with the transmission's type, and/or may act conditionally based upon the transmission's type. An eNB or UE generating a transmission may also determine one or more values or fields of data carried by the transmission. Generating a transmission may comprise moving the transmission through one or more layers of a protocol stack (which may be implemented in, e.g., hardware and/or software-configured elements), such as by moving a transmission to be sent by an eNB or a UE through one or more layers of a protocol stack.

[0041] In various embodiments, resources may span various Resource Blocks (RBs),

Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs), and/or time periods (e.g., frames, subframes, and/or slots) of a wireless communication system. In some contexts, allocated resources (e.g., channels, Orthogonal Frequency -Division Multiplexing (OFMD) symbols, subcarrier frequencies, resource elements (REs), and/or portions thereof) may be formatted for (and prior to) transmission over a wireless communication link. In other contexts, allocated resources (e.g., channels, OFDM symbols, subcarrier frequencies, REs, and/or portions thereof) may be detected from (and subsequent to) reception over a wireless communication link.

[0042] If an NB-IoT carrier to which an NB-IoT UE is directed by dedicated RRC configuration is an anchor NB-IoT carrier for other NB-IoT UEs, then the first NB-IoT UE may be disposed to knowing the subframes used for NB-PSS, NB-SSS, NB-PBCH,

SIB l-NB, and/or NB-SI messages. Subframes used for transmission of NB-PSS, NB-SSS, and/or NB-PBCH may be predetermined (e.g., fixed by specification), and may therefore be common between different carriers. However, subframes for carrying SI may not be common between different carriers. A number of repetitions of a SIBl -NB transmission, a Transport Block Size (TBS), and/or a specific SRFN (and/or specific subframes) used for transmission of SIBl -NB may be given by a signaled field in a Narrow-Band MIB (NB- MIB), which may be carried by an NB-PBCH, and a PCID.

[0043] Fig. 2 illustrates a scenario of repetitions of SIBl-NB transmissions, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. A first case 210 may comprise a first set of repetitions 215 of a SIBl -NB transmission. A second case 220 may comprise a second set of repetitions 225 of a SIBl -NB transmission. A third case 230 may comprise a third set of repetitions 235 of a SIB l-NB transmission.

[0044] In some embodiments, first set of repetitions 215 may comprise four repetitions of the SIBl -NB transmission. For some embodiments, second set of repetitions 225 may comprise eight repetitions of the SIBl -NB transmission. In some embodiments, third set of repetitions 235 may comprise sixteen repetitions of the SIBl -NB transmission. [0045] In various embodiments, first set of repetitions 215, second set of repetitions

225, and/or third set of repetitions 235 may comprise any number of repetitions of the SIB l-NB transmission. For some embodiments, second set of repetitions 225 may comprise a greater number of repetitions of the SIB l-NB transmission than first set of repetitions 215. In some embodiments, third set of repetitions 235 may comprise a greater number of repetitions of the SIBl -NB transmission than second set of repetitions 225.

[0046] Fig. 3 illustrates a scenario of Starting Radio Frame Numbers (SRFNs) of

SIB l -NB transmissions, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. A first set of SRFN cases 310 may comprise a first SRFN 312, a second SRFN 314, a third SRFN 316, and a fourth SRFN 318. A second set of SRFN cases 320 may comprise a first SRFN 322 and a second SRFN 324. A third set of SRFN cases 330 may comprise a first SRFN 332 and a second SRFN 334.

[0047] In various embodiments, first SRFN 312 may be a frame number 0, second

SRFN 314 may be a frame number 16, third SRFN 316 may be a frame number 32, and/or fourth SRFN 318 may be a frame number 48. In various embodiments, first SRFN 322 may be a frame number 0 and/or second SRFN 324 may be a frame number 16. In various embodiments, first SRFN 332 may be a frame number 0 and/or second SRFN 334 may be a frame number 1.

[0048] With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, one or more of a number of repetitions of a

SIB l-NB transmission, a TBS, and an SFRN for a SIB l-NB transmission may be given by a field in an NB-MIB in accordance with Table 1 and/or Table 2 below.

Table 1 : 4-bit field in the NB-MIB to indicate TBS and

number of repetitions of SI B1 -NB

Table 2: Mapping from number of repetitions of SIB1 -NB and PCID to

starting radio frame number ^:or SIB1 -NB repetitions

[0049] Accordingly, if PCID values are not same between an anchor NB-IoT carrier for a UE and a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier that the UE is being directed to, starting radio frame numbers for the SIBl-NB repetitions may also be different.

[0050] In some embodiments, a UE may assume that an anchor NB-IoT carrier and a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier use the same number of repetitions. The UE may determine the starting radio frame number of SIBl-NB repetitions using the PCID of the non-anchor NB-IoT carrier. For some embodiments, the PCID value of a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier may be signaled to a UE, if it is different from the value for the UE's anchor NB-IoT carrier. However, for various reasons, the number of repetitions of the SIBl-NB and the NB-PDSCH transmissions carrying NB-SI messages may be different between two carriers. [0051] First, a UE's anchor NB-IoT carrier and non-anchor NB-IoT carrier may be in different modes of operation. For example, an anchor NB-IoT carrier may be deployed in a guard-band mode of operation, and a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier may be deployed in an in- band mode of operation. In such cases, there may be a significant difference in a number of REs available in a DL PRB-pair or a DL subframe, such as up to 50% of REs in a guard-band mode of operation, which may be 152 REs, in comparison with 100 REs in an in-band mode of operation (assuming 3 symbols reserved for LTE Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the presence of 4-port LTE Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS), and a 2-port Narrow-Band Reference Signals (NB-RS)). Accordingly, the number of repetitions of SIB1-NB, or the number of repetitions of another NB-SI transmission targeting the same coverage level, may be significantly different, in order to avoid either over-dimensioning or under-provisioning in case the same number of repetitions is assumed for both cases.

[0052] Second, similar considerations may be significant based on a difference in DL

Transmit (Tx) power and power boosting. For example, separate power amplifiers (PAs) may be used between an in-band mode of operation and a guard-band mode of operation.

[0053] Third, a network may multiplex UEs in different coverage levels on different

NB-IoT carriers (e.g., an anchor NB-IoT carrier and a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier) not only for unicast transmissions, but also for transmissions of common control channels, which may include SIB1-NB and other NB-SI messages. For example, in an MCO case involving two anchor carriers, an eNB may target extended coverage and extreme coverage UEs on one NB-IoT carrier, and may target basic coverage UEs on the other NB-IoT carrier. As a result, a number of repetitions used for SIB1-NB and other NB-SI messages may be markedly higher for the NB-IoT carrier targeting extended and extreme coverage UEs compared to those for the NB-IoT carrier targeting UEs in better coverage conditions.

