WO2018085723A1

WO2018085723A1 - Systems and methods to optimize reporting of physical capability parameters in a telecommunication network

Info

Publication number: WO2018085723A1
Application number: PCT/US2017/060050
Authority: WO
Inventors: Naveen PALLE; Youn Hyoung Heo; Alexei Davydov; Gerhard Eichiner; Birgit Breining
Original assignee: Intel IP Corporation
Priority date: 2016-11-04
Filing date: 2017-11-03
Publication date: 2018-05-11
Also published as: DE112017005125T5

Abstract

User Equipment (UE) may report carrier aggregation capabilities by eliminating redundant physical parameters (Full-Dimension Multiple Input, Multiple Output (FD-MIMO) information, Transition Mode 10 (TM10), etc.) and therefore reducing the amount of UE capability information reported to a base station. Physical parameters that are not dependent on, or specific to, a band combination, but are dependent just on the band combination order, may be decoupled from the band combination and redefined as physical layer capabilities of the UE. Physical parameters that are depend on, or specific to, a band combination, may remain associated with the specific band combination and reported as Radio Frequency (RF) capabilities of the UE. The base station may determine suitable parameters for a band combination assigned to the UE based on the RF capabilities and the physical layer capabilities of the UE.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO OPTIMIZE REPORTING OF PHYSICAL CAPABILITY PARAMETERS IN A TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/417,692, which was filed on November 4, 2016, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

Wireless telecommunication networks may include User Equipment (UE) (e.g., smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, etc.) Radio Access Networks (RANs) (that often include one or more base stations), and a core network. A UE may connect to the core network by communicating with a base station and registering with the core network.

Communications between the UE and the base station may occur over signal carriers corresponding to a particular frequency band.

The rate at which information may be communicated between the UE and the base station may depend on several factors, including the number of carriers being used. For example, while the UE and base station may communicate with one another via a single carrier, in other scenarios, a technique commonly referred to as Carrier Aggregation (CA) may be implemented, whereby the UE and base station may use multiple carriers to communicate with one another. Implementing CA may include the base station requesting UE capability information from the UE, the UE (in response) informing the base station about the bands that the UE may use for CA purposes, and the base station allocating carriers to the UE accordingly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments described herein will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals may designate like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates an architecture of a system of a network in accordance with some embodiments;

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an example process for reporting dependent and non- dependent physical parameters to an enhanced NodeB (eNB);

Fig. 3 is a diagram of an example of consolidating non-dependent physical parameters; Fig. 4 is a diagram of an example of a data structure for reporting dependent and non- dependent physical parameters;

Fig. 5 is a sequence flow diagram of an example process for allocating a band combination based on User Equipment (UE) capability information;

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of an example process for determining baseband capabilities of a UE based on UE capability information;

Fig. 7 illustrates example components of a device in accordance with some embodiments;

Fig. 8 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments; and

Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

A User Equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station of a wireless telecommunication network via carrier signals (referred to herein as "carriers") corresponding to a particular frequency band (referred to herein as "band"). The rate at which information may be communicated between the UE and the base station may depend on the number of carriers that the UE and the base station use to communicate with one another. In some scenarios, the UE and base station may only use one carrier to communicate with one another, while in other scenarios, the UE and base station may use multiple carriers to communicate with one another. In such a scenario, the carriers may correspond to multiple, distinct bands, referred to herein as a combination of bands. In some embodiments, such as Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing OFDM) scenarios, the UE and base station may communicate with one another via multiple carriers (e.g., a carrier within a carrier, a main carrier with one or more subcarriers, etc.) within the same band. A "band combination," as described herein, may refer to two or more bands that may be used to establish carriers between a UE and a wireless network. In some embodiments, a band combination may include a single band that is used multiple times for a carrier and one or more subcarriers.

Techniques that enable a UE and base station to communicate with one another using multiple carriers may include Carrier Aggregation, Licensed- Assisted Access (LAA), Dual Connectivity, etc. As one example, Carrier Aggregation (CA) may enable the UE and base station to use multiple bands from a licensed spectrum (e.g. , Long-Term Evolution (LTE) carrier). As another example, LAA may enable the UE to communicate with the wireless network using a band from the licensed spectrum and a band from the unlicensed spectrum (e.g. , a Wi-Fi® carrier). Such techniques may be to herein generally as "carrier aggregation. " Carrier aggregation techniques may include the UE informing the wireless network

(e.g. , the base station) about the bands that the UE is capable of using for carrier aggregation purposes. For instance, a UE may send a message, to the base station, that includes information describing all of the bands that the UE may use for carrier aggregation along with parameters and other configuration information about using the bands. Examples of these parameters may include Full-Dimension Multiple Input, Multiple Output (FD-MIMO) information, Transition Mode 10 (TM10), etc. In response, the base station may determine which bands to use for carrier aggregation purposes regarding the UE. However, with the development of sophisticated UEs and base stations, with greater processing capacity, multiple antennas, etc., and multiple carrier aggregation techniques, the quantity of bands that a UE may support for carrier aggregation has increased significantly. As such, the amount of information (e.g. , band combinations, corresponding parameters, etc.) that a UE may communicate to a base station regarding the bands that the UE may support may be so large as to create issues of unreliability and inefficiency.

For example, the amount of information that a UE may communicate to a base station, regarding the band combinations supported by the UE, may be so large that the base station may not be able to receive the entire message before expiry of pre-set timers. Additionally, the amount of information may be so large that the base station may not be able to decode the message or otherwise process the message because of implementation-dependent memory limitations. As such, the amount of information that the UE may communicate to a base station, regarding band combinations supported by the UE, may give rise to unreliability and inefficiencies within the network.

Moreover, some of the information provided by the UE, to the base station, may be redundant. For example, the UE may report physical parameter information (e.g. , FD- MIMO, TM10, etc.) for each band in every carrier aggregation band combination supported by the UE. For certain band combinations, reporting the physical parameters in this way may be useful since the values of the physical parameters may depend on (or otherwise be particular to) the corresponding band combination. However, for other band combinations, reporting the physical parameters for each band may be redundant since physical parameters, such as FD-MIMO and TM10, may be the same for band combinations of a given quantity. This may be due to the values of the physical parameters being based on baseband resources (e.g. , on-chip memory) (instead of Radio Frequency (RF) resources (e.g., a particular band, band type, band combination, etc.)) that may be used in different ways depending on the quantity of carriers being used in a particular carrier aggregation scenario. For instance, all carrier aggregation scenarios involving a particular number of carriers (e.g. , 3 carriers) may have the same physical parameters, but the UE may nevertheless report the redundant physical parameters for each band combination.

