WO2023038460A1

WO2023038460A1 - Method and apparatus for power saving in user equipment in wireless communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2023038460A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/013526
Authority: WO
Inventors: Atul Gupta; Sameer Gupta; Abhinav Kumar DWIVEDI
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2021-09-08
Filing date: 2022-09-08
Publication date: 2023-03-16

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate. The present disclosure refers to method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a user equipment. The method comprises receiving a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network and measuring the signal strength of the higher generation communication network. The method then stores the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report and determining if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment be connected to the higher generation communication network. The method then transmits the measurement report to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied and receives a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network. Thereafter, the method camps to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request.

Description

[Rectified under Rule 91, 18.10.2022] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POWER SAVING IN USER EQUIPMENT IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

The present disclosure relates to method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a user equipment in a wireless communication network.

5G mobile communication technologies define broad frequency bands such that high transmission rates and new services are possible, and can be implemented not only in “Sub 6GHz” bands such as 3.5GHz, but also in “Above 6GHz” bands referred to as mmWave including 28GHz and 39GHz. In addition, it has been considered to implement 6G mobile communication technologies (referred to as Beyond 5G systems) in terahertz (THz) bands (for example, 95GHz to 3THz bands) in order to accomplish transmission rates fifty times faster than 5G mobile communication technologies and ultra-low latencies one-tenth of 5G mobile communication technologies.

At the beginning of the development of 5G mobile communication technologies, in order to support services and to satisfy performance requirements in connection with enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), there has been ongoing standardization regarding beamforming and massive MIMO for mitigating radio-wave path loss and increasing radio-wave transmission distances in mmWave, supporting numerologies (for example, operating multiple subcarrier spacings) for efficiently utilizing mmWave resources and dynamic operation of slot formats, initial access technologies for supporting multi-beam transmission and broadbands, definition and operation of BWP (BandWidth Part), new channel coding methods such as a LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code for large amount of data transmission and a polar code for highly reliable transmission of control information, L2 pre-processing, and network slicing for providing a dedicated network specialized to a specific service.

Currently, there are ongoing discussions regarding improvement and performance enhancement of initial 5G mobile communication technologies in view of services to be supported by 5G mobile communication technologies, and there has been physical layer standardization regarding technologies such as V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) for aiding driving determination by autonomous vehicles based on information regarding positions and states of vehicles transmitted by the vehicles and for enhancing user convenience, NR-U (New Radio Unlicensed) aimed at system operations conforming to various regulation-related requirements in unlicensed bands, NR UE Power Saving, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) which is UE-satellite direct communication for providing coverage in an area in which communication with terrestrial networks is unavailable, and positioning.

Moreover, there has been ongoing standardization in air interface architecture/protocol regarding technologies such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for supporting new services through interworking and convergence with other industries, IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) for providing a node for network service area expansion by supporting a wireless backhaul link and an access link in an integrated manner, mobility enhancement including conditional handover and DAPS (Dual Active Protocol Stack) handover, and two-step random access for simplifying random access procedures (2-step RACH for NR). There also has been ongoing standardization in system architecture/service regarding a 5G baseline architecture (for example, service based architecture or service based interface) for combining Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) for receiving services based on UE positions.

As 5G mobile communication systems are commercialized, connected devices that have been exponentially increasing will be connected to communication networks, and it is accordingly expected that enhanced functions and performances of 5G mobile communication systems and integrated operations of connected devices will be necessary. To this end, new research is scheduled in connection with eXtended Reality (XR) for efficiently supporting AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), MR (Mixed Reality) and the like, 5G performance improvement and complexity reduction by utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), AI service support, metaverse service support, and drone communication.

Furthermore, such development of 5G mobile communication systems will serve as a basis for developing not only new waveforms for providing coverage in terahertz bands of 6G mobile communication technologies, multi-antenna transmission technologies such as Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas and large-scale antennas, metamaterial-based lenses and antennas for improving coverage of terahertz band signals, high-dimensional space multiplexing technology using OAM (Orbital Angular Momentum), and RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface), but also full-duplex technology for increasing frequency efficiency of 6G mobile communication technologies and improving system networks, AI-based communication technology for implementing system optimization by utilizing satellites and AI (Artificial Intelligence) from the design stage and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions, and next-generation distributed computing technology for implementing services at levels of complexity exceeding the limit of UE operation capability by utilizing ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided a communication method in a wireless communication.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide an efficient communication methods in a wireless communication system.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a graph of comparison of power consumption in a user device in 5G disable (only LTE) mode vs 5G enable (NSA) mode, in accordance with existing art;

