WO2019081488A1

WO2019081488A1 - Frequency hopping random access

Info

Publication number: WO2019081488A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/079002
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Sugirtharaj; Mai-Anh Phan
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2017-10-24
Filing date: 2018-10-23
Publication date: 2019-05-02

Abstract

Systems and methods for frequency hopping random access in a wireless network that operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method performed by a wireless device comprises determining that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time, where the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency, and transmitting a random access preamble during the first dwell time. The method further comprises determining that the network node is active for a second dwell time, where the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency. The method further comprises, upon determining that the network node is active for the second dwell time, monitoring for a random access response in the second dwell time.

Description

FREQUENCY HOPPING RANDOM ACCESS

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to random access in a wireless network.

Background

Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Standards for Internet of Things (loT)

[0002] loT can be considered a fast evolving market within the telecommunications realm. Current 3GPP based standards offer three different variants supporting loT services, enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC), Narrowband loT (NB-loT), and Extended Coverage Global System for Mobile Communications (EC-GSM). eMTC and NB-loT have been designed using Long Term Evolution (LTE) as a baseline, with the main difference between the two being the occupied bandwidth. eMTC and NB-loT use 1 .4 megahertz (MHz) and 180 kilohertz (kHz) bandwidth respectively.

[0003] Both NB-loT as well as eMTC have been designed with an operator deployment of macro cells in mind. Certain use cases where outdoor macro enhanced or evolved Node Bs (eNBs) would communicate with loT devices deep inside buildings are targeted, which require standardized coverage enhancement mechanisms.

[0004] 3GPP LTE Release 12 defined a User Equipment device (UE) power saving mode allowing long battery lifetime and a new UE category allowing reduced modem complexity. 3GPP Release 13 further introduced the eMTC feature with a new category, Cat-M, that further reduces UE cost while supporting coverage enhancement. The key element to enable cost reduction for a Cat-M UE is to introduce a reduced UE bandwidth of 1 .4 MHz in downlink and uplink within any system bandwidth [3GPP Technical Report (TR) 36.888].

[0005] In LTE, the system bandwidth can be up to 20 MHz and this total bandwidth is divided into Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) of 180 kHz. Cat-M UEs with reduced UE bandwidth of 1 .4 MHz only receive a part of the total system bandwidth at a time - a part corresponding to up to six PRBs. Here we refer to a group of six PRBs as a 'PRB group.'

[0006] In order to achieve the coverage targeted in LTE Release 13 for low- complexity UEs and other UEs operating delay tolerant Machine Type Communication (MTC) applications [see e.g. 3GPP TR 36.888], time repetition techniques are used in order to allow energy accumulation of the received signals at the UE and eNB. For physical data channels (Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)), subframe bundling (a.k.a. Transmit Time Interval (TTI) bundling) can be used. When subframe bundling is applied, each Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) (re)transmission consists of a bundle of multiple subframes instead of just a single subframe. Repetitions over multiple subframes are also applied to physical control channels.

[0007] Energy accumulation of the received signals involves several aspects. One of the main aspects involves accumulating energy for reference signals, e.g. by applying time filters, in order to increase the quality of channel estimates used in the

demodulation process. A second main aspect involves accumulation of demodulated soft bits across repeated transmissions.

LTE Based Technologies Operating in Unlicensed Bands

[0008] Unlicensed bands offer the possibility for deployment of radio networks by non-traditional operators that do not have access to licensed spectrum, such as, e.g., building owners, industrial sites, and municipalities who want to offer a service within the operation they control. Recently, the LTE standard has been evolved to operate in unlicensed bands for the sake of providing mobile broadband using unlicensed spectrum. The 3GPP based feature of License Assisted Access (LAA) was introduced in Release 13, supporting Carrier Aggregation (CA) between a primary carrier in licensed bands and one or several secondary carriers in unlicensed bands. Further evolution of the LAA feature, which only supports downlink traffic, was specified within the Release 14 feature of enhanced LAA (eLAA), which added the possibility to also schedule uplink traffic on the secondary carriers. In parallel to the work within 3GPP Release 14, work within the MulteFire Alliance (MFA) aimed to standardize a system that would allow the use of standalone primary carriers within unlicensed spectrum. The resulting MulteFire 1 .0 standard supports both uplink and downlink traffic.

[0009] Discussions are currently ongoing both within 3GPP as well as within MFA regarding the potential to evolve existing unlicensed standards to also support loT use- cases within unlicensed bands. Discussions within the MFA explicitly mention the opportunity for developing new standards that would have either of NB-loT or eMTC as baseline. A key issue to consider for such a design is the regulatory requirements, which differ depending on frequency band and region. [0010] One specific frequency band that may be eligible for loT operation would be the band in the vicinity of 2.4 gigahertz (GHz). Requirements for the European region are specified within the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) harmonized standard for equipment using wide band modulation, ETSI EN 300 328. Some key requirements from ETSI EN 300 328 are discussed in the next section.

2.4 GHz Requirements for the European Region and Coverage Extension

[0011] ETSI EN 300 328 provisions several adaptivity requirements for different operation modes. From the top level equipment can be classified either as Frequency Hopping (FH) or non-FH, as well as adaptive or non-adaptive. Adaptive equipment is mandated to sense whether the channel is occupied in order to better coexist with other users of the channel. Conversely, non-adaptive equipment is not mandated to sense if the channel is occupied prior to transmission. The improved coexistence may come from, e.g., Listen-Before-Talk (LBT), or Detect And Avoid (DAA) mechanisms. Non-FH equipment is subject to requirements on maximum Power Spectral Density (PSD) of 10 decibel-milliwatts (dBm) / MHz, which limits the maximum output power for systems using narrower bandwidths. Common for any of the adaptive schemes is the

consequence that the receiving node will be unaware of the result of the sensing and thus needs to detect whether a signal is present or not. While such a signal detection most likely would be feasible for devices operating in moderate to high Signal to

Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) levels, they may be infeasible for very low SINR levels.

[0012] For systems using repetition schemes to achieve coverage extension, the received SINR of each individual transmission is very low. Through accumulation of multiple transmissions, the effective SINR increases. However, in case the

accumulation would include both signal as well as noise as could be the case when the transmitter uses adaptive mechanisms, the repetition techniques may fail. One way of avoiding this would be to attempt detection of each individual repetition, although as already mentioned this may not be feasible at the very low SINR levels targeted with these loT standards. An loT standard for 2.4 GHz in Europe may therefore be best devised by categorizing its devices as non-adaptive FH.

[0013] The main restriction for non-adaptive FH is the 10% duty cycle and a maximum transmit duration which makes it more suitable for UEs. [0014] Adaptive FH on the other hand does not have any duty cycle limitations but relies on LBT to moderate channel access. This makes it suitable for eNBs which need more access to the medium to serve, in the case of eMTC or NB-loT, thousands of devices.

[0015] A hybrid system using both access technologies is being utilized in the

MulteFire eMTC-U solution. The main feature is that the eNB secures an 80 millisecond (ms) dwell time with an LBT at the beginning and then it is shared with the UE. In one dwell time, there could be one (Configuration A) or several (Configuration B) switch points in the dwell as depicted in Figure 1 which illustrates dwell time of the 2.4 GHz regulation in the EU. Figure 2 illustrates an example FH pattern.