Techniques described herein may be used to enable UEs to efficiently and reliably report carrier aggregation capabilities by eliminating the reporting of redundant physical parameters and therefore reducing the amount of UE capability information reported by the UE. For example, when a UE is deployed (e.g. , initially configured, powered-on, etc.) the UE may determine the band combinations that are supported by the UE and the physical parameters that correspond to each of the supported band combinations. Examples of physical parameters, as described herein, may include physical layer capabilities of a UE, such as FD-MIMO, TM10, Channel State Information (CSI), etc. Physical parameters that are particular to a certain band or band combination may be referred to herein as "dependent physical capabilities" as the respective values of the physical parameters may depend on the band or band combination to which the physical parameters are associated. By contrast, physical parameters that are not particular to a specific band or band combination may be referred to herein as "dependent physical capabilities" as the respective values of the physical parameters may be common to multiple, distinct band combinations.

Based on the supported band combinations, the UE may determine which band combinations include dependent physical parameters (e.g. , which band combinations include physical parameters that are particular to a specific band combination. Additionally, the UE may determine which band combinations include non-dependent physical parameters (e.g. , physical parameters that common among multiple, different band combinations). Since dependent physical parameters may be particular to a specific band or band combination, dependent physical parameters may be associated with the specific band combination and stored as RF capabilities information. By contrast, since the non-dependent physical parameters may correspond to carrier aggregation band combinations of a given quantity (also referred to as band combination order, carrier aggregation order, MIMO order, band combination size, etc.), a single instance of the non-dependent physical parameters may be associated with a single instance of the corresponding band combination size. Additionally, the non-dependent physical parameters may be stored as physical layer capability information of the UE (instead of, for example, RF capability information).

As a result, when the UE reports the wireless capabilities of the UE to a base station, the non-dependent physical parameters may be reported as physical layer capability information and the dependent physical parameters may be reported as RF capabilities information. The physical layer capability information may include the single instance of the non-physical parameters associate with the size of band combination to which the physical parameters correspond, and the RF capabilities information may include each band for each band combination corresponding to the dependent physical parameters.

Upon receiving the UE capability information, the base station may use the information to allocate a particular band combination to the UE for carrier aggregation purposes. The base station may determine the physical parameters for implementing the carrier aggregation scenario by determining whether the allocated band combination corresponds to a band combination described by RF capabilities information. When the base station does not locate the allocated band among the RF capabilities information, the base station may determine the physical parameters for implementing the carrier aggregation scenario by determining the size of the allocated band (e.g. , the quantity of bands in the allocated band) and identify (among the physical layer capabilities information) the physical parameters associated with a corresponding band combination size. The base station may then use the identified physical parameters (whether the be non-dependent physical parameters or dependent physical parameters) to complete the rest of the carrier aggregation setup process with the UE.

Fig. 1 illustrates an architecture of a system 100 of a network in accordance with some embodiments. The system 100 is shown to include UE 101 and a UE 102. The UEs 101 and 102 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computing device including a wireless communications interface.

In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 and 102 can comprise an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An IoT network describes interconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), with short-lived connections. The IoT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the IoT network.

The UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN) 110— the RAN 110 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UEs 101 and 102 utilize connections 103 and 104, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connections 103 and 104 are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3rd Generation Partnership Protocol (3 GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

In this embodiment, the UEs 101 and 102 may further directly exchange

communication data via a ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink

Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

The UE 102 is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP) 106 via connection 107. The connection 107 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein the AP 106 would comprise a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi®) router. In this example, the AP 106 is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

The RAN 110 can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections 103 and 104. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, eNBs, next Generation NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can comprise ground stations (e.g. , terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN 1 10 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node 11 1, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node 1 12.

Any of the RAN nodes 11 1 and 1 12 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs 101 and 102. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 1 11 and 112 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 1 10 including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs 101 and 102 can be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 11 1 and 1 12 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 11 1 and 1 12 to the UEs 101 and 102, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises a number of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a collection of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the smallest quantity of resources that currently can be allocated. There are several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs 101 and 102. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform the UEs 101 and 102 about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 102 within a cell) may be performed at any of the RAN nodes 111 and 112 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 101 and 102. The downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 101 and 102.

The PDCCH may use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey the control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex- valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets, which may then be permuted using a sub- block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more CCEs, depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and the channel condition. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=l, 2, 4, or 8).

Some embodiments may use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more enhanced the control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as an enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs in some situations.

The RAN 110 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120 — via an SI interface 113. In embodiments, the CN 120 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, the SI interface 113 is split into two parts: the Sl-U interface 114, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 111 and 112 and the serving gateway (S-GW) 122, and the SI -mobility management entity (MME) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes 111 and 112 and MMEs 121.

In this embodiment, the CN 120 comprises the MMEs 121, the S-GW 122, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 123, and a home subscriber server (HSS) 124. The MMEs 121 may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs 121 may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 124 may comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities' handling of communication sessions. The CN 120 may comprise one or several HSSs 124, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 124 can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization,

naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

The S-GW 122 may terminate the SI interface 113 towards the RAN 110, and routes data packets between the RAN 110 and the CN 120. In addition, the S-GW 122 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

The P-GW 123 may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW 123 may route data packets between the EPC network 123 and external networks such as a network including the application server 130 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125. Generally, the application server 130 may be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this embodiment, the P-GW 123 is shown to be communicatively coupled to an application server 130 via an IP communications interface 125. The application server 130 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UEs 101 and 102 via the CN 120.

The P-GW 123 may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) 126 is the policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 130 via the P-GW 123. The application server 130 may signal the PCRF 126 to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 126 may provision this rule into a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and QoS class of identifier (QCI), which commences the QoS and charging as specified by the application server 130.