FIGURE 2 illustrates existing approach to add 5G cell in ENDC;

FIGURE 3 illustrates an approach to add 5G cell in ENDC, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURE 4 illustrates a flow diagram depicting a method for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURE 5 illustrates a mechanism for determination frame occupancy in a physical resource block (PRB), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURE 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a mechanism for transmitting a measurement report, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURE 7 illustrates a flow diagram depicting a method for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURE 8A illustrates a flow chart for a method for stopping ping-ponging between connecting and disconnecting the UE to higher generation communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURE 8B illustrates a flow chart for a method for stopping ping-ponging between connecting and disconnecting the UE to higher generation communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURES 9 illustrate graph of comparison of power consumption in a user device in 5G disable (only LTE) mode vs 5G enable (NSA) mode, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURES 10 illustrate graph of comparison of power consumption in a user device in 5G disable (only LTE) mode vs 5G enable (NSA) mode, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGURE 11 illustrates a structure of a UE according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGURE 12 illustrates a structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

In an implementation, the present subject matter refers to a method for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network. The method comprises receiving a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network. Thereafter, the method measures the signal strength of the higher generation communication network. The method further comprises storing the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report. Thereafter, the method comprises determining if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment be connected to the higher generation communication network. The method further comprises transmitting the measurement report to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied and receiving a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network. The method then comprises camping to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method to reduce power consumption of a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network is disclosed. The method comprises determining if a second criteria is satisfied, wherein the second criteria identifies if the user equipment be disconnected from the higher generation communication network. The method further comprises generating a dummy measurement report upon determination that the second criteria is satisfied, wherein the dummy reports the signal strength of the higher generation network. Thereafter, the method comprises transmitting the dummy measurement report to the higher generation communication network and receiving a request from the higher generation communication network to connect to a lower generation communication network. Then, the method comprises connecting to the lower generation communication network based on the received request.

In yet another embodiment, an apparatus for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network, is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a memory, a network interface and a processor. The processor is coupled to the memory and the network interface. The processor is configured to: receive a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network, measure the signal strength of the higher generation communication network, store the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report, determine if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment be connected to the higher generation communication network, transmit the measurement report to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied, receive a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network, and camp to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request.

In still another embodiment, an apparatus to reduce power consumption of a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network, is disclosed. The apparatus comprises

a memory, a network interface and a processor. The processor is coupled to the memory and the network interface. The processor is configured to: determine if a second criteria is satisfied, wherein the second criteria identifies if the user equipment be disconnected from the higher generation communication network, generate a dummy measurement report upon determination that the second criteria is satisfied, wherein the dummy reports the signal strength of the higher generation network, transmit the dummy measurement report to the higher generation communication network, receive a request from the higher generation communication network to connect to a lower generation communication network, and connect to the lower generation communication network based on the received request.

To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawing. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

Before undertaking the description below, it may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompass both direct and indirect communication. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof, means to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and/or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. The phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments. The term “or” as used herein, refers to a non-exclusive or, unless otherwise indicated. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

As is traditional in the field, embodiments may be described and illustrated in terms of blocks which carry out a described function or functions. These blocks, which may be referred to herein as managers, units, modules, hardware components or the like, are physically implemented by analog and/or digital circuits such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuits and the like, and may optionally be driven by firmware and software. The circuits may, for example, be embodied in one or more semiconductor chips, or on substrate supports such as printed circuit boards and the like. The circuits constituting a block may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or by a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry), or by a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions of the block and a processor to perform other functions of the block. Each block of the embodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting and discrete blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, the blocks of the embodiments may be physically combined into more complex blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Definitions for other certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated below, the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

The term “some” as used herein is defined as “none, or one, or more than one, or all.” Accordingly, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” The term “some embodiments” may refer to no embodiments or to one embodiment or to several embodiments or to all embodiments. Accordingly, the term “some embodiments” is defined as meaning “no embodiment, or one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments.”

The terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and does not limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the claims or their equivalents.

More specifically, any terms used herein such as but not limited to “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and grammatical variants thereof do NOT specify an exact limitation or restriction and certainly do NOT exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated, and furthermore must NOT be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated with the limiting language “MUST comprise” or “NEEDS TO include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, either way it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do NOT preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language such as “there NEEDS to be one or more . . . ” or “one or more element is REQUIRED.”