[0054] Therefore, the subframes used for SIB1-NB and other NB-SI messages may be different between two anchor carriers in a deployment, which may advantageously support better resource allocation flexibility and optimized operation. Accordingly, in some embodiments, instead of assuming the same number and location of subframes for SIB1-NB and other NB-SI message transmissions, time-domain scheduling information for SIB1-NB and other NB-SI messages may be signaled to a UE during RRC configuration directing it to another NB-IoT carrier (which may serve as an anchor NB-IoT carrier for other UEs).

[0055] In some embodiments, SI scheduling related information might be sent to the

UE via dedicated RRC configuration signaling. For some embodiments, SI scheduling related information might be sent to the UE via broadcast RRC configuration signaling. [0056] Dedicated signaling may facilitate improved flexibility of a network to reconfigure UEs to different NB-IoT carriers dynamically (e.g., based on a network load). Some examples of dedicated signaling that might be used to carry SI scheduling related information may include an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Resume message, and/or another DL RRC message in which a network may convey RRC configuration information.

[0057] For some embodiments, a network may send SI scheduling related information through a broadcast channel on the premise that such information is common for one or more UEs (e.g., up to and including all UEs) redirected to the corresponding NB-IoT carrier. Such information may be conveyed through an existing SIB, or through a new SIB. Conveying such information via broadcast signaling may be advantageous when a network shares much of, or all of, the information for each NB-IoT carrier, and the UE uses an NB-IoT carrier that it is reconfigured to use. In such embodiments, even if a UE gets reconfigured at a future time while being connected, it may be possible to use stored SI scheduling information.

[0058] For some embodiments, a UE may decode before getting connected, or potentially after dedicated signaling indicates its reconfiguration to a new NB-IoT carrier. For example, a network may indicate, semi-statically, one or more UEs operating at different coverage enhancements (CE) levels to different carriers. Accordingly, SI scheduling information may be broadcast, and after establishing an RRC connection, a UE may automatically start operating directly in another NB-IoT carrier (e.g., a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier) for future dedicated messages and/or unicast messages (e.g., as a default

configuration).

[0059] Alternatively, a UE may wait until a network indicates that the UE may start operating in another NB-IoT carrier (e.g., a non-anchor NB-IoT carrier) considering associated signaling that has been broadcast, and potentially a new configuration sent to the UE through a dedicated NB-IoT carrier (e.g., an anchor NB-IoT carrier).

[0060] For example, in some embodiments, a 2-bit field may be used to signal a number of repetitions used for SIB1-NB transmissions (RSIBI-NB) within a 256 radio frame period. As another example, in some embodiments, an entire 4-bit field from an NB-MIB for a second anchor NB-IoT carrier, which may correspond to SIB1-NB scheduling information indicating both a TBS and an RSIBI-NB value, may be signaled to a UE via dedicated signaling.

[0061] For subframes used for transmission of other NB-SI messages, scheduling information may be carried by a SIB1-NB transmission itself. In some embodiments, time- domain scheduling information for other NB-SI message transmission for the second anchor NB-IoT carrier (e.g., details of the scheduling window and/or a number of repetitions within a scheduling window) may be signaled to a UE via dedicated signaling in a manner similar to the signaling of time-domain scheduling information for SIB1-NB. For some embodiments, some of, or all of, the scheduling information for transmission of other NB-SI messages (which may include time-domain resource scheduling information and/or TBS values) may be signaled to the UE.

[0062] In some embodiments, a bitmap of subframes occupied by SI and subframes not occupied by SI may be provided. Such a bitmap may be applicable at certain instants in time, or with certain periodicity. For some embodiments, multiple different bitmaps may be provided, which may be applicable at various different instants in time, or with various different periodicities.

[0063] For some embodiments, instead of assuming that one valid DL subframe configuration (e.g., an NB-IoT DL subframe configuration) applies to all NB-IoT carriers (or at least between an anchor NB-IoT carrier and an additional NB-IoT carrier), a cell-specific DL valid subframe configuration for an additional NB-IoT carrier (i.e., a second anchor NB-IoT carrier) may also be signaled to a UE via dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). Note that a cell-specific DL valid subframe configuration may be optionally signaled by an eNB using a 10-bit bitmap in a stand-alone mode or a guard-band mode, and/or by a 10-bit bitmap or a 40-bit bitmap in an in-band mode.

[0064] As a result, a UE may perform rate-matching around subframes used for

NB-PSS, NB-SSS, NB-PBCH, SIB1-NB, and/or other NB-SI messages on the additional NB-IoT carrier (e.g., for any NB-PDCCH and/or NB-PDSCH transmissions that may coincide with the above-mentioned subframes), and the UE may postpone any NB-PDCCH and/or NB-PDSCH transmissions to a next available valid DL subframe. Thus, a UE may use knowledge of physical resources used for carrying the NB-PSS, NB-SSS, NB-PBCH, SIB1-NB, and/or other NB-SI messages for rate matching purposes, and might not be expected to detect or decode any of these signals or messages.

[0065] Some embodiments discussed herein may also apply to signaling of a UL valid subframes configuration (e.g., an NB-IoT UL subframe configuration) for an RRC- configured additional UL carrier (e.g., an NB-IoT UL carrier), if indication of UL valid subframes is supported for NB-IoT.

[0066] For some embodiments, an additional NB-IoT carrier may carry NB-PSS and/or NB-SSS only, and not NB-PBCH or system information (e.g., NB-SI). Such a design may advantageously help avoid an additional retiming for UEs monitoring the additional (e.g., non-anchor) NB-IoT carrier.

[0067] In some embodiments, in addition to a parameter indicating that an NB-IoT carrier may serve as an anchor for others (e.g., a parameter such as

"servesAsAnAnchorForOthers"), a new parameter indicating that an NB-IoT carrier bears synchronization signals (e.g., a parameter such as "carrierHasSyncSignals") may also be signaled as part of an RRC configuration, or via SIB signaling on anchor NB-IoT carriers, to indicate that an additional NB-IoT carrier bears NB-PSS and/or NB-SSS transmissions. Each of the two parameters may be operable to have a first value (e.g., a value of "true") and/or a second value (e.g., a value of "false"). If the parameter indicating that the carrier may serve as an anchor for others (e.g., the "servesAsAnAnchorForOthers" parameter) has the first value (e.g., "true"), then the parameter indicating that the carrier bears synchronization signals (e.g., the "carrierHasSyncSignals" parameter) may be assumed to have the first value (e.g., "true"), and might not be signaled.