The quantity of devices and/or networks, illustrated in Fig. 1, is provided for explanatory purposes only. In practice, system 100 may include additional devices and/or networks; fewer devices and/or networks; different devices and/or networks; or differently arranged devices and/or networks than illustrated in Fig. 1. For example, while not shown, environment 100 may include devices that facilitate or enable communication between various components shown in environment 100, such as routers, modems, gateways, switches, hubs, etc. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more of the devices of system 100 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another one or more of the devices of system 100. Additionally, the devices of system 100 may interconnect with each other and/or other devices via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections. In some embodiments, one or more devices of system 100 may be physically integrated in, and/or may be physically attached to, one or more other devices of system 100. Also, while "direct" connections may be shown between certain devices in Fig. 1 , some of said devices may, in practice, communicate with each other via one or more additional devices and/or networks.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of an example process 200 for storing and reporting dependent and non-dependent physical parameters to an eNB. Process 200 may be implemented by UE 101. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations described in Fig. 2 may be performed in whole, or in part, by another device, such a device described above with reference to Fig. 1. In some embodiments, one or more operations of process 200 may be performed as, or prior to, UE 101 being manufactured. For example, in some embodiments, the band combinations and physical parameters of UE 101 may be determined prior to manufacturing UE 101, such that manufacturing UE 101 may include storing, as static memory, the physical parameters and RF capabilities information as described herein, such that UE 101 may provide an eNB with the stored information upon request.

Process 200 may include determining band combinations supported by UE 101 (block 210). For example, UE 101 may be configured to support one or more band combinations. The band combinations supported by UE 101 may depend on one or more factors, such as the bands available for wireless communications, the hardware and software with which UE 101 is configured, and carrier aggregation techniques supported by UE 101.

Process 200 may include determining which band combinations correspond to dependent physical parameters and which correspond to non-dependent physical parameters (block 220). For example, some of the band combinations supported by UE 101 may be specific, or otherwise particular, to a set of physical parameters (e.g., FD-MIMO, TM10, etc.). That is, UE 101 may be configured to implement the specified set and arrangement of physical parameters in order to use a particular band combination. Such physical parameters may be designated as dependent physical parameters since the physical parameters (e.g. , the arrangement, values, etc.) may depend on whether the corresponding band combination is used. By contrast, UE 101 may be capable of using other band combinations with different sets, arrangements, and/or parameter values of physical parameters. Such physical parameters may be designated as non-dependent physical parameters since the physical parameters (e.g. , the arrangement, values, etc.) may vary between scenarios involving the same band combination.

Process 200 may include creating a consolidated data structure that represents the non-dependent physical parameters (block 230). For example, due to specific relationship between dependent physical parameters and their corresponding band combinations, dependent parameters may not be consolidated or otherwise summarized by a smaller data structure. Instead, the dependent physical parameters and their corresponding bands may be represented exactly and explicitly. By contrast, since non-dependent physical parameters may be implemented in multiple ways to support a corresponding band combination, non- dependent physical parameters may be consolidated into a data structure that indicates the band combination (e.g., the band size, length, or order) to which the non-dependent physical parameters may be applied and the various ways, or interchangeability, in which the non- dependent physical parameters may be applied to the corresponding band combination.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of an example of consolidating non-dependent physical parameters. The example of Fig. 3 includes a table of physical parameters that may be used by UE to support a band combination consisting of three bands (Band 1, Band 2, and Band 3). Additionally, each band may be associated with physical capabilities value (e.g. , A-C) that may represent a set of values of one or more physical parameters (e.g., FD-MIMO, TM10, CSI, etc.). As shown, the UE may be capable of supporting of the bands 1 -3 with any of the physical capabilities A-C. The physical capabilities A-C may not, therefore, be depending upon bands 1 -3.

Consequently, the UE may consolidate the physical parameter information into a data set that includes a band combination size corresponding to the size of Band combination 1 (i.e., 3) and the non-dependent physical capabilities by which Band combination 1 may be supported. The non-dependent physical capabilities in the example of Fig. 3 may imply that if the physical parameters for a particular band combination (of three bands) includes one of the physical capabilities of A-C, then it includes the other two physical capabilities as well. The consolidated physical parameters may indicate that UE 101 is configured to support multiple, distinct applications of physical parameters to a band combination, as shown by the different applications of physical capabilities A-C to band combination 1 of Fig. 3.

Additionally, while the example of Fig. 3 includes one set of non-dependent physical parameters (A-C), in some embodiments, multiple sets of non-dependent physical parameters may be applicable to a band combination of a give size. In such a scenario, each set of non- dependent physical parameters may be represented by its own consolidated data structure, similar to what is shown in the example of Fig. 3. As such, the techniques described herein may be used to greatly reduce and/or eliminate redundant physical parameter information that might otherwise be reported by UE 101 to the network.

Returning now to Fig. 2, process 200 may include storing the non-dependent physical parameters as physical layer capabilities and the dependent physical parameters as RF capabilities (block 240). For example, as part of the manufacturing process, UE 101 may receive and store information describing the physical layer capabilities and RF capabilities of UE 101. As described herein, this information may be provided by UE 101 upon registering and/or connecting with a wireless telecommunication network (e.g., during an RRC procedure). UE 101 may store the consolidated data structure to represent the non-dependent physical parameters and corresponding band combination. Additionally, the consolidate data structure may be stored as physical layer capabilities information of UE 101. By contrast, the dependent physical parameters, and their corresponding band combination(s) may be stored as RF capabilities information. As described in detail below, storing non-dependent physical parameters as physical layer capabilities information may help indicate the interchangeability, flexibility, etc., with which the non-dependent physical parameters may be applied to a band combination. As described in the example of Fig. 4, storing non-dependent physical parameters as physical layer capabilities information, and the dependent physical parameters as RF capabilities information may refer to locations and/or headings of a particular data structure (e.g. , a UE Capability Information message).

Process 200 may also include reporting non-dependent physical parameters as physical layer capabilities and the dependent physical parameters as RF capabilities (block 250). For example, the non-dependent physical parameters and the dependent physical parameters, and their corresponding band combinations, may be static throughout the life of UE 101. As such, in response to a request from an eNB for the band combinations supported by UE 101 (e.g., a UE Capability Enquiry message), UE 101 may respond by providing the non-dependent physical parameters and the dependent physical parameters as they are stored in memory. For example, UE 101 may send the eNB a UE Capability Information message that provides the non-dependent physical parameters as physical layer capabilities information and the dependent physical parameters as RF capabilities information.