Random Access Procedure

[0016] The UE uses a random access procedure to access the cell. It is basically a four step procedure:

1 . UE sends: a random access preamble (Preamble) (typically a selected one of a number of specific patterns or signatures or values)

2. eNB sends: Random Access Response (RAR) message (uplink grant)

3. UE sends: msg3 (Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Setup)

4. eNB sends: msg4 (RRC Connection Setup Complete)

Summary

[0017] Systems and methods for frequency hopping random access in a wireless network that operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method performed by a wireless device for frequency-hopping random access in a wireless network in an unlicensed frequency spectrum comprises

determining that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time, where the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first

frequency, and transmitting a random access preamble during the first dwell time. The method further comprises determining that the network node is active for a second dwell time, where the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency. The method further comprises, upon

determining that the network node is active for the second dwell time, monitoring for a random access response in the second dwell time. In this manner, the wireless device is able to transmit its random access preamble even during a dwell time in which the network node is inactive. Further, in some embodiments, the wireless device can sleep during the remainder of the first dwell time since the network node is inactive during the first dwell time, which provides reduced power consumption at the wireless device.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further comprises, in response to determining that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time, refraining from monitoring for the random access response in one or more portions of the first dwell time that are allocated for downlink.

[0019] In some embodiments, the wireless network is a hybrid system in which the network node operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with an adaptive frequency-hopping scheme and the wireless device operates in the unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with a non-adaptive frequency-hopping scheme.

[0020] In some embodiments, determining that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining that the wireless device is unable to detect a signal from the network node during the first dwell time. This signal could, e.g., be an initial signal, also referred to as Presence Detection signal (PD), or a broadcast signal on a broadcast channel used, e.g., for system information broadcast). In some other embodiments, determining that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining that the wireless device is unable to detect a signal from the network node during a period of time at a start of the first dwell time after a Listen- Before-Talk (LBT) period during which the network node is to perform LBT. In some other embodiments, determining that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining that the wireless device is unable to detect a broadcast channel from the network node during the first dwell time. In some other embodiments, determining that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining that the wireless device is unable to detect a broadcast channel from the network node during a period of time at a start of the first dwell time after a LBT period during which the network node is to perform LBT.

[0021] In some embodiments, the second dwell time is a next or some subsequent dwell time following the first dwell time.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method further comprises providing user data, and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the network node.

[0023] Embodiments of a wireless device are also disclosed. In some embodiments, a wireless device for frequency-hopping random access in a wireless network in an unlicensed frequency spectrum comprises an interface and processing circuitry configured to determine that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time, where the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency, and transmit a random access preamble during the first dwell time via the interface. The processing circuitry is further configured to determine that the network node is active for a second dwell time, where the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency. The

processing circuitry is further configured to, upon determining that the network node is active for the second dwell time, monitor for a random access response in the second dwell time.

[0024] In some embodiments, a wireless device for frequency-hopping random access in a wireless network in an unlicensed frequency spectrum is adapted to determine that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time, where the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency, and transmit a random access preamble during the first dwell time. The wireless device is further adapted to determine that the network node is active for a second dwell time, where the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency. The wireless device is further adapted to, upon determining that the network node is active for the second dwell time, monitor for a random access response in the second dwell time.

[0025] Embodiments of a method of operation of a network node are also disclosed. In some embodiments, a method performed by a network node for performing a frequency-hopping random access procedure in an unlicensed frequency spectrum comprises performing a LBT procedure for a first dwell time, a result of which is an LBT failure, where the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency. The method further comprises monitoring for a transmission of a random access preamble from a wireless device during the first dwell time. The method further comprises performing a LBT procedure for a second dwell time, a result of which is an LBT success, wherein the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency. The method further comprises transmitting a random access response in the second dwell time.

[0026] In some embodiments, monitoring for the transmission of the random access preamble from the wireless device during the first dwell time comprises monitoring for the transmission of the random access preamble from the wireless device during at least one portion of the first dwell time that is allocated for uplink. In some embodiments, the method further comprises refraining from transmitting a random access response to the wireless device during one or more portions of the first dwell time that are allocated for downlink since the result of the LBT procedure for the first dwell time is an LBT failure.

[0027] In some embodiments, the wireless network is a hybrid system in which the network node operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with an adaptive frequency-hopping scheme and the wireless device operates in the unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with a non-adaptive frequency-hopping scheme.

[0028] In some embodiments, the second dwell time is a next or some subsequent dwell time following the first dwell time.

[0029] In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining user data, and forwarding the user data to a host computer or a wireless device.

[0030] Embodiments of a network node are also disclosed. In some embodiments, a network node for performing a frequency-hopping random access procedure in an unlicensed frequency spectrum comprises an interface and processing circuitry configured to perform a LBT procedure for a first dwell time, a result of which is an LBT failure, wherein the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency. The processing circuitry is further configured to monitor for a transmission of a random access preamble from a wireless device during the first dwell time. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to perform a LBT procedure for a second dwell time, a result of which is an LBT success, wherein the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to transmit a random access response in the second dwell time.

[0031] In some embodiments, a network node for performing a frequency-hopping random access procedure in an unlicensed frequency spectrum is adapted to perform a LBT procedure for a first dwell time, a result of which is an LBT failure, wherein the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency. The network node is further adapted to monitor for a transmission of a random access preamble from a wireless device during the first dwell time. The network node is further adapted to perform a LBT procedure for a second dwell time, a result of which is an LBT success, wherein the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency. The network node is further adapted to transmit a random access response in the second dwell time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the

description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0033] Figure 1 illustrates dwell time of a 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) regulation in the European Union (EU);

[0034] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a frequency hopping (FH) pattern;

[0035] Figure 3 illustrates a problem that arises during random access in unlicensed spectrum a hybrid system in which the network node operates in accordance with an adaptive FH scheme and the wireless device operates in accordance with a non- adaptive FH scheme;

[0036] Figure 4 is an example illustration of some aspects of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 5 illustrates a known alternative method for random access;

[0038] Figure 6 illustrates the operation of a network node and a wireless device in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 7 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a network node in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 8 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a wireless device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 9 illustrates an example wireless network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 10 illustrates one embodiment of a User Equipment (UE) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0043] Figure 1 1 illustrates a virtualization environment in which functions

implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized;

[0044] Figure 12 illustrates a communication system according to some

embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 13 is a generalized block diagram of a host computer communicating via a base station with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; [0046] Figure 14 illustrates a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 15 illustrates a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Figure 16 illustrates a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] Figure 17 illustrates a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0050] Figure 18 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus in a wireless network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

[0051] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0052] Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and/or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and/or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features, and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description. [0053] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. Additional information may also be found in the document(s) provided in the Appendix attached hereto.

[0054] There currently exist certain challenge(s). The problem with the existing solution for random access arises in the case of a hybrid system in which the eNB operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with an adaptive frequency-hopping scheme and the UE operates in the unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with a non-adaptive frequency-hopping scheme where the initial preamble is started in one particular frequency but fails and then continues to the next frequency for the subsequent attempt. Usually there is power ramp up between each transmission. In the next frequency, the UE is allowed to perform transmissions without LBT or without detecting any eNB transmissions since it uses non-adaptive FH. If the eNB fails its LBT and decodes the UE's preamble, it is not allowed to send the RAR message in the same dwell time period, where dwell period (also referred to herein as "dwell time") is defined as the time spent operating on one frequency before changing frequency. In other words, as defined in ETSI, the dwell period is the time between frequency changes in a frequency hopping system. The problem is illustrated in Figure 3.

[0055] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. The proposed solution is that the UE performs eNB transmission detection at the start of the dwell (also referred to herein as a dwell period, a dwell time period, or dwell time) to determine whether the eNB is active in the dwell time, prior to transmitting the preamble.