[0068] For some embodiments, a first parameter indicating that an NB-IoT carrier has common channels (e.g., a parameter such as "carrierHasCommonChannels") and a second parameter indicating that the carrier bears synchronization signals (e.g., the

"carrierHasSyncSignals" parameter) may be signaled to a UE by dedicated RRC signaling, or by SIB signaling on an anchor carriers. In such embodiments, a parameter indicating that a carrier may serve as an anchor for others (e.g., the "servesAsAnAnchorForOthers" parameter) might not be signaled. Each of the two parameters may have a first value (e.g., a value of "true") and/or a second value (e.g., a value of "false") independent of each other.

[0069] In some embodiments, if a parameter indicating that an NB-IoT carrier has common channels (e.g., the "carrierHasCommonChannels" parameter) has the first value (e.g., "true"), then a parameter indicating that the carrier bears synchronization signals (e.g., the "carrierHasSyncSignals" parameter) may also be assumed to have the first value (e.g., "true") and might not be signaled.

[0070] For some embodiments, for cases in which the parameters discussed herein are indicated via SIB signaling, the signaling of these parameters may be provided corresponding to each candidate additional NB-IoT carrier that a UE may be subsequently directed to via dedicated RRC signaling.

[0071] In some embodiments, a configuration for some of, or all of, the additional

NB-IoT carriers may be the same, and a single set of parameters may be configured. For example, some of, or all of, the NB-IoT carriers in a deployment carry NB-PSS and/or NB-SSS. Accordingly, a parameter indicating that a carrier has synchronization signals (e.g., the "carrierHasSyncSignals" parameter) may have a predetermined value (e.g., a value of "true") for all carriers within the MCO.

[0072] Fig. 4 illustrates an eNB and a UE, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Fig. 4 includes block diagrams of an eNB 410 and a UE 430 which are operable to co-exist with each other and other elements of an LTE network. High-level, simplified architectures of eNB 410 and UE 430 are described so as not to obscure the embodiments. It should be noted that in some embodiments, eNB 410 may be a stationary non-mobile device.

[0073] eNB 410 is coupled to one or more antennas 405, and UE 430 is similarly coupled to one or more antennas 425. However, in some embodiments, eNB 410 may incorporate or comprise antennas 405, and UE 430 in various embodiments may incorporate or comprise antennas 425.

[0074] In some embodiments, antennas 405 and/or antennas 425 may comprise one or more directional or omni-directional antennas, including monopole antennas, dipole antennas, loop antennas, patch antennas, microstrip antennas, coplanar wave antennas, or other types of antennas suitable for transmission of RF signals. In some MIMO (multiple-input and multiple output) embodiments, antennas 405 are separated to take advantage of spatial diversity.

[0075] eNB 410 and UE 430 are operable to communicate with each other on a network, such as a wireless network. eNB 410 and UE 430 may be in communication with each other over a wireless communication channel 450, which has both a downlink path from eNB 410 to UE 430 and an uplink path from UE 430 to eNB 410.

[0076] As illustrated in Fig. 4, in some embodiments, eNB 410 may include a physical layer circuitry 412, a MAC (media access control) circuitry 414, a processor 416, a memory 418, and a hardware processing circuitry 420. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that other components not shown may be used in addition to the components shown to form a complete eNB.

[0077] In some embodiments, physical layer circuitry 412 includes a transceiver 413 for providing signals to and from UE 430. Transceiver 413 provides signals to and from UEs or other devices using one or more antennas 405. In some embodiments, MAC circuitry 414 controls access to the wireless medium. Memory 418 may be, or may include, a storage media/medium such as a magnetic storage media (e.g., magnetic tapes or magnetic disks), an optical storage media (e.g., optical discs), an electronic storage media (e.g., conventional hard disk drives, solid-state disk drives, or flash-memory-based storage media), or any tangible storage media or non-transitory storage media. Hardware processing circuitry 420 may comprise logic devices or circuitry to perform various operations. In some embodiments, processor 416 and memory 418 are arranged to perform the operations of hardware processing circuitry 420, such as operations described herein with reference to logic devices and circuitry within eNB 410 and/or hardware processing circuitry 420.

[0078] Accordingly, in some embodiments, eNB 410 may be a device comprising an application processor, a memory, one or more antenna ports, and an interface for allowing the application processor to communicate with another device.

[0079] As is also illustrated in Fig. 4, in some embodiments, UE 430 may include a physical layer circuitry 432, a MAC circuitry 434, a processor 436, a memory 438, a hardware processing circuitry 440, a wireless interface 442, and a display 444. A person skilled in the art would appreciate that other components not shown may be used in addition to the components shown to form a complete UE.

[0080] In some embodiments, physical layer circuitry 432 includes a transceiver 433 for providing signals to and from eNB 410 (as well as other eNBs). Transceiver 433 provides signals to and from eNBs or other devices using one or more antennas 425. In some embodiments, MAC circuitry 434 controls access to the wireless medium. Memory 438 may be, or may include, a storage media/medium such as a magnetic storage media (e.g., magnetic tapes or magnetic disks), an optical storage media (e.g., optical discs), an electronic storage media (e.g., conventional hard disk drives, solid-state disk drives, or flash-memory -based storage media), or any tangible storage media or non-transitory storage media. Wireless interface 442 may be arranged to allow the processor to communicate with another device. Display 444 may provide a visual and/or tactile display for a user to interact with UE 430, such as a touch-screen display. Hardware processing circuitry 440 may comprise logic devices or circuitry to perform various operations. In some embodiments, processor 436 and memory 438 may be arranged to perform the operations of hardware processing circuitry 440, such as operations described herein with reference to logic devices and circuitry within UE 430 and/or hardware processing circuitry 440.

[0081] Accordingly, in some embodiments, UE 430 may be a device comprising an application processor, a memory, one or more antennas, a wireless interface for allowing the application processor to communicate with another device, and a touch-screen display.

[0082] Elements of Fig. 4, and elements of other figures having the same names or reference numbers, can operate or function in the manner described herein with respect to any such figures (although the operation and function of such elements is not limited to such descriptions). For example, Figs. 5 and 6 also depict embodiments of eNBs, hardware processing circuitry of eNBs, UEs, and/or hardware processing circuitry of UEs, and the embodiments described with respect to Fig. 4 as well as Figs. 5 and 6 can operate or function in the manner described herein with respect to any of the figures.

[0083] In addition, although eNB 410 and UE 430 are each described as having several separate functional elements, one or more of the functional elements may be combined and may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements and/or other hardware elements. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the functional elements can refer to one or more processes operating on one or more processing elements. Examples of software and/or hardware configured elements include Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), one or more microprocessors, DSPs, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFICs), and so on.