Fig. 4 is a diagram of an example of UE capability information that includes dependent and non-dependent physical parameters for UE 101. As shown, the UE capability information may include protocol capabilities, physical layer capabilities, RF capabilities, Inter Radio Access Technology (RAT) capabilities, and miscellaneous capabilities. In some embodiments, the UE capability information may be part of a message, such as a

ueCapabilitylnformation message of the 3 GPP Communication Standard, configured to inform an eNB of the carrier aggregation capabilities of UE 101.

Protocol capabilities may include information describing the communication protocols (e.g. , cellular protocols, 802.11 protocols, etc.) by which UE 101 may communicate with another device (e.g., UE 102, AP 106, macro ran node 111, LP RAN node 112, etc.).

InterRAT capabilities may include information describing an ability, preferences, etc., of UE 101 to be handed over or otherwise transition from radio access node (e.g. , UE 102, AP 106, macro ran node 111, LP RAN node 112, etc.) to another radio access node. Miscellaneous capabilities may include information describing RAT technology support and corresponding sub-feature support (e.g. , 3G, 2G, GSM, GPRS technologies). Additionally, or alternatively, miscellaneous capabilities may include LTE protocol stack parameters and/or other information regarding the capabilities of UE 101.

The physical layer capabilities may include non-dependent physical parameters that have been consolidated into a simplified data set. As shown, the data set may include a band combination size (e.g. , 3 bands) and physical parameters for baseband capabilities of UE 101 (e.g. , an information set for TM10 capabilities, for FD-MIMO capabilities, etc.). As described herein, the data set may be used by base station to determine the parameters that correspond to a band combination of a particular size (e.g., 3). While the one or more of the techniques described herein may include the use of a band combination size (e.g. , to be associated with non-dependent physical parameters, used to determine appropriate physical parameters for a given band combination, etc.), the techniques described herein may also, or alternatively, include using other types of information in similar ways. Examples of such information may include a quantity of antenna (e.g. , a quantity equal to, or less than, the quantity of antenna of UE 101), a MIMO layer or order, a carrier aggregation order, etc., instead of a band combination size. The consolidated parameters may infer to a base station a group of physical parameters that may be applied in multiple ways to a band combination of a particular size rather than specifying the particular parameters that should be used for specific bands in the band combination.

As shown, the physical parameters for a particular carrier or band of a band combination may be associated with one another. For example, Carrier 1 includes TM10 capabilities set A and FD-MIMO capabilities set B; Carrier 2 includes TM10 capabilities set C and FD-MIMO capabilities set D; and Carrier 3 includes TM10 capabilities set E and FD- MIMO capabilities set F. Presenting these combinations of physical parameters (e.g., A and B, C and D, E and F) as physical layer capabilities information may signify flexibility with respect to the way, order, etc., in which the combinations of physical parameters may be applied to individual bands of a band combination (e.g. , A and B, C and D, E and F; A and B, E and F, C and D; E and F, C and D, A and B, etc.). However, in some embodiments, this flexibility may be limited by one or more factors, such as the combination of physical parameters. For example, while UE 101 may support combinations of physical parameters that include TM10 capabilities set A and FD-MIMO capabilities set B; Carrier 2 includes TM10 capabilities set C and FD-MIMO capabilities set D, UE 101 might not support a scenario where Carrier 1 implements TM10 capabilities set A with FD-MIMO capabilities set D (instead of B).

The RF capabilities may include dependent physical parameters associated with particular bands of particular band combinations. As shown, Band combination 2 may include Band 2, Band 3, and Band 4. Additionally, Band 2 may be associated with TM10 capabilities set W and FD-MIMO capabilities set X; Band 3 may be associated with TM10 capabilities set C and FD-MIMO capabilities set D; and Band 4 may be associated with TM10 capabilities set E and FD-MIMO capabilities set F. Band combination 2 may have a band combination size of 3 bands, similar to the physical layer capabilities. After the UE capability information is reported to an eNB, the eNB may assign a band combination to UE and determine appropriate physical parameters for the band combination based on the RF capabilities and the physical layer capabilities. For example, the eNB may first attempt to determine whether the band combination corresponds to a specific band combination described by the RF capabilities and later (if not found in the RF capabilities) use the physical layer capabilities to determine the physical parameters based on the quantity of bands in the assigned band combination. A more detailed example of this procedure is discussed below with reference to Fig. 6.

In some embodiments, one or more of the techniques described herein may incorporated into the 3 GPP Communication Standard. Examples of data structures, parameters object identifiers, etc., that may be used to incorporate one or more of the techniques described herein are provided below in Table I, certain features of which may correspond to Technical Specification (TS) 36.331 of the 3GPP Communication Standard. MIMO-TM10-UE-Parameters-BC-PHY-rl3 may include a message container that holds the overall FD-MIMO parameters for all carriers of particular order of carriers (e.g., size or number of carriers). As such, MIMO-TM10-UE-Parameters-BC-PHY-rl3 may include a set of MIMO-TM10-UE-Per-BC-PHY-Parameters-rl3s, which may include or indicate FD- MIMO information for a particular order of carriers.

MIMO-TM10-UE-Per-BoBC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 may include individual FD- MIMO parameters for each carrier present in a defined order of carriers. For example, if MIMO-TM10-UE-Per-BC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 is defined for 3-order carriers (3 carriers), then each of the carriers of the 3-order carriers may have information included in MIMO- TM10-UE-Per-BoBC-PHY-Parameters-rl3. Additionally, supportedCSI-Proc-rl l-per- BoBC, supportedMIMO-CapabilityDL-rl3, mimo-Per-BoBC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 may correspond to individual parameters within a single carrier.