[0056] In this scheme, the eNB continues to listen on the uplink portion of the dwell time even though it has failed the LBT attempt for downlink transmissions. If the eNB was active in this dwell, the UE monitors the RAR in the next downlink portion of the dwell time. Otherwise, the UE may sleep until the next dwell and determines whether the eNB succeeded its LBT. The UE only monitors the downlink portion of a dwell for RAR when LBT succeeded in a subsequent dwell. [0057] Figure 4 illustrates at least some aspects of the present disclosure. Here, the eNB continues Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) monitoring even if LBT failed, and the UE only monitors for a RAR in dwell times where LBT succeeded (and thus the UE detects that the eNB is active).

[0058] Hence, the eNB performs LBT at the beginning of a first dwell time, but LBT fails, meaning that the eNB is not allowed to perform any downlink transmissions. As a consequence, the eNB does not transmit any signal at the beginning of the first dwell time following the LBT period, neither does the eNB perform any downlink transmission in the remainder of the complete first dwell time. The UE attempts to detect transmission signals from the eNB, and determines that the eNB is not active in the first dwell time. Even though the eNB is not active in the first dwell time, the UE transmits a random access preamble on the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) during its PRACH occasion, which is allocated for uplink (UL) transmission on this dwell time. The eNB continues monitoring or listening on PRACH occasions in the first dwell time even if LBT failed and the eNB is not allowed to transmit. If the eNB detects the random access preamble from the UE, the eNB will prepare the RAR for this UE, but the eNB does not transmit the RAR in the first dwell time due to LBT failure. As the UE determined that the eNB is not active, it does not expect any RAR in the first dwell time as a response to its preamble transmission within the same dwell. Rather, the UE continues performing transmission detection at the beginning of the next (or subsequent) dwell(s). If the UE determines that the eNB is active in the next or subsequent dwell, the UE monitors for a RAR in that dwell time, i.e. the UE only monitors for a RAR in dwell times where the eNB had succeeded LBT, which is known to the UE by detecting the eNB's transmission signal(s) at the beginning of that dwell. Correspondingly, the eNB performs LBT at the next (or subsequent) dwells, and if the LBT is successful, it transmits the RAR allocated for DL transmission of the dwell in which its LBT succeeded. Then, the UE continues the random access procedure.

[0059] A prior MulteFire contribution [mf2017.1018.00-"eMTC-U PRACH and PUCCH design details"] describes an alternative method which is shown in Figure 5. In this case, the UE performs detection of the eNB and, if detected, the preamble is sent. If there is no eNB detection, the preamble transmission is skipped. The problem with this solution is that in unlicensed spectrum, the occasions available for the UE to transmit the preamble could be limited. Instead, the embodiments described advantageously herein allow higher availability times for the system.

[0060] In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE detects the eNB transmission on a frequency and time dwell to determine where to receive the RAR. The eNB continues to monitor the uplink portions of the dwell even if LBT fails.

[0061] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). First, embodiments disclosed herein provide a simple UE

implementation. The UE can use its Random Access Channel (RACH) occasion and does not have to defer its PRACH transmission. Second, embodiments disclosed herein provide improved UE power consumption because the UE can sleep if the LBT of the eNB failed.

[0062] Figure 6 illustrates the operation of a network node (e.g., an eNB, New Radio (NR) base station (gNB), or other radio access node) and a wireless device (e.g., a UE) in accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the network node and the wireless device are part of a wireless network (i.e., a wireless communication system) that operates in an unlicensed spectrum in accordance with a hybrid scheme. In this hybrid scheme, the network node operates in accordance with an adaptive FH scheme, and the wireless device operates in accordance with a non-adaptive FH scheme. For each dwell time (e.g., 80 ms dwell time), the network node performs a LBT procedure, and the dwell time is divided into at least one first portion that is allocated for downlink transmission and at least one second portion that is allocated for uplink transmission.

[0063] As illustrated, the network node performs a LBT procedure for a first dwell time, where in this example the LBT procedure fails (i.e., the channel is detected as busy) (step 600). Even though there is a LBT failure, the network node still monitors for transmission of a random access preamble during the portion(s) of the first dwell time that are allocated for uplink transmission (step 602). In addition, the network node refrains from transmitting on the downlink during the portion(s) of the first dwell time that are allocated for the downlink since there was an LBT failure.

[0064] At the wireless device, the wireless device determines that the network node is inactive during the first dwell time (step 604). In some embodiments, the wireless device determines whether the network node is active during the first dwell time by attempting to detect a signal (e.g., an initial signal or a broadcast signal on a broadcast channel), e.g., during a period of time at the start of the dwell time, e.g., just after the end of LBT period (i.e., the period of time during which the network node performs LBT in step 600). If the wireless device is able to detect a signal from the network node, then the wireless device determines that the network node is active during the first dwell time. Otherwise, the wireless device determines that the network node is inactive during the first dwell time. In this example, the wireless device determines that the network node is inactive during the first dwell time.

[0065] The wireless device transmits a random access preamble during the first dwell time (step 606). In particular, the wireless device transmits the random access preamble during a portion of the first dwell time that is allocated for the uplink. While monitoring in step 602, the network node detects the transmission of the random access preamble from the wireless device during the first dwell time.

[0066] The network node performs LBT for a second dwell time (step 608). The second dwell time is a next dwell time immediately following the first dwell time or some subsequent dwell time. In this example, the result of the LBT procedure for the second dwell time is a LBT success (i.e., the channel is clear).

[0067] At the wireless device, the wireless device determines that the network node is active during the second dwell time (step 610). As such, the wireless device monitors for a RAR from the network node during at least one portion of the second dwell time that is allocated for the downlink (step 612).

[0068] Since LBT was a success for the second dwell time, the network node transmits a RAR during a portion of the second dwell time that is allocated for the downlink (step 614). While monitoring in step 612, the wireless device detects the RAR from the network node. Together, the network node and the wireless device then operate to complete the random access procedure (step 616).

[0069] Figure 7 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a network node in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Many of the steps in Figure 7 correspond to those performed by the network node in Figure 6. As such, some details are omitted. As illustrated, the network node performs a LBT procedure for a dwell time (step 700), and determines whether the LBT was a success (step 702). If LBT was not a success, the network node still monitors for transmission of a random access preamble during the portion(s) of the dwell time that are allocated for uplink transmission (step 704). In addition, the network node refrains from

transmitting on the downlink during the portion(s) of the first dwell time that are allocated for the downlink since there was an LBT failure. If the network node detects a random access preamble (step 706, YES), the network node transmits a RAR in the next or some subsequent dwell time for which there is a LBT success (step 708).

[0070] Returning to step 702, if there was a LBT success, the network node monitors for transmission of a random access preamble during the portion(s) of the dwell time that are allocated for uplink transmission (step 710). Since there was an LBT success, if the network node detects a random access preamble (step 712, YES), the network node transmits a RAR in the dwell time (step 714).

[0071] Figure 8 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a wireless device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Many of the steps in Figure 8 correspond to those performed by the wireless device in Figure 6. As such, some details are omitted. As illustrated, the wireless device determines whether the network node is active during a first dwell time (step 800). In some embodiments, the wireless device determines whether the network node is active during the first dwell time by attempting to detect a signal (e.g., an initial signal or a broadcast signal on a broadcast channel), e.g., during a period of time at the start of the dwell time, e.g., just after the end of the LBT period. If the wireless device is able to detect a signal from the network node, then the wireless device determines that the network node is active during the first dwell time. Otherwise, the wireless device determines that the network node is inactive during the first dwell time.

[0072] If the wireless device determines that the network node is inactive during the first dwell time (step 802, NO), the wireless device transmits a random access preamble during the first dwell time (step 804) and monitors for a RAR in a next or some subsequent dwell time in which the wireless device determines that the network node is active (step 806).