It can be noted that term “lower generation communication network”, “4G” and “LTE” have been interchangeably used. Also, the terms “higher generation communication network”, “5G” and “NR cell” have been interchangeably used.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having an ordinary skill in the art.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In an existing approach to add 5G cell in ENDC, a user equipment (UE) connects to a LTE network. The UE signals to the network that it can simultaneously connect to the 4G and 5G networks. The core network checks if the UE is authorized to connect to 4G and 5G networks. The 4G eNodeB is notified that the UE is permitted to connect to the 5G network. The eNodeB then takes a decision to activate a bearer on the 5G gNodeB. The 4G eNodeB and 5G gNodeB communicate to set up the bearer on the 5G gNodeB. The UE is notified about the 5G bearer via a RRC connection reconfiguration message. The UE then connects to the 5G network while maintaining the connectivity to the 4G network. Such an implementation is shown in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 2, at step 201, the UE is camped on LTE network. At step 203, the UE checks if 4G measurement is available. If no, then the UE sends a measurement report for serving cell (block 205). If yes, then at step 207, the UE measures 4G cell. Then, at step 209, the UE checks if the measurement report (MR) condition is satisfied. If yes, then at step 211, the UE sends the 4G MR to the network. If not, then the UE goes back to measure 4G cell. At the same time of checking if 4G cell measurement is available, the UE at step 213 also checks if 5G cell measurement is available. If no, then the UE sends a measurement report for serving cell (block 205). If yes, at step 215, the UE determines if a measurement report condition is satisfied. If no, then the UE goes back to step 215. If yes, then at step 217, the UE measures the 5G cell and sends a 5G cell measurement report to the network at step 219. Thereafter, at step 221, the network adds 5G cell and the UE enters ENDC mode at step 223. After some time, the network releases 5G cell at step 255. Then, the UE again camps on 4G/LTE. Hence, the network configures the UE to measure 5G cells and UE sends the measurement report if a predetermined criteria is satisfied as per 3GPP Spec. This leads to more power consumption due to separate 5G Stack/RF and larger bandwidth.

The present disclosure helps UE to saver power from measurement perspective as 5G measurements will be done only in specific conditions are satisfied even if the network has configured it. As shown in fig. 3, the UE determines if an entry condition is satisfied prior to measure 5G cell. If the entry condition is satisfied, only then the UE makes a decision to include 5G cell in measurement report (MR). Also, if multiple E-UTRA absolute radio frequency channel numbers (EARFCNs) satisfy the predetermined criteria, the UE prioritizes lower EARFCN in measurement report.

In an embodiment, the predetermined criteria may be data requirement, service category, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) level throughput and frame occupancy at physical layer. The UE also identifies exit (removing 5G cell) criteria to release the 5G cell, as shown in fig. 3. If the exit criterion is satisfied, then the UE releases 5G cell by sending 5G failure message. The UE also identifies hysteresis dynamically to stop ping pong between LTE and NSA, based on 4G speed, 5G speed and current power level. This way, the present disclosures enable the UE to add 5G cell only when required. The present disclosure is explained in more details in following paragraphs.

Figure 4 illustrates method-steps in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an implementation as depicted in Fig. 4, the present subject matter refers to a method for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network.

The method 400 comprises receiving (step 401) a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network. In an embodiment, the higher communication network may be a 5G network.

Then, at step 403, the method 400 comprises measuring the signal strength of the higher generation communication network. Thereafter, at step 405, the method 400 storing the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report (MR).

Then, at step 407, the method 400 comprises determining if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment (UE) be connected to the higher generation communication network. In particular, it is determined if the UE shall be connected to 5G or not. In an embodiment, the UE may determine the first criteria based on at least one of: application/service categorization, data requirement, frame occupancy, data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer or a combination thereof.

In an embodiment, the UE may determine if the first criteria by determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment (UE). It shall be noted that different applications/services running on UE has different data requirement. There are certain application/services which may requires continuous data for with high throughput like: live streaming, video streaming, high definition live gaming, video call, voice call etc. These applications may be categorized as the applications with high data requirements. While these applications are running the buffer occupancy is checked which will help to ascertain the smooth operation of services. For example, the below table 1 shows an exemplary table for categorizing the applications:

In an example, the applications in category 1 may have less data requirement than the applications in

categories

2 and 3. Similarly, the application in category 2 may have less data requirement than the applications in category 3. If the one or more application running on the UE belong to category of higher data requirement, such as, category 3, then the UE may determine that the first criteria is satisfied.