Table I

3GPP Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.l)

maxEMIMO-TM10-BC-Variation-Size INTEGER ::= 128 - Maximum number of variation of band combinations for which the FD-MIMO capabilities are different

maxSimultaneousComponentCarriers-rl3 INTEGER ::= 64 - Maximum number of simultaneously aggregated bands

PhyLayerParameters-vl320 ::= SEQUENCE { mimo-UE-Parameters-rl3 MIMO-UE-Parameters-rl3 OPTIONAL,

mimo-TM10-UE-Parameters-BC-PHY-rl3 MIMO-TM10-UE-Parameters-BC-PHY-rl3 OPTIONAL

}

MIMO-UE-Parameters-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

parametersTM9-rl3 MIMO-UE-ParametersPerTM-rl3 OPTIONAL,

parametersTM10-rl3 MIMO-UE-ParametersPerTM-rl3 OPTIONAL,

srs-EnhancementsTDD-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

srs-Enhancements-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

interferenceMeasRestriction-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL

}

MIMO-TM10-UE-Parameters-BC-PHY-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1.. maxEMIMO-TM10-BC-Variation-Size)) OF MIMOTM10-

UE-Per-BC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 OPTIONAL

MIMO-TM10-UE-Per-BC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..

maxSimultaneousComponentCarriers-rl3))

OF MIMO-TM10-UE-Per-BoBC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 OPTIONAL

MIMO-TM10-UE-Per-BoBC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

supportedCSI-Proc-rll-per-BoBC ENUMERATED {nl, n3, n4} OPTIONAL,

supportedMIMO-CapabilityDL-rl3 MIMO-CapabilityDL-rlO OPTIONAL,

mimo-Per-BoBC-PHY-Parameters-rl3 MIMO-CA-ParametersPerBoBC-rl3 OPTIONAL

}

MIMO-UE-ParametersPerTM-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

nonPrecoded-rl3 MIMO-NonPrecodedCapabilities-rl3 OPTIONAL,

beamformed-rl3 MIMO-UE-BeamformedCapabilities-rl3 OPTIONAL,

channelMeasRestriction-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

dmrs-Enhancements-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

csi-RS-EnhancementsTDD-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL

}

BandParameters-vl320 ::= SEQUENCE {

bandParametersDL-vl320 MIMO-CA-ParametersPerBoBC-rl3

}

MIMO-CA-ParametersPerBoBC-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

parametersTM9-rl3 MIMO-CA-ParametersPerBoBCPerTM-rl3 OPTIONAL,

parametersTM10-rl3 MIMO-CA-ParametersPerBoBCPerTM-rl3 OPTIONAL

}

MIMO-CA-ParametersPerBoBCPerTM-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

nonPrecoded-rl3 MIMO-NonPrecodedCapabilities-rl3 OPTIONAL,

beamformed-rl3 MIMO-BeamformedCapabilityList-rl3 OPTIONAL, dmrs-Enhancements-rl3 ENUMERATED {different} OPTIONAL

}

MIMO-NonPrecodedCapabilities-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

configl-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

config2-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

config3-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

config4-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL

}

MIMO-UE-BeamformedCapabilities-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

altCodebook-rl3 ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

mimo-BeamformedCapabilities-rl3 MIMO-BeamformedCapabilityList-rl3

}

MIMO-BeamformedCapabilityList-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (l..maxCSI-Proc-rll)) OF

MIMOBeamformedCapabilities- rl3

MIMO-BeamformedCapabilities-rl3 ::= SEQUENCE {

k-Max-rl3 INTEGER (1..8),

n-MaxList-rl3 BIT STRING (SIZE (1..7)) OPTIONAL

}

Fig. 5 is a sequence flow diagram of an example process for allocating a band combination to UE 101 based on UE capability information. As shown, the example of Fig. 5 may include UE 110, eNB 510, and MME 150. Examples of these devices are discussed above with reference to Fig 1. The example of Fig. 5 is provided as a non-limiting example. In practice, the example of Fig. 5 may include fewer, additional, alternative, operations and/or functions. Additionally, one or more of the operations and/or functions of Fig. 5 may be performed by fewer, additional, or alternative devices, which may include one or more of the devices described above with reference to Fig. 1.

As shown, eNB 510 may be deployed and/or configured to operate as a macro RAN node of a wireless telecommunication network (at 510). This may include establishing a connection between eNB 510 and one or more devices of a corresponding core network (e.g. , an EPC) such as MME 121. At the time of deployment, eNB 510 may be configured to operate as described herein.

UE 101 may begin communicating with eNB 510 as part of an attempt to connect to and/or register with the wireless telecommunication network (at 520). This may include performing an RRC procedure involving eNB 510. During the registration process, eNB 510 may communicate a request to UE 101 for capabilities information (at 530). The request may be in the form of a UE Capability Enquiry message (e.g., a ueCapabilityEnquiry message) and/or one or more other types of 3GPP messages. In response, UE 101 may provide eNB 510 with information about the capabilities of UE 101 to communicate with eNB 510 and/or other wireless devices. Examples of such information are discussed above with reference to Fig. 4, and may include protocol capabilities, physical layer capabilities, RF capabilities, InterRAT capabilities, miscellaneous capabilities, etc. In some embodiments, UE 101 may provide the capabilities information via a UE Capability Information message (e.g. , a ueCapabilitylnformation message) and/or one or more other types of 3GPP messages.

The capabilities information provided by UE 101 may include dependent and non- dependent physical parameters (e.g., FD-MIMO, TM10, CSI, etc.) presented as RF capabilities information and physical layer capabilities information, respectively. Examples of such information are discussed above with reference to Figs. 2-4. eNB 510 may use the capabilities information to determine a band or band combination that is suitable for UE 101 and proceed to allocate the band or band combination to UE 110 (at 550). This may include informing UE 101 about the bands allocated to UE 101 as well as the physical parameters and other configuration information that UE 101 is to use to communicate with eNB 510 via the allocated bands. UE 101 may use the allocated bands to complete the registration process and/or use one or more services (e.g., voice, messaging, data, etc.) offered and supported by the wireless telecommunication network.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of an example process for determining baseband capabilities of UE 101 for a particular band combination. Process 600 may be implemented by an eNB. In some embodiments, one or more of the operations described in Fig. 6 may be performed in whole, or in part, by another device, such a device described above with reference to Fig. 1.

As shown, process 600 may include receiving capabilities information from UE 101 and selecting a band combination for UE based on the capabilities information (block 610). For example, an eNB may receive capabilities information from UE 101, which may describe the capabilities of UE 101 to use various bands, band combinations, carrier aggregation techniques, etc., in addition parameters and other configuration information for using the bands, bands combinations, carrier aggregation techniques, etc. As described above with reference to Fig. 4, the capabilities information from UE 101 may include RF capabilities and physical layer capabilities, among other types of information. The eNB may use the capabilities information to determine a band combination that is suitable for UE 101 and the eNB to communicate with one another via carrier aggregation. The band combination selected by the eNB may be based on a variety of factors, such as the band combinations supported by UE 101 , the band combinations supported by the eNB, the bands and band combinations currently allocated to other UEs, a level of congestion, interference, etc., pertaining to UE 101 and/or the eNB, etc.