[0084] Fig. 5 illustrates hardware processing circuitries for a UE for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in NB-IoT systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. With reference to Fig. 4, a UE may include various hardware processing circuitries discussed herein (such as hardware processing circuitry 500 of Fig. 5), which may in turn comprise logic devices and/or circuitry operable to perform various operations. For example, in Fig. 4, UE 430 (or various elements or components therein, such as hardware processing circuitry 440, or combinations of elements or components therein) may include part of, or all of, these hardware processing circuitries.

[0085] In some embodiments, one or more devices or circuitries within these hardware processing circuitries may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements and/or other hardware elements. For example, processor 436 (and/or one or more other processors which UE 430 may comprise), memory 438, and/or other elements or components of UE 430 (which may include hardware processing circuitry 440) may be arranged to perform the operations of these hardware processing circuitries, such as operations described herein with reference to devices and circuitry within these hardware processing circuitries. In some embodiments, processor 436 (and/or one or more other processors which UE 430 may comprise) may be a baseband processor.

[0086] Returning to Fig. 5, an apparatus of UE 430 (or another UE or mobile handset), which may be operable to communicate with one or more eNBs on a wireless network, may comprise hardware processing circuitry 500. In some embodiments, hardware processing circuitry 500 may comprise one or more antenna ports 505 operable to provide various transmissions over a wireless communication channel (such as wireless

communication channel 450). Antenna ports 505 may be coupled to one or more antennas 507 (which may be antennas 425). In some embodiments, hardware processing circuitry 500 may incorporate antennas 507, while in other embodiments, hardware processing circuitry 500 may merely be coupled to antennas 507.

[0087] Antenna ports 505 and antennas 507 may be operable to provide signals from a UE to a wireless communications channel and/or an eNB, and may be operable to provide signals from an eNB and/or a wireless communications channel to a UE. For example, antenna ports 505 and antennas 507 may be operable to provide transmissions from UE 430 to wireless communication channel 450 (and from there to eNB 410, or to another eNB). Similarly, antennas 507 and antenna ports 505 may be operable to provide transmissions from a wireless communication channel 450 (and beyond that, from eNB 410, or another eNB) to UE 430.

[0088] An apparatus of a UE, which may be operable to communicate with a first

NB-IoT carrier and a second NB-IoT carrier on a wireless network, may comprise hardware processing circuitry 500. Hardware processing circuitry 500 may comprise various circuitries operable in accordance with the various embodiments discussed herein. With reference to Fig. 5, hardware processing circuitry 500 may comprise a first circuitry 510 and/or a second circuitry 520. First circuitry 510 may be operable to process an RRC message from the first NB-IoT carrier directing the UE to process an SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. Second circuitry 520 may be operable to determine one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier based on the RRC message. First circuitry 510 may be operable to provide information pertaining to the RRC message to second circuitry 520 via an interface 515. The one or more parameters may include: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier, and/or an SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. In various embodiments, the apparatus of the UE may comprise an interface to receive the RRC message (e.g., an interface with an RF circuitry to input the RRC message from the RF circuitry).

[0089] In some embodiments, the UE may be an NB-IoT capable UE, and/or one or more of the first NB-IoT carrier and the second NB-IoT carrier may be NB-IoT capable eNBs. For some embodiments, the first NB-IoT carrier may be an anchor eNB, and/or the second NB-IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB. In some embodiments, the SI message may be a SIB-1 message. For some embodiments, the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier may be based upon a four-bit indicator in a MIB transmission of the first NB-IoT carrier.

[0090] For some embodiments, the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier, and/or the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry time-domain scheduling information for the SI message. For some embodiments, the time-domain scheduling information may include the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier.

[0091] In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period. For some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a four-bit indicator indicating both a TBS and the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a NB-IoT DL subframe configuration for the second NB-IoT carrier.

[0092] For some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a first additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable as an anchor eNB, and/or a second additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable to provide at least one of: PSS, and SSS. In some embodiments, an additional parameter may indicate that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a PSS and a SSS is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or SIB signaling of the first NB-IoT carrier.

[0093] In some embodiments, first circuitry 510 and/or second circuitry 520 may be implemented as separate circuitries. In other embodiments, first circuitry 510 and second circuitry 520 may be combined and implemented together in a circuitry without altering the essence of the embodiments.

[0094] Fig. 6 illustrates hardware processing circuitries for an eNB for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in NB-IoT systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. With reference to Fig. 4, an eNB may include various hardware processing circuitries discussed herein (such as hardware processing circuitry 600 of Fig. 6), which may in turn comprise logic devices and/or circuitry operable to perform various operations. For example, in Fig. 4, eNB 410 (or various elements or components therein, such as hardware processing circuitry 420, or combinations of elements or components therein) may include part of, or all of, these hardware processing circuitries. [0095] In some embodiments, one or more devices or circuitries within these hardware processing circuitries may be implemented by combinations of software-configured elements and/or other hardware elements. For example, processor 416 (and/or one or more other processors which eNB 410 may comprise), memory 418, and/or other elements or components of eNB 410 (which may include hardware processing circuitry 420) may be arranged to perform the operations of these hardware processing circuitries, such as operations described herein with reference to devices and circuitry within these hardware processing circuitries. In some embodiments, processor 416 (and/or one or more other processors which eNB 410 may comprise) may be a baseband processor.

[0096] Returning to Fig. 6, an apparatus of eNB 410 (or another eNB or base station), which may be operable to communicate with one or more UEs on a wireless network, may comprise hardware processing circuitry 600. In some embodiments, hardware processing circuitry 600 may comprise one or more antenna ports 605 operable to provide various transmissions over a wireless communication channel (such as wireless communication channel 450). Antenna ports 605 may be coupled to one or more antennas 607 (which may be antennas 405). In some embodiments, hardware processing circuitry 600 may incorporate antennas 607, while in other embodiments, hardware processing circuitry 600 may merely be coupled to antennas 607.

[0097] Antenna ports 605 and antennas 607 may be operable to provide signals from an eNB to a wireless communications channel and/or a UE, and may be operable to provide signals from a UE and/or a wireless communications channel to an eNB. For example, antenna ports 605 and antennas 607 may be operable to provide transmissions from eNB 410 to wireless communication channel 450 (and from there to UE 430, or to another UE).

Similarly, antennas 607 and antenna ports 605 may be operable to provide transmissions from a wireless communication channel 450 (and beyond that, from UE 430, or another UE) to eNB 410.