In another embodiment, the UE may determine the first criteria by determining at least one of a first data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by a lower generation communication network. In particular, the UE may determine a data requirement i.e. data threshold and bandwidth allotted to the UE in the lower generation communication network such as 4G. In an embodiment, the one or more applications running on the UE periodically informs the UE about the download and upload data requirement. This helps to ascertain the exact data requirement of the one or more applications. The UE takes decision based on all the aggregated data requirement received from all the applications running on the UE. Below table 2 shows an exemplary table for data requirement for one or more applications running on the UE:

In an example, the total data requirement is addition of the data requirements for each of the application. For example, X+Y+Z = Total Data Requirement. The data requirement may change dynamically based on additional request from other applications and download. In an embodiment, the data requirement may be monitored for “T” amount of time for determining if the first criteria is satisfied. “T” may be configured by the user or by the UE based on other parameters i.e. Application requirement, physical layer configurations etc.

In a further embodiment, the first data threshold may be determined based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof. In particular, the first data threshold may be determined using the below equation:

Below table 3 explains the various parameters used in above equation 1.

In a further embodiment, the UE may determine the first criteria by determining a frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block. In particular, a physical resource block (PRB) is a basic unit of transmitting the data by the network. Based on the bandwidth allocated by the network, the physical resource blocks in a slot can vary. For example, for 20MHz bandwidth, 100 PRBs may be allocated in each slot. When there is data scheduled by the network for the UE:

The number of PRBs in a slot may increase up to maximum value for, example 100 for 20MHz bandwidth. Along with increase in number of PRBs, the number of slots per frame in which the PRBs have been allocated may also increase. In an embodiment, the decision to add the 5G cell can be taken based on the number of PRBs allocated in a slot and the percentage of slot per sub frames in which the PRBs have been allocated, as shown in fig. 5.

In a further embodiment, the UE may determine the first criteria by determining if signal strength of the lower generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold. In particular, the UE may determine if the signal strength of 4G network is weak. In an embodiment, the predetermined threshold may be low RSRP, low SNR and/or High BLER. RSRP is the linear average of reference signal power (in Watts) across the specified bandwidth, SNR stands for 'Signal to Noise Ratio' which the ratio of Signal Power and Noise Power and BLER is block error rate, which signifies the percentage of error observed in decoding the downlink data blocks. As known by a person skilled in the art, good RSRP, good SNR and low BLER signifies a good radio link and UE is decoding the downlink packets without any errors. On the other hand, poor RSRP, poor SNR and high BLER signifies a weak radio link and UE is facing errors in decoding the downlink packets. If the lower generation communication network has weak radio link, it may lead to radio link failure which means that radio link between the UE and the network has been broken. This may lead to interruption in downlink data. In such conditions, 5G cell can be added, which may aid in decoding of downlink data and prevent any kind of radio link failure.

In a further embodiment, the UE may determine the first criteria by determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. It is known that the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer at the modem side is the last layer after which the user data is delivered to application layer. The data PDUs at PDCP layer are received after the processing done by RLC/MACPHY layers for reliable reception of data at the UE side. The decision to add 5G cell can be taken on the basis of data throughput being observed at the PDCP layer and the rate of cumulative PDUs received with respect to time. In particular, If PDCP PDUs are continuously increasing that means data requirement is increasing and the first criteria is satisfied.

After determining if the first criteria is satisfied, the method 400 moves to step 409. At step 409, the method 400 comprises transmitting the measurement report (MR) to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied. It can be noted that in case of FDD systems, the downlink and uplink operations take place on different frequencies simultaneously. Generally, the uplink frequency is lower than the downlink frequency because the wavelength is higher and the path loss would be less while transmitting in uplink. This helps in saving the UE power. In the ENDC configuration, there can be NR cells of different frequencies present in the area. Network may configure the UE to measure all those NR cells and report their measurement, based on that the network may add the NR cell. If there are multiple FDD/TDD NR cells configured by the network for measurement then UE may choose to report the NR cells whose frequency is less, this helps in saving the UE power in uplink when network adds that NR cell.