Process 600 may include determining baseband capabilities of UE 101 for the selected band combination (block 620). For example, the eNB may determine the baseband capabilities based on capabilities information provided by UE 101. As described above with reference to Fig. 4, the capabilities information from UE 101 may include RF capabilities and physical layer capabilities, among other types of information. The RF capabilities may describe one or more band combinations and the physical parameters associated with each band in the band combinations. The physical parameters may include FD-MIMO capability sets, TM10 capability sets, and/or one or more other types of information related to the baseband resources of UE 101. The physical parameters of the RF capabilities information may be dependent physical parameters, meaning the values of the physical parameter sets may depend on, be specific to, etc., the corresponding band combination. By contrast, the physical layer capabilities may describe one or more band combination sizes (e.g. , 2 bands, 3 bands, 4 bands, etc.) and the physical parameters (e.g. , baseband capabilities) associated with each band combination size. As such, the RF capabilities may include physical parameters for specific band combinations, while the physical layer capabilities may include physical parameters for band combinations of a particular size.

The eNB may determine the baseband capabilities of UE 101 by determining whether the baseband capabilities are described by the RF capabilities. In some embodiments, the eNB may do so by attempting to match the selected band combination to band combinations described by the RF capabilities. In some embodiments, the eNB may attempt to match band combinations based on the specific types of bands and/or order of the bands in each band combination. When a match is discovered (block 630 - Yes), process 600 may include determining the baseband capabilities based on the RF capabilities (block 640). For example, the eNB may use the RF capabilities from UE 101 to determine the baseband capabilities for a band combination that matches a band combination described by the RF capabilities.

When a match is not discovered (block 630 - No), process 600 may include determining the baseband capabilities based on the physical layer capabilities (block 650). For example, the eNB may use the physical layer capabilities from UE 101 to determine the baseband capabilities for a band combination that does not match a band combination described by the RF capabilities. In some embodiments, the eNB may determine the baseband capabilities based on the physical layer capabilities by determining the number of bands corresponding to the selected band combination and determining physical parameters that are associated with the same number of bands. In some embodiments, while the physical layer capabilities may indicate which baseband capabilities correspond to the selected combination band, the physical layer capabilities may not specify which sets of baseband capabilities should be applied to each band of the selected band combination. As such, the eNB may perform an additional operation of assigning or otherwise associating the baseband capabilities of the physical layer capabilities to individual bands of the selected band combination.

As used herein, the term "circuitry," "processing circuitry," or "logic" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware.

Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. Fig. 7 illustrates example components of a device 700 in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 700 may include application circuitry 702, baseband circuitry 704, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 706, front- end module (FEM) circuitry 708, one or more antennas 710, and power management circuitry (PMC) 712 coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device 700 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 700 may include less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 702, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 700 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/ storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).

The application circuitry 702 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 702 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 or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 700. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry 702 may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

The baseband circuitry 704 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 704 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 706. Baseband processing circuity 704 may interface with the application circuitry 702 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 706. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 704A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 704B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 704C, or other baseband processor(s) 704D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 704 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 704 A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 706. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors 704 A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory 704G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 704E. 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 704 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 704 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, 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.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 704F. The audio DSP(s) 704F 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 704 and the application circuitry 702 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) 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 704 is configured to support radio

communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 706 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 706 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 708 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 704. RF circuitry 706 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 704 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 708 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 may include mixer circuitry 706a, amplifier circuitry 706b and filter circuitry 706c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 706 may include filter circuitry 706c and mixer circuitry 706a. RF circuitry 706 may also include synthesizer circuitry 706d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 708 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 706d. The amplifier circuitry 706b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 706c 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 704 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 706a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 706d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 708. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 704 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 706c.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some

embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a 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 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a may be arranged for direct

downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

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 706 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 704 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 706.

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.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d 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 706d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuitry 706d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the RF circuitry 706 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d may be a fractional N/N+l synthesizer.

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 704 or the applications processor 702 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 702.

Synthesizer circuitry 706d of the RF circuitry 706 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+1 (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.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 706d 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 706 may include an IQ/polar converter.

FEM circuitry 708 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 710, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 706 for further processing. FEM circuitry 708 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 706 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 710. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry 706, solely in the FEM 708, or in both the RF circuitry 706 and the FEM 708. In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 708 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 an LNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 706). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 708 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 706), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 710).

In some embodiments, the PMC 712 may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 704. In particular, the PMC 712 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 712 may often be included when the device 700 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 712 may increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

While Fig. 7 shows the PMC 712 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 704.

However, in other embodiments, the PMC 712 may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 702, RF circuitry 706, or FEM 708.

In some embodiments, the PMC 712 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 700. For example, if the device 700 is in an

RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node 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 700 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device 700 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 device 700 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. The device 700 may not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it must transition back to RRC Connected state.

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.

Processors of the application circuitry 702 and processors of the baseband circuitry 704 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the baseband circuitry 704, alone or in combination, may be used execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while processors of the application circuitry 704 may utilize data (e.g. , packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer 3 may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1 may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node, described in further detail below.

Fig. 8 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the baseband circuitry 704 of Fig. 7 may comprise processors 804A-804E and a memory 804G utilized by said processors. Each of the processors 804A-804E may include a memory interface, respectively, to send/receive data to/from the memory 804G.

The baseband circuitry 804 may further include one or more interfaces to

communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memory interface 812 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry 704), an application circuitry interface 814 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from the application circuitry 702 of Fig. 7), an RF circuitry interface 816 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry 706 of Fig. 7), a wireless hardware connectivity interface 818 (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 820 (e.g. , an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC 712).

Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating components, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, Fig. 9 shows a diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 900 including one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory/storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 940. For embodiments where node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 902 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices/sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 900

The processors 910 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio -frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor 912 and a processor 914.

The memory/storage devices 920 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory/storage devices 920 may include, but are not limited to any type of volatile or non-volatile memory such as dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

The communication resources 930 may include interconnection or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 via a network 908. For example, the communication resources 930 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components.