[0098] An apparatus of a first NB-IoT carrier, which may be operable to

communicate with a UE on a wireless network, may comprise hardware processing circuitry 600. Hardware processing circuitry 600 may comprise various circuitries operable in accordance with the various embodiments discussed herein. With reference to Fig. 6, hardware processing circuitry 600 may comprise a first circuitry 610 and/or a second circuitry 620. First circuitry 610 may be operable to establish one or more parameters of a second NB-IoT carrier. Second circuitry 620 may be operable to generate an RRC message carrying the one or more parameters and directing the UE to process an SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. First circuitry 610 may be operable to provide information pertaining to the one or more parameters to second circuitry 620 via an interface 615. The one or more parameters may include: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier, and/or an SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. In various embodiments, the apparatus of the first NB-IoT carrier may comprise an interface to transmit the RRC message (e.g., an interface with an RF circuitry to output the RRC message to the RF circuitry).

[0099] In some embodiments, the UE may be an NB-IoT capable UE, and/or one or more of the first NB-IoT carrier and the second NB-IoT carrier may be NB-IoT capable eNBs. For some embodiments, the first NB-IoT carrier may be an anchor eNB, and/or the second NB-IoT carrier may be a non-anchor eNB. In some embodiments, the SI message may be a SIB-1 message. In some embodiments, second circuitry 620 may be operable to generate a MIB transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00100] For some embodiments, the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier, and/or the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry time-domain scheduling information for the SI message. For some embodiments, the time-domain scheduling information may include the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00101] In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period. For some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a four-bit indicator indicating both a TBS and the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a NB-IoT DL subframe configuration for the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00102] For some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a first additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable as an anchor eNB, and/or a second additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable to provide at least one of: PSS, and SSS. In some embodiments, an additional parameter may indicate that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a PSS and a SSS is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or SIB signaling of the first NB IoT carrier. [00103] Fig. 7 illustrates methods for a UE for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in

NB-IoT systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. With reference to Fig. 4, methods that may relate to UE 430 and hardware processing circuitry 440 are discussed herein. Although the actions in the method 700 of Fig. 7 are shown in a particular order, the order of the actions can be modified. Thus, the illustrated embodiments can be performed in a different order, and some actions may be performed in parallel. Some of the actions and/or operations listed in Fig. 7 are optional in accordance with certain

embodiments. The numbering of the actions presented is for the sake of clarity and is not intended to prescribe an order of operations in which the various actions must occur.

Additionally, operations from the various flows may be utilized in a variety of combinations.

[00104] Moreover, in some embodiments, machine readable storage media may have executable instructions that, when executed, cause UE 430 and/or hardware processing circuitry 440 to perform an operation comprising the methods of Fig. 7. Such machine readable storage media may include any of a variety of storage media, like magnetic storage media (e.g., magnetic tapes or magnetic disks), optical storage media (e.g., optical discs), electronic storage media (e.g., conventional hard disk drives, solid-state disk drives, or flash- memory-based storage media), or any other tangible storage media or non-transitory storage media.

[00105] In some embodiments, an apparatus may comprise means for performing various actions and/or operations of the methods of Fig. 7.

[00106] Returning to Fig. 7, various methods may be in accordance with the various embodiments discussed herein. A method 700 (which may be for a UE operable to communicate with a first NB-IoT carrier and a second NB-IoT carrier on a wireless network) may comprise a processing 710 and a determining 715. In processing 710, an RRC message from the first NB-IoT carrier may be processed by the UE, the RRC message directing the UE to process an SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. In determining 715, one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier may be determined based on the RRC message. The one or more parameters may include: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier, and/or an SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00107] In some embodiments, the UE may be an NB-IoT capable UE, and/or one or more of the first NB-IoT carrier and the second NB-IoT carrier may be NB-IoT capable eNBs. For some embodiments, the first NB-IoT carrier may be an anchor eNB, and/or the second NB-IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB. In some embodiments, the SI message may be a SIB-1 message. For some embodiments, the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier may be based upon a four-bit indicator in a MIB transmission of the first NB-IoT carrier.

[00108] For some embodiments, the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier, and/or the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry time-domain scheduling information for the SI message. For some embodiments, the time-domain scheduling information may include the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00109] In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period. For some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a four-bit indicator indicating both a TBS and the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a NB-IoT DL subframe configuration for the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00110] For some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a first additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable as an anchor eNB, and/or a second additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable to provide at least one of: PSS, and SSS. In some embodiments, an additional parameter may indicate that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a PSS and a SSS is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or SIB signaling of the first NB-IoT carrier.

[00111] Fig. 8 illustrates methods for an eNB for MCO with multiple anchor carriers in NB-IoT systems, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. With reference to Fig. 4, various methods that may relate to eNB 410 and hardware processing circuitry 420 are discussed herein. Although the actions in method 800 of Fig. 8 are shown in a particular order, the order of the actions can be modified. Thus, the illustrated embodiments can be performed in a different order, and some actions may be performed in parallel. Some of the actions and/or operations listed in Fig. 8 are optional in accordance with certain

Additionally, operations from the various flows may be utilized in a variety of combinations. [00112] Moreover, in some embodiments, machine readable storage media may have executable instructions that, when executed, cause eNB 410 and/or hardware processing circuitry 420 to perform an operation comprising the methods of Fig. 8. Such machine readable storage media may include any of a variety of storage media, like magnetic storage media (e.g., magnetic tapes or magnetic disks), optical storage media (e.g., optical discs), electronic storage media (e.g., conventional hard disk drives, solid-state disk drives, or flash- memory-based storage media), or any other tangible storage media or non-transitory storage media.

[00113] In some embodiments, an apparatus may comprise means for performing various actions and/or operations of the methods of Fig. 8.

[00114] Returning to Fig. 8, various methods may be in accordance with the various embodiments discussed herein. A method 800 (which may be for an NB-IoT carrier operable to communicate with a UE on a wireless network) may comprise an establishing 810 and a generating 815. In establishing 810, one or more parameters of a second NB-IoT carrier may be established. In generating 815, an RRC message carrying the one or more parameters may be generated, the RRC message directing the UE to process an SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. The one or more parameters may include: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier, and/or an SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00115] In some embodiments, the UE may be an NB-IoT capable UE, and/or one or more of the first NB-IoT carrier and the second NB-IoT carrier may be NB-IoT capable eNBs. For some embodiments, the first NB-IoT carrier may be an anchor eNB, and/or the second NB-IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB. In some embodiments, the SI message may be a SIB-1 message. For some embodiments, in generating 820, a MIB transmission may be generated, the MIB transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00116] For some embodiments, the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier, and/or the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier may be predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry time-domain scheduling information for the SI message. For some embodiments, the time-domain scheduling information may include the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. [00117] In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period. For some

embodiments, the RRC message may carry a four-bit indicator indicating both a TBS and the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier. In some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a NB-IoT DL subframe configuration for the second NB-IoT carrier.