As shown in fig. 6, the network may provide reportAmount IE while configuring the measurement report. The reportAmount IE may signify the number of measurement report need to be sent by UE. If the reportAmount is equal to 1 then UE would include all the EARCNs satisfying the threshold conditions. If the reportAmount is greater than 1, then in first MR the UE would include only the lowest EARFCN satisfying the threshold criteria. In subsequent MR the UE would then include all the EARFCN satisfying the threshold criteria.

Hence, in an embodiment, the UE may measure a signal strength of the higher generation communication network for a plurality of frequencies including a lowest frequency, before transmitting the MR. Then, the UE may determine if a predetermined report parameter is equal to one. In an embodiment, the predetermined report parameter is reportAmount IE. Then, the UE may transmit the measurement report for the lowest frequency at first time instance and may transmit the measurement report for the plurality of frequencies at subsequent time instances. In an embodiment, transmitting the measurement report in above discussed fashion, may result in saving the UE power in uplink. This way, the UE will be in ENDC mode for lesser time based on entry conditions (first criteria), thus resulting in power saving.

Thereafter, at step 411, the method 400 receives a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network. In other words, the UE receives a request to camp on 5G, if the UE determines that it should camp on 5G cell. Then, at step 413, the UE camps to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request. In particular, the UE camps on 4G or 5G cells based on the received request.

Fig. 7 illustrates a flow chart for a method to reduce power consumption of a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network. As shown in fig. 7, the method 700 may comprise determining (701) if a second criteria is satisfied, wherein the second criteria identifies if the user equipment be disconnected from the higher generation communication network. In an embodiment, the UE may determine the second criteria based on at least one of: determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment, determining at least one of a second data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network, determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block, determining if signal strength of the higher generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold, and determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.

In an embodiment, as discussed in respect to table 1, the one or more applications running on the UE may be categorized in different categories. If the one or more applications belong to category of lower data requirement, such as, category 1, then the UE may determine that the second criteria is satisfied and the UE may release the connection to 5G.

Similarly, if the UE has lower data requirement i.e. lower second data threshold and bandwidth, then the UE may determine that the second criteria is satisfied. In an embodiment, the second data threshold may be determined based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof. In particular, the second data threshold may be determined using the below equation:

In a further embodiment, if the UE determines that the 5G network has signal strength below a predetermined threshold, then the UE may determine that the second criteria is satisfied. In an embodiment, the predetermined threshold may be low RSRP, low SNR and/or High BLER, as discussed in above paragraphs. In an embodiment, the UE may determine if the frame occupancy in a physical resource block (PRB) is below a predetermined threshold. If yes, then the second criteria is satisfied. The frame occupancy may be determined as discussed in above paragraphs.

In a further embodiment, the UE may determine throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, as discussed in above paragraphs. In particular, if PDCP PDUs are continuously decreasing that means data requirement is decreasing and the second criteria is satisfied.

Next, at step 703, the method 700 comprises generating a dummy measurement report upon determination that the second criteria is satisfied, wherein the dummy reports the signal strength of the higher generation network, for example 5G network.

Then, at step 705, the method 700 comprises transmitting the dummy measurement report to the higher generation communication network.

Thereafter, at step 707, 700 comprises receiving a request from the higher generation communication network to connect to a lower generation communication network and at

step

709, 700 comprises connecting to the lower generation communication network based on the received request.

Fig. 8A and 8B illustrates a flow chart for a method for stopping ping-ponging between connecting and disconnecting (i.e. adding or removing 5G cell) the UE to higher generation communication network. In an exemplary embodiment, in fig. 8A and 8B ‘S’ depicts start of the process to add 5G cell and ‘N’ depicts an intermediate state. In an embodiment, the UE may use hysteresis analysis to stop ping-pong between adding and removing the 5G cell. In an embodiment, if data requirement is near to threshold, then may will help to stop ping-pong between adding and removing the 5G cell.

In an embodiment, below steps are performed for hysteresis analysis:

(Data Requirement - Data Threshold) / Expected LTE Download speed = Time in which additional data will download.

if, Time in which additional data will download < X ms. Then, wait for more data request before sending the measurement report.

Data Threshold = F (LTE Speed, 5G Speed) in area. where, Expected LTE download speed can be calculated based on PDCP threshold, PHY layer decision, signal level and cell bandwidth & current throughput.

Hysteresis can also be dependent on the current battery level of the UE.