[0073] Returning to step 802, if wireless device determines that the network node is active in the first dwell time (step 802, YES), the wireless device transmits a random access preamble during the first dwell time (step 808) and monitors for a RAR in the first dwell time (step 810).

[0074] Once a RAR is detected, together, the network node and the wireless device then operate to complete the random access procedure (step 812).

[0075] Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented in any appropriate type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described in relation to a wireless network, such as the example wireless network illustrated in Figure 9. For simplicity, the wireless network of Figure 9 only depicts a network 906, network nodes 960 and 960B, and Wireless Devices (WDs) 910, 91 OB, and 910C. In practice, a wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable to support communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device, such as a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device. Of the illustrated

components, the network node 960 and the WD 910 are depicted with additional detail. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate the wireless devices' access to and/or use of the services provided by, or via, the wireless network.

[0076] The wireless network may comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or

procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), LTE, and/or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards; Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE 802.1 1 standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide

Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and/or ZigBee standards.

[0077] The network 906 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, Internet Protocol (IP) networks, Public Switched Telephone Networks

(PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), WLANs, wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.

[0078] The network node 960 and the WD 910 comprise various components described in more detail below. These components work together in order to provide network node and/or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless

connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. [0079] As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the wireless network to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device and/or to perform other functions (e.g., administration) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, Access Points (APs) (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, eNBs, and gNBs). Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and may then also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a Distributed

Antenna System (DAS). Yet further examples of network nodes include Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) or BS Controllers (BSCs), Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, Multi-Cell/Multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs), Mobility

Management Entities (MMEs)), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLCs)), and/or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs). As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. More generally, however, network nodes may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to enable and/or provide a wireless device with access to the wireless network or to provide some service to a wireless device that has accessed the wireless network.

[0080] In Figure 9, the network node 960 includes processing circuitry 970, a device readable medium 980, an interface 990, auxiliary equipment 984, a power source 986, power circuitry 987, and an antenna 962. Although the network node 960 illustrated in the example wireless network of Figure 9 may represent a device that includes the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise network nodes with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that a network node comprises any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Moreover, while the components of the network node 960 are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a network node may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., the device readable medium 980 may comprise multiple separate hard drives as well as multiple Random Access Memory (RAM) modules).

[0081] Similarly, the network node 960 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a Node B component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 960 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple Node Bs. In such a scenario, each unique Node B and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 960 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., a separate device readable medium 980 for the different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 962 may be shared by the RATs). The network node 960 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into the network node 960, such as, for example, GSM, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or a different chip or set of chips and other components within the network node 960.

[0082] The processing circuitry 970 is configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by the processing circuitry 970 may include processing information obtained by the processing circuitry 970 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.

[0083] The processing circuitry 970 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 960 components, such as the device readable medium 980, network node 960 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 970 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 980 or in memory within the processing circuitry 970. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 970 may include a System on a Chip (SOC).

[0084] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 970 may include one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 972 and baseband processing circuitry 974. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 972 and the baseband processing circuitry 974 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 972 and the baseband processing circuitry 974 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0085] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by the processing circuitry 970 executing instructions stored on the device readable medium 980 or memory within the processing circuitry 970. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 970 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry 970 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry 970 alone or to other components of the network node 960, but are enjoyed by the network node 960 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.

[0086] The device readable medium 980 may comprise any form of volatile or nonvolatile computer readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, Read Only Memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 970. The device readable medium 980 may store any suitable instructions; data or information, including a computer program; software; an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.; and/or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 970 and utilized by the network node 960. The device readable medium 980 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 970 and/or any data received via the interface 990. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 970 and the device readable medium 980 may be considered to be integrated.

[0087] The interface 990 is used in the wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between the network node 960, a network 906, and/or WDs 910. As illustrated, the interface 990 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 994 to send and receive data, for example to and from the network 906 over a wired connection. The interface 990 also includes radio front end circuitry 992 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 962. The radio front end circuitry 992 comprises filters 998 and amplifiers 996. The radio front end circuitry 992 may be connected to the antenna 962 and the processing circuitry 970. The radio front end circuitry 992 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 962 and the processing circuitry 970. The radio front end circuitry 992 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front end circuitry 992 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 998 and/or the amplifiers 996. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 962. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 962 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front end circuitry 992. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 970. In other embodiments, the interface 990 may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

[0088] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 960 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 992; instead, the processing circuitry 970 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to the antenna 962 without separate radio front end circuitry 992. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 972 may be considered a part of the interface 990. In still other embodiments, the interface 990 may include the one or more ports or terminals 994, the radio front end circuitry 992, and the RF transceiver circuitry 972 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the interface 990 may communicate with the baseband processing circuitry 974, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0089] The antenna 962 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 962 may be coupled to the radio front end circuitry 992 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In some embodiments, the antenna 962 may comprise one or more omni-directional, sector, or panel antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omnidirectional antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals in any direction, a sector antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals from devices within a particular area, and a panel antenna may be a line of sight antenna used to

transmit/receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO). In certain embodiments, the antenna 962 may be separate from the network node 960 and may be connectable to the network node 960 through an interface or port.

[0090] The antenna 962, the interface 990, and/or the processing circuitry 970 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and/or signals may be received from a WD, another network node, and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 962, the interface 990, and/or the processing circuitry 970 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and/or signals may be transmitted to a WD, another network node, and/or any other network equipment.

[0091] The power circuitry 987 may comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry and is configured to supply the components of the network node 960 with power for performing the functionality described herein. The power circuitry 987 may receive power from the power source 986. The power source 986 and/or the power circuitry 987 may be configured to provide power to the various components of the network node 960 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 986 may either be included in, or be external to, the power circuitry 987 and/or the network node 960. For example, the network node 960 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuitry 987. As a further example, the power source 986 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, the power circuitry 987. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0092] Alternative embodiments of the network node 960 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 9 that may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and/or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 960 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 960 and to allow output of information from the network node 960. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 960.

[0093] As used herein, WD refers to a device capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other WDs. Unless otherwise noted, the term WD may be used interchangeably herein with UE.

Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network on a

predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the network. Examples of a WD include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a Voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a desktop computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a wireless camera, a gaming console or device, a music storage device, a playback appliance, a wearable terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop, Laptop

Embedded Equipment (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LME), a smart device, a wireless Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), a vehicle mounted wireless terminal device, etc.. A WD may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-lnfrastructure (V2I), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), and may in this case be referred to as a D2D communication device. As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or

measurements to another WD and/or a network node. The WD may in this case be a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as a MTC device. As one particular example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP NB-loT standard. Particular examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, home or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), or personal wearables (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. A WD as described above may represent the endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, a WD as described above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

[0094] As illustrated in Figure 9, a WD 910 includes an antenna 91 1 , an interface 914, processing circuitry 920, a device readable medium 930, user interface equipment 932, auxiliary equipment 934, a power source 936, and power circuitry 937. The WD 910 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by the WD 910, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few.

These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or set of chips as other components within the WD 910.