[00118] For some embodiments, the RRC message may carry a first additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable as an anchor eNB, and/or a second additional parameter indicating that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable to provide at least one of: PSS, and SSS. In some embodiments, an additional parameter may indicate that the second NB-IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a PSS and a SSS is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or SIB signaling of the first NB-IoT carrier.

[00119] In some embodiments, first circuitry 610 and/or second circuitry 620 may be implemented as separate circuitries. In other embodiments, first circuitry 610 and/or second circuitry 620 may be combined and implemented together in a circuitry without altering the essence of the embodiments.

[00120] Fig. 9 illustrates example components of a UE device 900, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, a UE device 900 may include application circuitry 902, baseband circuitry 904, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 906, front- end module (FEM) circuitry 908, a low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR), and one or more antennas 910, coupled together at least as shown. In some embodiments, the UE device 900 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory /storage, display, camera, sensor, and/or input/output (I/O) interface.

[00121] The application circuitry 902 may include one or more application processors.

For example, the application circuitry 902 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with and/or may include memory /storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory /storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system.

[00122] The baseband circuitry 904 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 904 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 906 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 906. Baseband processing circuity 904 may interface with the application circuitry 902 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 906. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 904 may include a second generation (2G) baseband processor 904A, third generation (3G) baseband processor 904B, fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 904C, and/or other baseband processor(s) 904D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation (5G), 6G, etc.). The baseband circuitry 904 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 904A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 906. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 904 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 904 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of

modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

[00123] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 904 may include elements of a protocol stack such as, for example, elements of an EUTRAN protocol including, for example, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and/or RRC elements. A central processing unit (CPU) 904E of the baseband circuitry 904 may be configured to run elements of the protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP and/or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 904F. The audio DSP(s) 904F may be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 904 and the application circuitry 902 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[00124] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 904 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 904 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) and/or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 904 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[00125] RF circuitry 906 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 906 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 906 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 908 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 904. RF circuitry 906 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 904 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 908 for transmission.

[00126] In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 906 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 906 may include mixer circuitry 906A, amplifier circuitry 906B and filter circuitry 906C. The transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 906 may include filter circuitry 906C and mixer circuitry 906A. RF circuitry 906 may also include synthesizer circuitry 906D for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 906A of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 906A of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 908 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 906D. The amplifier circuitry 906B may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 906C may be a low- pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 904 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 906A of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00127] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 906A of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 906D to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 908. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 904 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 906C. The filter circuitry 906C may include a low-pass filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00128] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 906A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 906A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 906A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 906A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 906A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 906A of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 906A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 906A of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

[00129] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 906 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 904 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 906.

[00130] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[00131] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 906D may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+l synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 906D may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[00132] The synthesizer circuitry 906D may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 906A of the RF circuitry 906 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 906D may be a fractional N/N+l synthesizer.

[00133] In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 904 or the applications processor 902 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 902.

[00134] Synthesizer circuitry 906D of the RF circuitry 906 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DP A). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+l (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[00135] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 906D may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 906 may include an IQ/polar converter.

[00136] FEM circuitry 908 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 910, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 906 for further processing. FEM circuitry 908 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 906 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 910.

[00137] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 908 may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 906). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 908 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 906), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 910.

[00138] In some embodiments, the UE 900 comprises a plurality of power saving mechanisms. If the UE 900 is in an RRC Connected state, where it is still connected to the eNB as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

[00139] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the UE

900 may transition off to an RRC Idle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The UE 900 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. Since the device might not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it should transition back to RRC Connected state.

[00140] An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

[00141] The baseband circuitry 904 of Fig. 9 may comprise processors 904A-904E and a memory utilized by said processors. Each of the processors 904A-904E may include a memory interface to send/receive data to/from the memory 904G.

[00142] The baseband circuitry 904 may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memory interface (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry 904), an application circuitry interface (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from the application circuitry 902 of Fig. 9), an RF circuitry interface (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry 906 of Fig. 9), a wireless hardware connectivity interface (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components), and a power management interface (e.g., an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC 912).

[00143] In addition, in various embodiments, an eNB device may include components substantially similar to one or more of the example components of UE device 900 described herein. [00144] It is pointed out that elements of any of the Figures herein having the same reference numbers and/or names as elements of any other Figure herein may, in various embodiments, operate or function in a manner similar those elements of the other Figure (without being limited to operating or functioning in such a manner).

[00145] Reference in the specification to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "some embodiments," or "other embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments. The various appearances of "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "some embodiments" are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. If the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic "may," "might," or "could" be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to "a" or "an" element, that does not mean there is only one of the elements. If the specification or claims refer to "an additional" element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.

[00146] Furthermore, the particular features, structures, functions, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, a first embodiment may be combined with a second embodiment anywhere the particular features, structures, functions, or characteristics associated with the two embodiments are not mutually exclusive.

[00147] While the disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications and variations of such embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures e.g., Dynamic RAM (DRAM) may use the

embodiments discussed. The embodiments of the disclosure are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as to fall within the broad scope of the appended claims.

[00148] In addition, well known power/ground connections to integrated circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown within the presented figures, for simplicity of illustration and discussion, and so as not to obscure the disclosure. Further, arrangements may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the disclosure, and also in view of the fact that specifics with respect to implementation of such block diagram arrangements are highly dependent upon the platform within which the present disclosure is to be implemented (i.e., such specifics should be well within purview of one skilled in the art). Where specific details (e.g., circuits) are set forth in order to describe example embodiments of the disclosure, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the disclosure can be practiced without, or with variation of, these specific details. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.

[00149] The following examples pertain to further embodiments. Specifics in the examples may be used anywhere in one or more embodiments. All optional features of the apparatus described herein may also be implemented with respect to a method or process.

[00150] In example 1 provides an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) operable to communicate with a first Narrow-Band Internet-of-Things (NB IoT) carrier and a second NB IoT carrier on a wireless network, comprising: one or more processors to: process a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the first NB IoT carrier directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier; and determine one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier based on the RRC message, and an interface to receive the RRC message, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00151] In example 2, the apparatus of example 1 , wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00152] In example 3, the apparatus of either of examples 1 or 2, wherein the first NB

IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and wherein the second NB IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

[00153] In example 4, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 3, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

[00154] In example 5, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 4, wherein the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier is based upon a four-bit indicator in a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00155] In example 6, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 5, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00156] In example 7, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 5, wherein the RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message. [00157] In example 8, the apparatus of example 7, wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00158] In example 9, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 8, wherein the RRC message carries an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period.