In an embodiment, Px = power consumed by 4G modem per ms, Py = power consumed by 5G modem per ms. Let us assume that D is Current data requirement, S1 is (Non ENDC configuration) LTE DL speed, and S2 is DL speed in ENDC configuration. Then, there is no need to add 5G cell or release 5G cell if below conditions are satisfied.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate graph of comparison in power consumption in a UE between 5G enable and disable mode. Also, it can be seen that the power consumption in 5G enabled mode has been reduced in comparison to prior art while using the techniques discussed above.

Fig. 11 illustrates a structure of a UE according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Fig. 11 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 11, the UE according to an embodiment may include a transceiver 1110, a memory 1120, and a processor 1130. The transceiver 1110, the memory 1120, and the processor 1130 of the UE may operate according to a communication method of the UE described above. However, the components of the UE are not limited thereto. For example, the UE may include more or fewer components than those described above. In addition, the processor 1130, the transceiver 1110, and the memory 1120 may be implemented as a single chip. Also, the processor 1130 may include at least one processor.

The transceiver 1110 collectively refers to a UE receiver and a UE transmitter, and may transmit/receive a signal to/from a base station or a network entity. The signal transmitted or received to or from the base station or a network entity may include control information and data. The transceiver 1110 may include a RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying a frequency of a transmitted signal, and a RF receiver for amplifying low-noise and down-converting a frequency of a received signal. However, this is only an example of the transceiver 1110 and components of the transceiver 1110 are not limited to the RF transmitter and the RF receiver.

Also, the transceiver 1110 may receive and output, to the processor 1130, a signal through a wireless channel, and transmit a signal output from the processor 1130 through the wireless channel.

The memory 1120 may store a program and data required for operations of the UE. Also, the memory 1120 may store control information or data included in a signal obtained by the UE. The memory 1120 may be a storage medium, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD, or a combination of storage media.

The processor 1130 may control a series of processes such that the UE operates as described above. For example, the transceiver 1110 may receive a data signal including a control signal transmitted by the base station or the network entity, and the processor 1130 may determine a result of receiving the control signal and the data signal transmitted by the base station or the network entity.

In an embodiment, the processor 1130 may be configured to perform the method as discussed in respect to figs. 4-6.

Fig. 12 illustrates a structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Fig. 12 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, the base station according to an embodiment may include a transceiver 1210, a memory 1220, and a processor 1230. The transceiver 1210, the memory 1220, and the processor 1230 of the base station may operate according to a communication method of the base station described above. However, the components of the base station are not limited thereto. For example, the base station may include more or fewer components than those described above. In addition, the processor 1230, the transceiver 1210, and the memory 1220 may be implemented as a single chip. Also, the processor 1230 may include at least one processor.

The transceiver 1210 collectively refers to a base station receiver and a base station transmitter, and may transmit/receive a signal to/from a terminal(UE) or a network entity. The signal transmitted or received to or from the terminal or a network entity may include control information and data. The transceiver 1210 may include a RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying a frequency of a transmitted signal, and a RF receiver for amplifying low-noise and down-converting a frequency of a received signal. However, this is only an example of the transceiver 1210 and components of the transceiver 1210 are not limited to the RF transmitter and the RF receiver.

Also, the transceiver 1210 may receive and output, to the processor 1230, a signal through a wireless channel, and transmit a signal output from the processor 1230 through the wireless channel.

The memory 1220 may store a program and data required for operations of the base station. Also, the memory 1220 may store control information or data included in a signal obtained by the base station. The memory 1220 may be a storage medium, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD, or a combination of storage media.

The processor 1230 may control a series of processes such that the base station operates as described above. For example, the transceiver 1210 may receive a data signal including a control signal transmitted by the terminal, and the processor 1230 may determine a result of receiving the control signal and the data signal transmitted by the terminal.

In an embodiment, the processor 1230 may be configured to perform the method as discussed in respect to fig. 7.

The methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or the detailed description of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

When the electrical structures and methods are implemented in software, a computer-readable recording medium having one or more programs (software modules) recorded thereon may be provided. The one or more programs recorded on the computer-readable recording medium are configured to be executable by one or more processors in an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions to execute the methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or the detailed description of the present disclosure.

The programs (e.g., software modules or software) may be stored in random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory including flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disc storage device, compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), another type of optical storage device, or a magnetic cassette. Alternatively, the programs may be stored in a memory system including a combination of some or all of the above-mentioned memory devices. In addition, each memory device may be included by a plural number.