[0095] The antenna 91 1 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and/or receive wireless signals and is connected to the interface 914. In certain alternative embodiments, the antenna 91 1 may be separate from the WD 910 and be connectable to the WD 910 through an interface or port. The antenna 91 1 , the interface 914, and/or the processing circuitry 920 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, data, and/or signals may be received from a network node and/or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front end circuitry and/or the antenna 91 1 may be considered an interface. [0096] As illustrated, the interface 914 comprises radio front end circuitry 912 and the antenna 91 1 . The radio front end circuitry 912 comprises one or more filters 918 and amplifiers 916. The radio front end circuitry 912 is connected to the antenna 91 1 and the processing circuitry 920 and is configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 91 1 and the processing circuitry 920. The radio front end circuitry 912 may be coupled to or be a part of the antenna 91 1 . In some embodiments, the WD 910 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 912; rather, the processing circuitry 920 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to the antenna 91 1 . Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 922 may be considered a part of the interface 914. The radio front end circuitry 912 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front end circuitry 912 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 918 and/or the amplifiers 916. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 91 1 . Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 91 1 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front end circuitry 912. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 920. In other embodiments, the interface 914 may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

[0097] The processing circuitry 920 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a FPGA, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other WD 910 components, such as the device readable medium 930, WD 910 functionality. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuitry 920 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 930 or in memory within the processing circuitry 920 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0098] As illustrated, the processing circuitry 920 includes one or more of the RF transceiver circuitry 922, baseband processing circuitry 924, and application processing circuitry 926. In other embodiments, the processing circuitry 920 may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components. In certain

embodiments, the processing circuitry 920 of the WD 910 may comprise a SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 922, the baseband processing circuitry 924, and the application processing circuitry 926 may be on separate chips or sets of chips. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the baseband processing circuitry 924 and the application processing circuitry 926 may be combined into one chip or set of chips, and the RF transceiver circuitry 922 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In still alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 922 and the baseband processing circuitry 924 may be on the same chip or set of chips, and the application processing circuitry 926 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In yet other alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 922, the baseband processing circuitry 924, and the application processing circuitry 926 may be combined in the same chip or set of chips. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 922 may be a part of the interface 914. The RF transceiver circuitry 922 may condition RF signals for the processing circuitry 920.

[0099] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by a WD may be provided by the processing circuitry 920 executing instructions stored on the device readable medium 930, which in certain embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 920 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry 920 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry 920 alone or to other components of the WD 910, but are enjoyed by the WD 910 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.

[0100] The processing circuitry 920 may be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being performed by a WD. These operations, as performed by the processing circuitry 920, may include processing information obtained by the processing circuitry 920 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by the WD 910, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.

[0101] The device readable medium 930 may be operable to store a computer program; software; an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.; and/or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 920. The device readable medium 930 may include computer memory (e.g., RAM or ROM), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a CD or a DVD), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 920. In some embodiments, the

processing circuitry 920 and the device readable medium 930 may be considered to be integrated.

[0102] The user interface equipment 932 may provide components that allow for a human user to interact with the WD 910. Such interaction may be of many forms, such as visual, audial, tactile, etc. The user interface equipment 932 may be operable to produce output to the user and to allow the user to provide input to the WD 910. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface equipment 932 installed in the WD 910. For example, if the WD 910 is a smart phone, the interaction may be via a touch screen; if the WD 910 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface equipment 932 may include input interfaces, devices and circuits, and output interfaces, devices and circuits. The user interface equipment 932 is configured to allow input of

information into the WD 910, and is connected to the processing circuitry 920 to allow the processing circuitry 920 to process the input information. The user interface equipment 932 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, or other input circuitry. The user interface equipment 932 is also configured to allow output of information from the WD 910 and to allow the processing circuitry 920 to output information from the WD 910. The user interface equipment 932 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, vibrating circuitry, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface equipment 932, the WD 910 may communicate with end users and/or the wireless network, and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0103] The auxiliary equipment 934 is operable to provide more specific functionality which may not be generally performed by WDs. This may comprise specialized sensors for doing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communications, etc. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary equipment 934 may vary depending on the embodiment and/or scenario.

[0104] The power source 936 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic devices, or power cells may also be used. The WD 910 may further comprise the power circuitry 937 for delivering power from the power source 936 to the various parts of the WD 910 which need power from the power source

936 to carry out any functionality described or indicated herein. The power circuitry 937 may in certain embodiments comprise power management circuitry. The power circuitry

937 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source, in which case the WD 910 may be connectable to the external power source (such as an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. The power circuitry 937 may also in certain embodiments be operable to deliver power from an external power source to the power source 936. This may be, for example, for the charging of the power source 936. The power circuitry 937 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 936 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the WD 910 to which power is supplied.

[0105] Figure 10 illustrates one embodiment of a UE in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and/or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter). A UE 1000 may be any UE identified by 3GPP, including a NB-loT UE, a MTC UE, and/or an eMTC UE. The UE 1000, as illustrated in Figure 10, is one example of a WD configured for communication in accordance with one or more communication standards promulgated by 3GPP, such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and/or 5G standards. As mentioned previously, the term WD and UE may be used

interchangeable. Accordingly, although Figure 10 is a UE, the components discussed herein are equally applicable to a WD, and vice-versa. [0106] In Figure 10, the UE 1000 includes processing circuitry 1001 that is operatively coupled to an input/output interface 1005, an RF interface 1009, a network connection interface 101 1 , memory 1015 including RAM 1017, ROM 1019, and a storage medium 1021 or the like, a communication subsystem 1031 , a power source 1013, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 1021 includes an operating system 1023, an application program 1025, and data 1027. In other embodiments, the storage medium 1021 may include other similar types of information. Certain UEs may utilize all of the components shown in Figure 10, or only a subset of the components. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0107] In Figure 10, the processing circuitry 1001 may be configured to process computer instructions and data. The processing circuitry 1001 may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute machine instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.);

programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, general purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or DSP, together with

appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1001 may include two CPUs. Data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0108] In the depicted embodiment, the input/output interface 1005 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, output device, or input and output device. The UE 1000 may be configured to use an output device via the input/output interface 1005. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from the UE 1000. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 1000 may be configured to use an input device via the input/output interface 1005 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 1000. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another like sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device may be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.

[0109] In Figure 10, the RF interface 1009 may be configured to provide a

communication interface to RF components such as a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna. The network connection interface 101 1 may be configured to provide a communication interface to a network 1043A. The network 1043A may encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as a LAN, a WAN, a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like network or any combination thereof. For example, the network 1043A may comprise a WiFi network. The network connection interface 101 1 may be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface used to communicate with one or more other devices over a communication network according to one or more communication protocols, such as Ethernet,

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) / IP, Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), or the like. The network connection interface 101 1 may implement receiver and transmitter functionality appropriate to the

communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, and the like). The transmitter and receiver functions may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively may be implemented separately.

[0110] The RAM 1017 may be configured to interface via a bus 1002 to the processing circuitry 1001 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as the operating system, application programs, and device drivers. The ROM 1019 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to the processing circuitry 1001 . For example, the ROM 1019 may be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basic Input and Output (I/O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard that are stored in a non-volatile memory. The Storage medium 1021 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, or flash drives. In one example, the storage medium 1021 may be configured to include the operating system 1023, the application program 1025 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, or another application, and the data file 1027. The storage medium 1021 may store, for use by the UE 1000, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0111] The storage medium 1021 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a High-Density Digital Versatile Disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-Ray optical disc drive, a Holographic Digital Data Storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, an external mini-Dual In-Line Memory Module (DIMM), Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) or a Removable User Identity (RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 1021 may allow the UE 1000 to access computer-executable instructions, application programs, or the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a

communication system, may be tangibly embodied in the storage medium 1021 , which may comprise a device readable medium.