Instructions 950 may comprise software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of the processors 910 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 950 may reside, completely or partially, within at least one of the processors 910 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), the memory/storage devices 920, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions 950 may be transferred to the hardware resources 900 from any combination of the peripheral devices 904 or the databases 906. Accordingly, the memory of processors 910, the memo ry/sto rage devices 920, the peripheral devices 904, and the databases 906 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media. A number of examples, relating to embodiments of the techniques described above, will next be given.

In a first example, a User Equipment (UE) of a wireless telecommunication network may comprise: an interface to radio frequency (RF) circuitry; and one or more processors that are controlled to: receive, via the interface to the RF circuitry, a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE; generate a message that indicates the radio frequency band

combinations supported by the UE, the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a particular quantity of bands of a band combination and an indication that the UE supports multiple, distinct applications of the physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the particular quantity of bands; and communicate, via the interface to the RF circuitry, the message to the RAN node.

In example 2, the subject matter of example 1, or any of the examples herein, wherein the one or more processors are further controlled to: receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use a particular band combination of the distinct band combinations.

In example 3, the subject matter of example 1, or any of the examples herein, wherein the message further indicates another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with specific bands of another band combination.

In example 4, the subject matter of example 3, or any of the examples herein, wherein the one or more processors are controlled further controlled to: receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use the another band combination.

In example 5, the subject matter of example 3, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the quantity of bands of the particular band combination is included, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the another band combination is included, in the message, as Radio

Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

In example 6, the subject matter of example 1, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the request includes a UE Capabilities Enquiry message, and the message includes a UE Capabilities Information message.

In a seventh example, a Radio Access Network (RAN) node of a telecommunication network may comprise: an interface to radio frequency (RF) circuitry; and one or more processors that are controlled to: receive, via the RF circuitry, a message, from a User Equipment (UE), the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a band combination order and an indication that the UE supports distinct applications of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the band combination order; determine a particular band combination, and corresponding physical capabilities parameters, supported by the RAN node and consistent with the plurality of physical capabilities parameters and of the band combination order; and communicate, via the RF circuitry and to the UE, instructions for the UE to use the particular band combination, and the corresponding physical parameters, to communicate with the RAN node.

In example 8, the subject matter of example 7, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the message further includes information indicating a specific band combination and a specific set of physical capabilities parameters associated with the specific band combination; and the one or more processors are further controlled to: verify, prior to determining the particular band combination, that the eNB does not support the specific band combination.

In example 9, the subject matter of example 7, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the single instance of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the band combination order is provided, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the information indicating the specific band combination and the specific set of physical capabilities parameters is provided, in the message, as Radio Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

In example 10, the subject matter of example 7, or any of the examples herein, wherein the message, from the UE, is a UE Capabilities Information message in response to a UE Capabilities Enquiry message previously sent to the UE.

In example 11 , the subject matter of example 1 or 7, or any of the examples herein, wherein the RAN node includes an enhanced NodeB (eNB).

In a twelfth example, a computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors, associated with User Equipment (UE), to: receive a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE; generate a message that indicates the radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE, the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a particular quantity of bands of a band combination and an indication that the UE supports multiple, distinct applications of the physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the particular quantity of bands; and communicate to the message to the RAN node. In example 13, the subject matter of example 12, or any of the examples herein, wherein the one or more processors are further to: receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use a particular band combination of the distinct band combinations.

In example 14, the subject matter of example 12, or any of the examples herein, wherein the message further indicates another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with specific bands of another band combination.

In example 15, the subject matter of example 14, or any of the examples herein, wherein the one or more processors are further to: receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use the another band combination.

In example 16, the subject matter of example 14, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the quantity of bands of the particular band combination is included, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the another band combination is included, in the message, as Radio

Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

In example 17, the subject matter of example 12, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the request includes a UE Capabilities Enquiry message, and the message includes a UE Capabilities Information message.

In an eighteenth example, a computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors, associated with User Equipment (UE), to: receive a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE; generate a message that indicates the radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE, the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a particular quantity of bands of a band combination and an indication that the UE supports multiple, distinct applications of the physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the particular quantity of bands; and communicate the message to the RAN node.

In example 19, the subject matter of example 18, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the message further includes information indicating a specific band combination and a specific set of physical capabilities parameters associated with the specific band combination; and the one or more processors are further to: verify, prior to determining the particular band combination, that the eNB does not support the specific band combination.

In example 20, the subject matter of example 18, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the single instance of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the band combination order is provided, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the information indicating the specific band combination and the specific set of physical capabilities parameters is provided, in the message, as Radio Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

In example 21 , the subject matter of example 18, or any of the examples herein, wherein the message, from the UE, is a UE Capabilities Information message in response to a

UE Capabilities Enquiry message previously sent to the UE.

In example 22, the subject matter of example 12 or 18, or any of the examples herein, wherein the RAN node includes an enhanced NodeB (eNB).

In a twenty-third example, a method, performed by a User Equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, by the UE, a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE; generating, by the UE, a message that indicates the radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE, the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a particular quantity of bands of a band combination and an indication that the UE supports multiple, distinct applications of the physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the particular quantity of bands; and communicating, by the UE, the message to the RAN node.

In example 24, the subject matter of example 23, or any of the examples herein, wherein the one or more processors are further controlled to: receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use a particular band combination of the distinct band combinations.

In example 25, the subject matter of example 23, or any of the examples herein, wherein the message further indicates another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with specific bands of another band combination.

In example 26, the subject matter of example 25, or any of the examples herein, further comprising: receiving, from the RAN node, instructions to use the another band combination.

In example 27, the subject matter of example 25, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the quantity of bands of the particular band combination is included, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the another band combination is included, in the message, as Radio

Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE. In example 28, the subject matter of example 25, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the request includes a UE Capabilities Enquiry message, and the message includes a UE Capabilities Information message.

In a twenty-ninth example, a method, performed by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, the method comprising: receiving, by the RAN node, a message, from a User

Equipment (UE), the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a band combination order and an indication that the UE supports distinct applications of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the band combination order; determining, by the RAN node, a particular band combination, and corresponding physical capabilities parameters, supported by the RAN node and consistent with the plurality of physical capabilities parameters and of the band combination order; and communicate, by the RAN node and to the UE, instructions for the UE to use the particular band combination, and the corresponding physical parameters, to communicate with the RAN node.