The programs may also be stored in an attachable storage device which is accessible through a communication network such as the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), or a storage area network (SAN), or a combination thereof. The storage device may be connected through an external port to an apparatus according the embodiments of the present disclosure. Another storage device on the communication network may also be connected to the apparatus performing the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the afore-described embodiments of the present disclosure, elements included in the present disclosure are expressed in a singular or plural form according to the embodiments. However, the singular or plural form is appropriately selected for convenience of explanation and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. As such, an element expressed in a plural form may also be configured as a single element, and an element expressed in a singular form may also be configured as plural elements.

While the techniques of the present disclosure have been discussed in respect of 4G and 5G network, it should be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the techniques of the present disclosure may be implemented in any generation of communication network.

While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.

The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein.

Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any component(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all the claims.

In one embodiment, a method is provided. A method (400) for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network, the method (400) comprising: receiving (401) a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network; measuring (403) the signal strength of the higher generation communication network; storing (405) the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report; determining (407) if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment be connected to the higher generation communication network; transmitting (409) the measurement report to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied; receiving (411) a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network; and camping (413) to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request.

In one embodiment, , The method (400) wherein determining the first criteria comprises at least one of: determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment; determining at least one of a first data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network; determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block; determining if signal strength of the lower generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold; determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.

In one embodiment, The method (400) wherein determining the first data threshold comprises determining the first data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.

In one embodiment, The method (400) wherein transmitting the measurement report comprises: measuring signal strength of the higher generation communication network for a plurality of frequencies including a lowest frequency; determining if a predetermined report parameter is equal to one; transmitting the measurement report for the lowest frequency at first time instance; and transmitting the measurement report for the plurality of frequencies at subsequent time instances.

In one embodiment, a method is provided. A method (700) to reduce power consumption of a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network, the method (700) comprising: determining (701) if a second criteria is satisfied, wherein the second criteria identifies if the user equipment be disconnected from the higher generation communication network; generating (703) a dummy measurement report upon determination that the second criteria is satisfied, wherein the dummy reports the signal strength of the higher generation network; transmitting (705) the dummy measurement report to the higher generation communication network; receiving (707) a request from the higher generation communication network to connect to a lower generation communication network; and connecting (709) to the lower generation communication network based on the received request.

In one embodiment, The method (700) wherein determining the second criteria comprises at least one of: determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment; determining at least one of a second data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network; determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block; determining if signal strength of the higher generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold; and determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.

In one embodiment, The method (700) wherein determining the second data threshold comprises determining the second data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.

In one embodiment, a user equipment is provided. An apparatus for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network, the apparatus comprising: a memory (1120); a network interface; and a processor (1130) coupled to the memory (1120) and the network interface, the processor (1130) is configured to: receive a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network; measure the signal strength of the higher generation communication network; store the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report; determine if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment be connected to the higher generation communication network; transmit the measurement report to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied; receive a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network; and camp to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request.

In one embodiment, The apparatus wherein the processor (1130) determines the first criteria by at least one of: determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment; determining at least one of a first data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network; determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block; determining if signal strength of the lower generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold; determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.

In one embodiment, The apparatus wherein the processor (1130) determines the first data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.

In one embodiment, The apparatus wherein the processor (1130) transmits the measurement report by: measuring signal strength of the higher generation communication network for a plurality of frequencies including a lowest frequency; determining if a predetermined report parameter is equal to one; transmitting the measurement report for the lowest frequency at first time instance; and transmitting the measurement report for the plurality of frequencies at subsequent time instances. In one embodiment, a user equipment is provided. An apparatus to reduce power consumption of a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network, the apparatus comprising: a memory (1220); a network interface; and a processor (1230) coupled to the memory (1220) and the network interface, the processor (1230) is configured to: determine if a second criteria is satisfied, wherein the second criteria identifies if the user equipment be disconnected from the higher generation communication network; generate a dummy measurement report upon determination that the second criteria is satisfied, wherein the dummy reports the signal strength of the higher generation network; transmit the dummy measurement report to the higher generation communication network; receive a request from the higher generation communication network to connect to a lower generation communication network; connect to the lower generation communication network based on the received request.

In one embodiment, The apparatus wherein the processor (1230) determines the second criteria by at least one of: determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment; determining at least one of a second data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network; determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block; determining if signal strength of the higher generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold; and determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.

In one embodiment, The apparatus wherein the processor (1230) determines the second data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.