[0112] In Figure 10, the processing circuitry 1001 may be configured to communicate with a network 1043B using the communication subsystem 1031 . The network 1043A and the network 1043B may be the same network or networks or different network or networks. The communication subsystem 1031 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with the network 1043B. For example, the communication subsystem 1031 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication such as another WD, UE, or base station of a Radio Access Network (RAN) according to one or more communication protocols, such as IEEE 802.10, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), WCDMA, GSM, LTE, Universal Terrestrial RAN (UTRAN), WiMax, or the like. Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1033 and/or a receiver 1035 to implement transmitter or receiver

functionality, respectively, appropriate to the RAN links (e.g., frequency allocations and the like). Further, the transmitter 1033 and the receiver 1035 of each transceiver may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively may be implemented separately. [0113] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 1031 may include data communication, voice

communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location, another like

communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 1031 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 1043B may encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as a LAN, a WAN, a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 1043B may be a cellular network, a WiFi network, and/or a near-field network. A power source 1013 may be configured to provide

Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC) power to components of the UE 1000.

[0114] The features, benefits, and/or functions described herein may be

implemented in one of the components of the UE 1000 or partitioned across multiple components of the UE 1000. Further, the features, benefits, and/or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem 1031 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Further, the processing circuitry 1001 may be configured to communicate with any of such components over the bus 1002. In another example, any of such components may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that, when executed by the processing circuitry 1001 , perform the

corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any of such components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry 1001 and the communication subsystem 1031 . In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0115] Figure 1 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization

environment 1 100 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) or to a device (e.g., a UE, a WD, or any other type of communication device) or components thereof and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executing on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0116] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 1 100 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes 1 130. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node may be entirely virtualized.

[0117] The functions may be implemented by one or more applications 1 120 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operative to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. The applications 1 120 are run in the virtualization environment 1 100 which provides hardware 1 130 comprising processing circuitry 1 160 and memory 1 190. The memory 1 190 contains instructions 1 195 executable by the processing circuitry 1 160 whereby the application 1 120 is operative to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and/or functions disclosed herein.

[0118] The virtualization environment 1 100 comprises general-purpose or special- purpose network hardware devices 1 130 comprising a set of one or more processors or processing circuitry 1 160, which may be Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated ASICs, or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors. Each hardware device 1 130 may comprise memory 1 190-1 which may be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 1 195 or software executed by the processing circuitry 1 160. Each hardware device 1 130 may comprise one or more Network Interface Controllers (NICs) 1 170, also known as network interface cards, which include a physical network interface 1 180. Each hardware device 1 130 may also include non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage media 1 190-2 having stored therein software 1 195 and/or instructions executable by the processing circuitry 1 160. The software 1 195 may include any type of software including software for instantiating one or more

virtualization layers 1 150 (also referred to as hypervisors), software to execute virtual machines 1 140, as well as software allowing it to execute functions, features, and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.

[0119] The virtual machines 1 140, comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface, and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtual ization layer 1 150 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of the instance of virtual appliance 1 120 may be implemented on one or more of the virtual machines 1 140, and the implementations may be made in different ways.

[0120] During operation, the processing circuitry 1 160 executes the software 1 195 to instantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 1 150, which may sometimes be referred to as a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 1 150 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the virtual machine 1 140.

[0121] As shown in Figure 1 1 , the hardware 1 130 may be a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 1 130 may comprise an antenna 1 1225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1 130 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via a Management and Orchestration (MANO) 1 1 100, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 1 120.

[0122] Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and CPE.

[0123] In the context of NFV, the virtual machine 1 140 may be a software

implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the virtual machines 1 140, and that part of the hardware 1 130 that executes that virtual machine 1 140, be it hardware dedicated to that virtual machine 1 140 and/or hardware shared by that virtual machine 1 140 with others of the virtual machines 1 140, forms a separate Virtual Network Element (VNE).

[0124] Still in the context of NFV, Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more virtual machines 1 140 on top of the hardware networking infrastructure 1 130 and corresponds to the application 1 120 in Figure 1 1 . [0125] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 1 1200 that each include one or more transmitters 1 1220 and one or more receivers 1 1210 may be coupled to the one or more antennas 1 1225. The radio units 1 1200 may communicate directly with the hardware nodes 1 130 via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio

capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.

[0126] In some embodiments, some signaling can be effected with the use of a control system 1 1230, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes 1 130 and the radio unit 1 1200.

[0127] With reference to Figure 12, in accordance with an embodiment, a

communication system includes a telecommunication network 1210, such as a 3GPP- type cellular network, which comprises an access network 121 1 , such as a RAN, and a core network 1214. The access network 121 1 comprises a plurality of base stations 1212A, 1212B, 1212C, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs, or other types of wireless APs, each defining a corresponding coverage area 1213A, 1213B, 1213C. Each base station

1212A, 1212B, 1212C is connectable to the core network 1214 over a wired or wireless connection 1215. A first UE 1291 located in coverage area 1213C is configured to wirelessly connect to, or be paged by, the corresponding base station 1212C. A second UE 1292 in coverage area 1213A is wirelessly connectable to the corresponding base station 1212A. While a plurality of UEs 1291 , 1292 are illustrated in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to a situation where a sole UE is in the coverage area or where a sole UE is connecting to the corresponding base station 1212.

[0128] The telecommunication network 1210 is itself connected to a host computer 1230, which may be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as processing resources in a server farm. The host computer 1230 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 1221 and 1222 between telecommunication network 1210 and the host computer 1230 may extend directly from the core network 1214 to the host computer 1230 or may go via an optional intermediate network 1220. The intermediate network 1220 may be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private, or hosted network; the intermediate network 1220, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 1220 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).

[0129] The communication system of Figure 12 as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 1291 , 1292 and the host computer 1230. The connectivity may be described as an Over-the-Top (OTT) connection 1250. The host computer 1230 and the connected UEs 1291 , 1292 are configured to communicate data and/or signaling via the OTT connection 1250, using the access network 121 1 , the core network 1214, any intermediate network 1220, and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 1250 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 1250 passes are unaware of routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 1212 may not or need not be informed about the past routing of an incoming downlink communication with data originating from the host computer 1230 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to a connected UE 1291 . Similarly, the base station 1212 need not be aware of the future routing of an outgoing uplink communication originating from the UE 1291 towards the host computer 1230.

[0130] Example implementations, in accordance with an embodiment, of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 13. In a communication system 1300, a host computer 1310 comprises hardware 1315 including a communication interface 1316 configured to set up and maintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of the communication system 1300. The host computer 1310 further comprises processing circuitry 1318, which may have storage and/or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuitry 1318 may comprise one or more programmable processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 1310 further comprises software 131 1 , which is stored in or accessible by the host computer 1310 and executable by the processing circuitry 1318. The software 131 1 includes a host application 1312. The host application 1312 may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as a UE 1330 connecting via an OTT connection 1350 terminating at the UE 1330 and the host computer 1310. In providing the service to the remote user, the host application 1312 may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1350. [0131] The communication system 1300 further includes a base station 1320 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 1325 enabling it to communicate with the host computer 1310 and with the UE 1330. The hardware 1325 may include a communication interface 1326 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of the communication system 1300, as well as a radio interface 1327 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 1370 with the UE 1330 located in a coverage area (not shown in Figure 13) served by the base station 1320. The communication interface 1326 may be configured to facilitate a connection 1360 to the host computer 1310. The connection 1360 may be direct or it may pass through a core network (not shown in Figure 13) of the telecommunication system and/or through one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunication system. In the embodiment shown, the hardware 1325 of the base station 1320 further includes processing circuitry 1328, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The base station 1320 further has software 1321 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0132] The communication system 1300 further includes the UE 1330 already referred to. The UE's 1330 hardware 1335 may include a radio interface 1337 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 1370 with a base station serving a coverage area in which the UE 1330 is currently located. The hardware 1335 of the UE 1330 further includes processing circuitry 1338, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 1330 further comprises software 1331 , which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1330 and executable by the processing circuitry 1338. The software 1331 includes a client application 1332. The client application 1332 may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via the UE 1330, with the support of the host computer 1310. In the host computer 1310, the executing host application 1312 may communicate with the executing client application 1332 via the OTT connection 1350 terminating at the UE 1330 and the host computer 1310. In providing the service to the user, the client application 1332 may receive request data from the host application 1312 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1350 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The client application 1332 may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides.