[00159] In example 10, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 9, wherein the

RRC message carries a four-bit indicator indicating both a Transport Block Size (TBS) and the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00160] In example 11, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 10, wherein the

RRC message carries a NB IoT Downlink (DL) subframe configuration for the second NB IoT carrier.

[00161] In example 12, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 11, wherein the

RRC message carries a first additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable as an anchor eNB; and wherein the RRC message carries a second additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide at least one of: Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), and Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS).

[00162] In example 13, the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 12, wherein an additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or System Information Block (SIB) signaling of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00163] In example 14, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 13, comprising a transceiver circuitry for at least one of: generating transmissions, encoding transmissions, processing transmissions, or decoding transmissions.

[00164] In example 15 provides a User Equipment (UE) device comprising an application processor, a memory, one or more antennas, a wireless interface for allowing the application processor to communicate with another device, and a touch-screen display, the UE device including the apparatus of any of examples 1 through 14.

[00165] In example 16 provides a method comprising: processing, for a User

Equipment (UE), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the first NB IoT carrier directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier; and determining one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier based on the RRC message, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00166] In example 17, the method of example 16, wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00167] In example 18, the method of either of examples 16 or 17, wherein the first

NB IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and wherein the second NB IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

[00168] In example 19, the method of any of examples 16 through 18, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

[00169] In example 20, the method of any of examples 16 through 19, wherein the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier is based upon a four-bit indicator in a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00170] In example 21 , the method of any of examples 16 through 20, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00171] In example 22, the method of any of examples 16 through 20, wherein the

RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message.

[00172] In example 23, the method of example 22, wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00173] In example 24, the method of any of examples 16 through 23, wherein the

RRC message carries an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period.

[00174] In example 25, the method of any of examples 16 through 24, wherein the

[00175] In example 26, the method of any of examples 16 through 25, wherein the

RRC message carries a NB IoT Downlink (DL) subframe configuration for the second NB IoT carrier. [00176] In example 27, the method of any of examples 16 through 26, wherein the

[00177] In example 28, the method of any of examples 16 through 27, wherein an additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or System Information Block (SIB) signaling of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00178] In example 29 provides machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method according to machine readable storage media of any of examples 16 through 28.

[00179] In example 30 provides an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) operable to communicate with a first Narrow-Band Internet-of-Things (NB IoT) carrier and a second NB IoT carrier on a wireless network, comprising: means for processing a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the first NB IoT carrier directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier; and means for determining one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier based on the RRC message, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00180] In example 31 , the apparatus of example 30, wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00181] In example 32, the apparatus of either of examples 30 or 31 , wherein the first

[00182] In example 33, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 32, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

[00183] In example 34, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 33, wherein the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier is based upon a four-bit indicator in a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00184] In example 35, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 34, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00185] In example 36, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 34, wherein the

RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message.

[00186] In example 37, the apparatus of example 36, wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00187] In example 38, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 37, wherein the

[00188] In example 39, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 38, wherein the

[00189] In example 40, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 39, wherein the

[00190] In example 41, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 40, wherein the

[00191] In example 42, the apparatus of any of examples 30 through 41, wherein an additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or System Information Block (SIB) signaling of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00192] In example 43 provides machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a User

Equipment (UE) operable to communicate with a first Narrow-Band Internet-of-Things (NB IoT) carrier and a second NB IoT carrier on a wireless network to perform an operation comprising: process a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the first NB IoT carrier directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier; and determine one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier based on the RRC message, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00193] In example 44, the machine readable storage media of example 43, wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00194] In example 45, the machine readable storage media of either of examples 43 or

44, wherein the first NB IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and wherein the second NB IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

[00195] In example 46, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 45, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

[00196] In example 47, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 46, wherein the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier is based upon a four-bit indicator in a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00197] In example 48, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 47, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00198] In example 49, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 47, wherein the RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message.

[00199] In example 50, the machine readable storage media of example 49, wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00200] In example 51 , the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 50, wherein the RRC message carries an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period. [00201] In example 52, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 51, wherein the RRC message carries a four-bit indicator indicating both a Transport Block Size (TBS) and the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00202] In example 53, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 52, wherein the RRC message carries a NB IoT Downlink (DL) subframe configuration for the second NB IoT carrier.

[00203] In example 54, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 53, wherein the RRC message carries a first additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable as an anchor eNB; and wherein the RRC message carries a second additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide at least one of: Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), and Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS).

[00204] In example 55, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 43 through 54, wherein an additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide one or more of a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is carried by one of: RRC signaling, or System Information Block (SIB) signaling of the first NB IoT carrier.

[00205] In example 56 provides an apparatus of a first Narrow-Band Internet-of-

Things (NB IoT) carrier operable to communicate with a User Equipment (UE) on a wireless network, comprising: one or more processors to: establish one or more parameters of a second NB IoT carrier; and generate a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message carrying the one or more parameters and directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier, and an interface to transmit the RRC message, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00206] In example 57, the apparatus of example 56, wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00207] In example 58, the apparatus of either of examples 56 or 57, wherein the first

NB IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and wherein the second NB IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB. [00208] In example 59, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 58, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

[00209] In example 60, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 59, wherein the one or more processors are to: generate a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier.

[00210] In example 61 , the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 60, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00211] In example 62, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 60, wherein the

RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message.

[00212] In example 63, the apparatus of example 62, wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00213] In example 64, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 63, wherein the

[00214] In example 65, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 64, wherein the

[00215] In example 66, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 65, wherein the

[00216] In example 67, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 66, wherein the

[00217] In example 68, the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 67, comprising a transceiver circuitry for at least one of: generating transmissions, encoding transmissions, processing transmissions, or decoding transmissions. [00218] In example 69. An Evolved Node B (eNB) device comprising an application processor, a memory, one or more antenna ports, and an interface for allowing the application processor to communicate with another device, the eNB device including the apparatus of any of examples 56 through 68.

[00219] In example 70 provides a method comprising: establishing, for a Narrow-Band

Intemet-of-Things (NB-IoT) carrier, one or more parameters of a second NB IoT carrier; and generating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message carrying the one or more parameters and directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00220] In example 71 , the method of example 70, wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00221] In example 72, the method of either of examples 70 or 71, wherein the first

[00222] In example 73, the method of any of examples 70 through 72, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

[00223] In example 74, the method of any of examples 70 through 73, the operation comprising: generate a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier.

[00224] In example 75, the method of any of examples 70 through 74, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00225] In example 76, the method of any of examples 70 through 74, wherein the

RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message.