Claims

A method (400) for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network, the method (400) comprising:

receiving (401) a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network;

measuring (403) the signal strength of the higher generation communication network;

storing (405) the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report;

determining (407) if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment be connected to the higher generation communication network;

transmitting (409) the measurement report to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied;

receiving (411) a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network; and

camping (413) to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request.
The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining the first criteria comprises at least one of:

determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment;

determining at least one of a first data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network;

determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block;

determining if signal strength of the lower generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold;

determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.
The method (400) as claimed in claim 2, wherein determining the first data threshold comprises determining the first data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.
The method (400) as claimed in claim 1, wherein transmitting the measurement report comprises:

measuring signal strength of the higher generation communication network for a plurality of frequencies including a lowest frequency;

determining if a predetermined report parameter is equal to one;

transmitting the measurement report for the lowest frequency at first time instance; and

transmitting the measurement report for the plurality of frequencies at subsequent time instances.
A method (700) to reduce power consumption of a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network, the method (700) comprising:

determining (701) if a second criteria is satisfied, wherein the second criteria identifies if the user equipment be disconnected from the higher generation communication network;

generating (703) a dummy measurement report upon determination that the second criteria is satisfied, wherein the dummy reports the signal strength of the higher generation network;

transmitting (705) the dummy measurement report to the higher generation communication network;

receiving (707) a request from the higher generation communication network to connect to a lower generation communication network; and

connecting (709) to the lower generation communication network based on the received request.
The method (700) as claimed in claim 5, wherein determining the second criteria comprises at least one of:

determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment;

determining at least one of a second data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network;

determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block;

determining if signal strength of the higher generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold; and

determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.
The method (700) as claimed in claim 6, wherein determining the second data threshold comprises determining the second data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.
An apparatus for reducing power consumption in a user equipment connected to a lower generation communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a memory (1120);

a network interface; and

a processor (1130) coupled to the memory (1120) and the network interface, the processor (1130) is configured to:

receive a first request from the communication network to provide a signal strength of a higher generation communication network;

measure the signal strength of the higher generation communication network;

store the signal strength of the higher generation communication network in a form of a measurement report;

determine if a first criteria is satisfied, wherein the first criteria identifies if the user equipment be connected to the higher generation communication network;

transmit the measurement report to the lower generation communication network, upon determination that the first criteria is satisfied;

receive a second request from the lower generation communication network to camp to one of the lower generation communication network and the higher generation communication network; and

camp to the one of the lower generation communication network or the higher generation communication network based on the received second request.
The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor (1130) determines the first criteria by at least one of:

determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment;

determining at least one of a first data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network;

determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block;

determining if signal strength of the lower generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold;

determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.
The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processor (1130) determines the first data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.
The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor (1130) transmits the measurement report by:

measuring signal strength of the higher generation communication network for a plurality of frequencies including a lowest frequency;

determining if a predetermined report parameter is equal to one;

transmitting the measurement report for the lowest frequency at first time instance; and

transmitting the measurement report for the plurality of frequencies at subsequent time instances.
An apparatus to reduce power consumption of a user equipment connected to a higher generation communication network, the apparatus comprising:

a memory (1220);

a network interface; and

a processor (1230) coupled to the memory (1220) and the network interface, the processor (1230) is configured to:

determine if a second criteria is satisfied, wherein the second criteria identifies if the user equipment be disconnected from the higher generation communication network;

generate a dummy measurement report upon determination that the second criteria is satisfied, wherein the dummy reports the signal strength of the higher generation network;

transmit the dummy measurement report to the higher generation communication network;

receive a request from the higher generation communication network to connect to a lower generation communication network;

connect to the lower generation communication network based on the received request.
The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the processor (1230) determines the second criteria by at least one of:

determining category of one or more applications running on the user equipment;

determining at least one of a second data threshold of the one or more applications and a bandwidth allotted to the user equipment by the lower generation communication network;

determining frame occupancy in at least one physical resource block;

determining if signal strength of the higher generation communication network is below a predetermined threshold; and

determining data throughput at a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.
The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processor (1230) determines the second data threshold based on at least one of power consumption in generating and transmitting the measurement report, power consumption in the higher and lower generation communication network, power consumption in the lower generation communication network, expected speed of the higher and lower generation communication network, data threshold, data requirement, time taken for generating the measurement report or combination thereof.