[0133] It is noted that the host computer 1310, the base station 1320, and the UE

1330 illustrated in Figure 13 may be similar or identical to the host computer 1230, one of the base stations 1212A, 1212B, 1212C, and one of the UEs 1291 , 1292 of Figure

12, respectively. This is to say, the inner workings of these entities may be as shown in Figure 13 and independently, the surrounding network topology may be that of Figure 12.

[0134] In Figure 13, the OTT connection 1350 has been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host computer 1310 and the UE 1330 via the base station 1320 without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices. The network infrastructure may determine the routing, which may be configured to hide from the UE 1330 or from the service provider operating the host computer 1310, or both. While the OTT connection 1350 is active, the network infrastructure may further take decisions by which it dynamically changes the routing (e.g., on the basis of load balancing consideration or reconfiguration of the network).

[0135] The wireless connection 1370 between the UE 1330 and the base station 1320 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1330 using the OTT connection 1350, in which the wireless connection 1370 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as extended battery lifetime.

[0136] A measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1350 between the host computer 1310 and the UE 1330, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1350 may be implemented in the software 131 1 and the hardware 1315 of the host computer 1310 or in the software

1331 and the hardware 1335 of the UE 1330, or both. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which the OTT connection 1350 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which the software 131 1 , 1331 may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1350 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect the base station 1320, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 1320. Such procedures and

functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling facilitating the host computer 1310's measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency, and the like. The measurements may be implemented in that the software 131 1 and 1331 causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or 'dummy' messages, using the OTT connection 1350 while it monitors propagation times, errors, etc.

[0137] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 14 will be included in this section. In step 1410, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 141 1 (which may be optional) of step 1410, the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 1420, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. In step 1430 (which may be optional), the base station transmits to the UE the user data which was carried in the transmission that the host computer initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1440 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0138] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 15 will be included in this section. In step 1510 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown) the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 1520, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. The transmission may pass via the base station, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1530 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0139] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 16 will be included in this section. In step 1610 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1620, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1621 (which may be optional) of step 1620, the UE provides the user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 161 1 (which may be optional) of step 1610, the UE executes a client application which provides the user data in reaction to the received input data provided by the host computer. In providing the user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE initiates, in sub-step 1630 (which may be optional), transmission of the user data to the host computer. In step 1640 of the method, the host computer receives the user data transmitted from the UE, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0140] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system, in accordance with one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE which may be those described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. For simplicity of the present disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 17 will be included in this section. In step 1710 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this

disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In step 1720 (which may be optional), the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1730 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0141] Figure 18 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1800 in a wireless network (for example, the wireless network shown in Figure 9). The apparatus may be implemented in a wireless device or network node (e.g., the WD 910 or the network node 960 shown in Figure 9). The apparatus 1800 is operable to carry out the example method described with reference to Figure 6, 7, or 8 and possibly any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It is also to be understood that the methods of Figures 6, 7, and 8 are not necessarily carried out solely by the apparatus 1800. At least some operations of the method can be performed by one or more other entities.

[0142] The virtual apparatus 1800 may comprise processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include DSPs, special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as ROM, RAM, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments. In some implementations, the apparatus 1800 is implemented in a network node, and the processing circuitry may be used to cause a LBT unit 1802, a monitoring unit 1804, and a response unit 1806, and any other suitable units of the apparatus 1800, to perform corresponding functions of the network node according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1800 is implemented in a wireless device, and the processing circuitry may be used to cause a determining unit 1808, a preamble transmitting unit 1810, and a monitoring unit 1812, and any other suitable units of the apparatus 1800, to perform corresponding functions of the wireless device according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0143] As illustrated in Figure 18, the apparatus 1800 is implemented in a network node and includes a LBT unit 1802, a monitoring unit 1804, and a response unit 1806. The LBT unit 1802 is configured to perform a LBT procedure as described above with respect to, e.g., steps 600 and 608 of Figure 6. The monitoring unit 1804 is configured to monitor for a random access preamble as described above with respect to, e.g., step 602 of Figure 6. The response unit 1806 is configured to transmit a RAR as described above with respect to, e.g., step 614 of Figure 6.

[0144] As illustrated in Figure 18, in some other embodiments, the apparatus 1800 is implemented in a wireless and includes a determining unit 1808, a preamble

transmitting unit 1810, and a monitoring unit 1812. The determining unit 1808 is configured to determine whether the network node is active as described above with respect to, e.g., steps 604 and 610 of Figure 6. The preamble transmitting unit 1810 is configured to transmit a random access preamble as described above with respect to, e.g., step 606 of Figure 6. The monitoring unit 1812 is configured to monitor for a RAR as described above with respect to, e.g., step 612 of Figure 6.

[0145] The term unit may have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices, and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.

[0146] Some example embodiments are:

Group A Embodiments

[0147] Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a wireless device for random access in a wireless network, the method comprising: determining (604) that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time; transmitting (606) a random access preamble during the first dwell time; determining (610) that the network node is active for a second dwell time; and upon determining that the network node is active for the second dwell time, monitoring (612) for a random access response in the second dwell time.

[0148] Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1 wherein the wireless network is a hybrid system in which the network node operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with an adaptive frequency-hopping scheme and the wireless device operates in the unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with a non- adaptive frequency-hopping scheme.

[0149] Embodiment 3: The method of embodiment 1 or 2 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a signal from the network node during the first dwell time.

[0150] Embodiment 4: The method of embodiment 1 or 2 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a signal from the network node during a period of time at a start of the first dwell time after a Listen-Before-Talk, LBT, period during which the network node is to perform LBT.

[0151] Embodiment 5: The method of embodiment 1 or 2 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a broadcast channel from the network node during the first dwell time. [0152] Embodiment 6: The method of embodiment 1 or 2 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a broadcast channel from the network node during a period of time at a start of the first dwell time after a Listen-Before-Talk, LBT, period during which the network node is to perform LBT.

[0153] Embodiment 7: The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 6 wherein the second dwell time is a next or subsequent dwell time following the first dwell time.

[0154] Embodiment 8: A method implemented in a wireless device for transmitting a preamble, comprising the steps of: determining whether the network node is active by detecting its transmission in time and frequency; transmitting the preamble; and waiting for a random access response only in dwell times where the network node is active.

[0155] Embodiment 9: The method of embodiment 8 wherein the detection is based on an initial signal.

[0156] Embodiment 10: The method of embodiment 8 wherein the detection is based on broadcast channel.

[0157] Embodiment 1 1 : The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the network node. Group B Embodiments

[0158] Embodiment 12: A method performed by a network node for performing a random access procedure, the method comprising: performing (600) a Listen-Before- Talk, LBT, procedure for a first dwell time, a result of which is an LBT failure; monitoring (602) for a transmission of a random access preamble from a wireless device during the first dwell time; performing (608) a LBT procedure for a second dwell time, a result of which is an LBT success; and transmitting (614) a random access response in the second dwell time.

[0159] Embodiment 13: The method of embodiment 12 wherein the wireless network is a hybrid system in which the network node operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with an adaptive frequency-hopping scheme and the wireless device operates in the unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with a non- adaptive frequency-hopping scheme.