[00226] In example 77, the method of example 76, wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier. [00227] In example 78, the method of any of examples 70 through 77, wherein the

[00228] In example 79, the method of any of examples 70 through 78, wherein the

[00229] In example 80, the method of any of examples 70 through 79, wherein the

[00230] In example 81 , the method of any of examples 70 through 80, wherein the

[00231] In example 82 provides machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method according to 70 through 81.

[00232] In example 83 provides an apparatus of a first Narrow-Band Internet-of-

Things (NB IoT) carrier operable to communicate with a User Equipment (UE) on a wireless network, comprising: means for establishing one or more parameters of a second NB IoT carrier; and means for generating a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message carrying the one or more parameters and directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00233] In example 84, the apparatus of example 83, wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00234] In example 85, the apparatus of either of examples 83 or 84, wherein the first

[00235] In example 86, the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 85, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message. [00236] In example 87, the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 86, the operation comprising: generate a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier.

[00237] In example 88, the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 87, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00238] In example 89, the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 87, wherein the

RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message.

[00239] In example 90, the apparatus of example 89, wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00240] In example 91 , the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 90, wherein the

[00241] In example 92, the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 91, wherein the

[00242] In example 93, the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 92, wherein the

[00243] In example 94, the apparatus of any of examples 83 through 93, wherein the

[00244] In example 95 provides machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a Narrow-Band Intemet-of-Things (NB IoT) carrier operable to communicate with a User Equipment (UE) on a wireless network to perform an operation comprising: establish one or more parameters of a second NB IoT carrier; and generate a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message carrying the one or more parameters and directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB IoT carrier, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00245] In example 96, the machine readable storage media of example 95, wherein the UE is an NB IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB IoT carrier and the second NB IoT carrier are NB IoT capable eNBs.

[00246] In example 97, the machine readable storage media of either of examples 95 or

96, wherein the first NB IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and wherein the second NB IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

[00247] In example 98, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 97, wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

[00248] In example 99, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 98, the operation comprising: generate a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB IoT carrier.

[00249] In example 100, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 99, wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier; and wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB IoT carrier.

[00250] In example 101, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 99, wherein the RRC message carries time-domain scheduling information for the SI message.

[00251] In example 102, the machine readable storage media of example 101 , wherein the time-domain scheduling information includes the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier.

[00252] In example 103, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 102, wherein the RRC message carries an indicator of a number of repetitions used for the SI message within a 256 radio-frame period.

[00253] In example 104, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 103, wherein the RRC message carries a four-bit indicator indicating both a

Transport Block Size (TBS) and the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB IoT carrier. [00254] In example 105, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 104, wherein the RRC message carries a NB IoT Downlink (DL) subframe configuration for the second NB IoT carrier.

[00255] In example 106, the machine readable storage media of any of examples 95 through 105, wherein the RRC message carries a first additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable as an anchor eNB; and wherein the RRC message carries a second additional parameter indicating that the second NB IoT carrier is operable to provide at least one of: Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), and Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS).

[00256] In example 107, the apparatus of any of 1 through 13, and examples 56 through 67, wherein the one or more processors comprise a baseband processor.

[00257] In example 108, the apparatus of any of 1 through 13, and examples 56 through 67, comprising a memory for storing instructions, the memory being coupled to the one or more processors.

[00258] In example 109, the apparatus of any of 1 through 13, and examples 56 through 67, comprising a transceiver circuitry for generating transmissions and processing transmissions.

[00259] An abstract is provided that will allow the reader to ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. The following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

CLAIMS We claim:

1. An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) operable to communicate with a first Narrow- Band Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) carrier and a second NB-IoT carrier on a wireless network, comprising:

one or more processors to:

process a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message from the first NB-IoT carrier directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB-IoT carrier; and

determine one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier based on the RRC message, and

an interface to receive the RRC message,

wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: a number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier, and a starting radio frame number (SRFN) for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the UE is an NB-IoT capable UE, and one or more of the first NB-IoT carrier and the second NB-IoT carrier are NB-IoT capable eNBs.

3. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2,

wherein the first NB-IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and

wherein the second NB-IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

4. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2,

wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

5. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2,

wherein the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT

carrier is based upon a four-bit indicator in a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission of the first NB-IoT carrier.

6. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2,

wherein the number of repetitions for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier is predetermined to be the same as a number of repetitions for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier; and

wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier is

predetermined to be the same as an SRFN for the SI message for the first NB-IoT carrier.

7. Machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions that, when

executed, cause one or more processors of a User Equipment (UE) operable to communicate with a first Narrow-Band Intemet-of-Things (NB-IoT) carrier and a second NB-IoT carrier on a wireless network to perform an operation comprising:

determine one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier based on the RRC message,

8. The machine readable storage media of claim 7,

9. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 7 or 8,

wherein the first NB-IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and

wherein the second NB-IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

10. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 7 or 8,

wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

11. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 7 or 8,

wherein the determination of the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT

12. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 7 or 8,

wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier is

13. An apparatus of a first Narrow-Band Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) carrier operable to communicate with a User Equipment (UE) on a wireless network, comprising:

one or more processors to:

establish one or more parameters of a second NB-IoT carrier; and

generate a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message carrying the one or more parameters and directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB-IoT carrier, and

an interface to transmit the RRC message,

14. The apparatus of claim 13,

15. The apparatus of either of claims 13 or 14,

wherein the first NB-IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and

wherein the second NB-IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

16. The apparatus of either of claims 13 or 14,

wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

17. The apparatus of either of claims 13 or 14, wherein the one or more processors are to: generate a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier.

18. The apparatus of either of claims 13 or 14,

wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier is

19. Machine readable storage media having machine executable instructions that, when

executed, cause one or more processors of a Narrow-Band Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) carrier operable to communicate with a User Equipment (UE) on a wireless network to perform an operation comprising:

establish one or more parameters of a second NB-IoT carrier; and

generate a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message carrying the one or more

parameters and directing the UE to process a System Information (SI) message from the second NB-IoT carrier,

20. The machine readable storage media of claim 19,

21. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 19 or 20,

wherein the first NB-IoT carrier is an anchor eNB; and

wherein the second NB-IoT carrier is a non-anchor eNB.

22. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 19 or 20,

wherein the SI message is a System Information Block 1 (SIB-1) message.

23. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 19 or 20, the operation

comprising:

generate a Master Information Block (MIB) transmission carrying a four-bit indicator establishing the one or more parameters of the second NB-IoT carrier.

24. The machine readable storage media of either of claims 19 or 20,

wherein the SRFN for the SI message from the second NB-IoT carrier is