In example 30, the subject matter of example 29, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the message further includes information indicating a specific band combination and a specific set of physical capabilities parameters associated with the specific band combination; and the method further comprises: verifying, prior to determining the particular band combination, that the eNB does not support the specific band combination.

In example 31 , the subject matter of example 29, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the single instance of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the band combination order is provided, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the information indicating the specific band combination and the specific set of physical capabilities parameters is provided, in the message, as Radio Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

In example 32, the subject matter of example 29, or any of the examples herein, wherein the message, from the UE, is a UE Capabilities Information message in response to a UE Capabilities Enquiry message previously sent to the UE.

In example 33, the subject matter of example 23 or 29, or any of the examples herein, wherein the RAN node includes an enhanced NodeB (eNB).

In a thirty-fourth example, a User Equipment (UE) of a wireless telecommunication network, the UE comprising: means for receiving, by the UE, a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE; means for generating, by the UE, a message that indicates the radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE, the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a particular quantity of bands of a band combination and an indication that the UE supports multiple, distinct applications of the physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the particular quantity of bands; and means for communicating, by the UE, the message to the RAN node.

In example 35, the subject matter of example 34, or any of the examples herein, further comprising: means for receiving, from the RAN node, instructions to use a particular band combination of the distinct band combinations.

In example 36, the subject matter of example 34, or any of the examples herein, wherein the message further indicates another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with specific bands of another band combination.

In example 37, the subject matter of example 36, or any of the examples herein, further comprising: means for receiving, from the RAN node, instructions to use the another band combination.

In example 38, the subject matter of example 36, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the quantity of bands of the particular band combination is included, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the another band combination is included, in the message, as Radio

Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

In example 39, the subject matter of example 34, or any of the examples herein, wherein: the request includes a UE Capabilities Enquiry message, and the message includes a UE Capabilities Information message.

In the preceding specification, various embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

For example, while series of signals and/or operations have been described with regard to Figs. 2-6 the order of the signals/operations may be modified in other

implementations. Further, non-dependent signals may be performed in parallel. It will be apparent that example aspects, as described above, may be implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these aspects should not be construed as limiting. Thus, the operation and behavior of the aspects were described without reference to the specific software code— it being understood that software and control hardware could be designed to implement the aspects based on the description herein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to be limiting. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. An instance of the use of the term "and," as used herein, does not necessarily preclude the interpretation that the phrase "and/or" was intended in that instance. Similarly, an instance of the use of the term "or," as used herein, does not necessarily preclude the interpretation that the phrase "and/or" was intended in that instance. Also, as used herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with the phrase "one or more. " Where only one item is intended, the terms "one," "single," "only," or similar language is used.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS :

1. An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) comprising:

an interface to radio frequency (RF) circuitry; and

one or more processors to:

receive, via the interface to the RF circuitry, a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE;

generate a message that indicates the radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE, the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a particular quantity of bands of a band combination and an indication that the UE supports multiple, distinct applications of the physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the particular quantity of bands; and

communicate, via the interface to the RF circuitry, the message to the RAN node.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further to:

receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use a particular band combination of the distinct band combinations.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the message further indicates another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with specific bands of another band combination.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are further to:

receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use the another band combination.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the quantity of bands of the particular band combination is included, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and

the another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the another band combination is included, in the message, as Radio Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the request includes a UE Capabilities Enquiry message, and

the message includes a UE Capabilities Information message.

7. An apparatus of Radio Access Network (RAN) node comprising:

an interface to radio frequency (RF) circuitry; and

one or more processors that are controlled to:

receive, via the RF circuitry, a message, from a User Equipment (UE), the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a band combination order and an indication that the UE supports distinct applications of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the band combination order;

determine a particular band combination, and corresponding physical capabilities parameters, supported by the RAN node and consistent with the plurality of physical capabilities parameters and of the band combination order; and

communicate, via the RF circuitry and to the UE, instructions for the UE to use the particular band combination, and the corresponding physical parameters, to communicate with the RAN node.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the message further includes information indicating a specific band combination and a specific set of physical capabilities parameters associated with the specific band combination; and

the one or more processors are further to:

verify, prior to determining the particular band combination, that the eNB does not support the specific band combination.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the single instance of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the band combination order is provided, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and

the information indicating the specific band combination and the specific set of physical capabilities parameters is provided, in the message, as Radio Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the message, from the UE, is a UE Capabilities Information message in response to a UE Capabilities Enquiry message previously sent to the UE.

1 1. A device as in claims 1 or 7, wherein the RAN node includes an enhanced NodeB (eNB).

12. A computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors, associated with User Equipment (UE), to:

receive a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE;

communicate to the message to the RAN node.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further to:

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the message further indicates another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with specific bands of another band combination.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further to:

receive, from the RAN node, instructions to use the another band combination.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein: the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the quantity of bands of the particular band combination is included, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

the request includes a UE Capabilities Enquiry message, and

the message includes a UE Capabilities Information message.

18. A computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors, associated with User Equipment (UE), to:

communicate the message to the RAN node.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

the one or more processors are further to:

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

the single instance of the plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with the band combination order is provided, in the message, as physical layer information of the UE, and the information indicating the specific band combination and the specific set of physical capabilities parameters is provided, in the message, as Radio Frequency (RF) capability information of the UE.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the message, from the UE, is a UE Capabilities Information message in response to a UE Capabilities Enquiry message previously sent to the UE.

22. A computer-readable medium as of claims 12 or 18, wherein the RAN node includes an enhanced NodeB (eNB),

23. An apparatus for a User Equipment (UE) comprising:

means for receiving, by the UE. a request from a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for information describing radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE;

means for generating, by the UE, a message that indicates the radio frequency band combinations supported by the UE, the message including a single instance of a plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with a particular quantity of bands of a band combination and an indication that the UE supports multiple, distinct applications of the physical capabilities parameters to distinct band combinations of the particular quantity of bands; and

means for communicating, by the UE, the message to the RAN node.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

means for receiving, from the RAN node, instructions to use a particular band combination of the distinct band combinations.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the message further indicates another plurality of physical capabilities parameters associated with specific bands of another band combination.