[0160] Embodiment 14: The method of embodiment 12 or 13 wherein the second dwell time is a next or subsequent dwell time following the first dwell time. [0161] Embodiment 15: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer or a wireless device. Group C Embodiments

[0162] Embodiment 16: A wireless device for random access in a wireless network, the wireless device comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device.

[0163] Embodiment 17: A base station for random access in a wireless network, the base station comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device.

[0164] Embodiment 18: A User Equipment, UE, for random access in a wireless network, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0165] Embodiment 19: A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a User Equipment, UE; wherein the cellular network comprises a base station having a radio interface and processing circuitry, the base station's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.

[0166] Embodiment 20: The communication system of the previous embodiment further including the base station. [0167] Embodiment 21 : The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.

[0168] Embodiment 22: The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0169] Embodiment 23: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: at the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the base station, wherein the base station performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.

[0170] Embodiment 24: The method of the previous embodiment, further

comprising, at the base station, transmitting the user data.

[0171] Embodiment 25: The method of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising, at the UE, executing a client application associated with the host application.

[0172] Embodiment 26: A User Equipment, UE, configured to communicate with a base station, the UE comprising a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to perform the method of the previous 3 embodiments.

[0173] Embodiment 27: A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a User Equipment, UE; wherein the UE comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the UE's components configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0174] Embodiment 28: The communication system of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a base station configured to communicate with the UE.

[0175] Embodiment 29: The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.

[0176] Embodiment 30: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: at the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the base station, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0177] Embodiment 31 : The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the UE, receiving the user data from the base station.

[0178] Embodiment 32: A communication system including a host computer comprising: a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a User Equipment, UE, to a base station; wherein the UE

comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the UE's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0179] Embodiment 33: The communication system of the previous embodiment, further including the UE.

[0180] Embodiment 34: The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface configured to communicate with the UE and a communication interface configured to forward to the host computer the user data carried by a transmission from the UE to the base station.

[0181] Embodiment 35: The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; and the UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data.

[0182] Embodiment 36: The communication system of the previous 4 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing request data; and the UE's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data in response to the request data.

[0183] Embodiment 37: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving user data transmitted to the base station from the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0184] Embodiment 38: The method of the previous embodiment, further

comprising, at the UE, providing the user data to the base station.

[0185] Embodiment 39: The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising: at the UE, executing a client application, thereby providing the user data to be transmitted; and at the host computer, executing a host application associated with the client application.

[0186] Embodiment 40: The method of the previous 3 embodiments, further comprising: at the UE, executing a client application; and at the UE, receiving input data to the client application, the input data being provided at the host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application; wherein the user data to be transmitted is provided by the client application in response to the input data.

[0187] Embodiment 41 : A communication system including a host computer comprising a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a User Equipment, UE, to a base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the base station's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments.

[0188] Embodiment 42: The communication system of the previous embodiment further including the base station.

[0189] Embodiment 43: The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.

[0190] Embodiment 44: The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; and the UE is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data to be received by the host computer.

[0191] Embodiment 45: A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving, from the base station, user data originating from a transmission which the base station has received from the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments.

[0192] Embodiment 46: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the base station, receiving the user data from the UE. [0193] Embodiment 47: The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising at the base station, initiating a transmission of the received user data to the host computer.

[0194] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

Claims What is claimed is:

1 . A method performed by a wireless device for frequency-hopping random access in a wireless network in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the method comprising: determining (604, 800) that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time, the first dwell time being a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency;

transmitting (606, 804) a random access preamble during the first dwell time; determining (610, 806) that the network node is active for a second dwell time, the second dwell time being a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency; and

upon determining that the network node is active for the second dwell time, monitoring (612, 806) for a random access response in the second dwell time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to determining (604, 800) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time, refraining (804) from monitoring for the random access response in one or more portions of the first dwell time that are allocated for downlink.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the wireless network is a hybrid system in which the network node operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with an adaptive frequency-hopping scheme and the wireless device operates in the unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with a non-adaptive frequency-hopping scheme.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a signal from the network node during the first dwell time.

5. The method of claims 1 to 3 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a signal from the network node during a period of time at a start of the first dwell time after a Listen-Before-Talk, LBT, period during which the network node is to perform LBT.

6. The method of claims 1 to 3 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a broadcast channel from the network node during the first dwell time.

7. The method of claims 1 to 3 wherein determining (604) that the network node is inactive for the first dwell time comprises determining (604) that the wireless device is unable to detect a broadcast channel from the network node during a period of time at a start of the first dwell time after a Listen-Before-Talk, LBT, period during which the network node is to perform LBT.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the second dwell time is a next or some subsequent dwell time following the first dwell time.

The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

providing user data; and

forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the network

10. A wireless device for frequency-hopping random access in a wireless network in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the wireless device comprising:

an interface (914); and

processing circuitry (920) configured to cause the wireless device to:

determine that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time, the first dwell time being a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency;

transmit a random access preamble during the first dwell time;

determine that the network node is active for a second dwell time, the second dwell time being a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency; and

upon determining that the network node is active for the second dwell time, monitor for a random access response in the second dwell time.

1 1 . A wireless device for frequency-hopping random access in a wireless network in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the wireless device adapted to:

determine that a network node is inactive for a first dwell time, the first dwell time being a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency; transmit a random access preamble during the first dwell time;

12. The wireless device of claim 1 1 wherein the wireless device is further adapted to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. A method performed by a network node in a wireless network for performing a frequency-hopping random access procedure in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the method comprising:

performing (600, 700) a Listen-Before-Talk, LBT, procedure for a first dwell time, a result of which is an LBT failure, wherein the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency;

monitoring (602, 704) for a transmission of a random access preamble from a wireless device during the first dwell time;

performing (608, 708) a LBT procedure for a second dwell time, a result of which is an LBT success, wherein the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency; and

transmitting (614, 708) a random access response in the second dwell time.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein monitoring (602, 704) for the transmission of the random access preamble from the wireless device during the first dwell time comprises monitoring (602, 704) for the transmission of the random access preamble from the wireless device during at least one portion of the first dwell time that is allocated for uplink.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising refraining (704) from transmitting a random access response to the wireless device during one or more portions of the first dwell time that are allocated for downlink since the result of the LBT procedure for the first dwell time is an LBT failure.

16. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15 wherein the wireless network is a hybrid system in which the network node operates in an unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with an adaptive frequency-hopping scheme and the wireless device operates in the unlicensed frequency spectrum in accordance with a non-adaptive frequency-hopping scheme.

17. The method of any one of claims 13 to 16 wherein the second dwell time is a next or some subsequent dwell time following the first dwell time.

18. The method of any one of claims 13 to 17, further comprising:

obtaining user data; and

forwarding the user data to a host computer or a wireless device.

19. A network node for performing a frequency-hopping random access procedure in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the network node comprising:

an interface (990); and

processing circuitry (970) configured to cause the network node to:

perform a Listen-Before-Talk, LBT, procedure for a first dwell time, a result of which is an LBT failure, wherein the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency;

monitor for a transmission of a random access preamble from a wireless device during the first dwell time;

perform a LBT procedure for a second dwell time, a result of which is an LBT success, wherein the second dwell time is a second period of time during which the network node operates on a second frequency; and

transmit a random access response in the second dwell time.

20. A network node for performing a frequency-hopping random access procedure in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the network node adapted to: perform a Listen-Before-Talk, LBT, procedure for a first dwell time, a result of which is an LBT failure, wherein the first dwell time is a first period of time during which the network node operates on a first frequency;

transmit a random access response in the second dwell time.

21 . The network node of claim 20 wherein the network node is further adapted to perform the method of any one of claims 13 to 18.