WO2023073522A1

WO2023073522A1 - Dynamic positioning reference signal configurations and cell sleep mode

Info

Publication number: WO2023073522A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/060156
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ritesh SHREEVASTAV; Thomas Johansson; Yazid LYAZIDI
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2021-10-25
Filing date: 2022-10-21
Publication date: 2023-05-04

Abstract

A method performed by an Energy Saving Controller, ESC. The method includes the ESC receiving a message from a Location Management Function, LMF, the message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning. The method further including the ESC receiving a message from a base station, gNB, the message indicating at least the first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for cellular traffic.

Description

DYNAMIC POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL CONFIGURATIONS AND CELL SLEEP MODE

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This disclosure relates to positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration.

BACKGROND

[0002] 1. Introduction

[0003] The Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) has been agreed to be reused for user equipment (UE) positioning in both New Radio (NR) and LTE (see, e.g., 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 37.355 V16.6.0 (“TS 37.355”)). In the core network, a new logical node, called the Location Management Function (LMF), is the main function responsible for computing the UE position, based on the NR, E-UTRA, or both RATs’ specific positioning methods. The NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) is the communication protocol between a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) and LMF. The NR Positioning architecture is shown in FIG. 1 (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 38.305 V16.6.0).

[0004] New and enhanced positioning methods have been defined in NR (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 38.305 V16.6.0) such as:

• NR E-CID;

• Multi-Round Trip Time (RTT) Positioning;

• Downlink Angle-of-Departure (DL-AoD);

• Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA);

• Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDOA);

• Uplink Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA), including the Azimuth of Arrival (A-AoA) and the Zenith of Arrival (Z-AoA).

[0005] NR supports the below Radio Access Technology (RAT) Dependent positioning methods:

[0006] DL-TDOA

[0007] The DL-TDOA positioning method makes use of the DL Reference Signal (RS) Time Difference (DL RSTD) (and optionally DL PRS Reference Signal Received Power (DL PRS RSRP) of DL signals received at the UE from multiple transmission-reception points (TRPs)). The UE measures the DL RSTD (and optionally DL PRS RSRP) of the received DL signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to locate the UE in relation to the neighboring TRPs.

[0008] Multi-RTT

[0009] The Multi-RTT positioning method makes use of the UE Rx-Tx measurements and DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple TRPs measured by the UE and the measured gNB Rx-Tx measurements and UL SRS-RSRP at multiple TRPs of uplink signals transmitted from UE.

[0010] UL-TDOA

[0011] The UL-TDOA positioning method makes use of the UL TDOA (and optionally UL SRS-RSRP) at multiple TRPs of uplink signals transmitted from the UE. The TRPs measure the UL TDOA (and optionally UL SRS-RSRP) of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to estimate the location of the UE.

[0012] DL-AoD

[0013] The DL AoD positioning method makes use of the measured DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple TRPs, at the UE. The UE measures the DL PRS RSRP of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to locate the UE in relation to the neighboring TRPs.

[0014] UL-AoA

[0015] The UL AoA positioning method makes use of the measured azimuth and zenith of arrival at multiple TRPs of uplink signals transmitted from the UE. The TRPs measure A- AoA and Z-AoA of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to estimate the location of the UE.

[0016] The positioning modes can be categorized into the below three areas: [0017] UE-Assisted: The UE performs measurements with or without assistance from the network and sends these measurements to the E-SMLC where the position calculation may take place.

[0018] UE-Based: The UE performs measurements and calculates its own position with assistance from the network.

[0019] Standalone: The UE performs measurements and calculates its own without network assistance.

[0020] NR-ECID: NR Enhanced Cell ID (NR E CID) positioning refers to techniques that use additional UE measurements and/or NR radio resource and other measurements to improve the UE location estimate.

[0021] 2. DL-PRS Configuration (see, e.g., 3gPP TS 38.214 V16.7.0)

[0022] The UE can be configured with one or more DL PRS resource set configuration(s) as indicated by the LPP parameters nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSet-rl 6 and nr-DL- PRS-Resource-rl6 (see e.g., TS 37.355). The UE can be configured with one or more DL PRS positioning frequency layer configuration(s) as indicated by the LPP parameter nr-DL- PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer-rl6. A DL PRS positioning frequency layer is defined as a collection of DL PRS resource sets which have common parameters configured by nr-DL- PRS-PositioningF requencyLayer-rl 6.

[0023] A positioning frequency layer consists of one or more DL PRS resource sets and it is defined by Clause 6.4.2.1 of TS 37.355]:

• dl-PRS-SubcarrierSpacing-r!6 defines the subcarrier spacing for the DL PRS resource. All DL PRS resources and DL PRS resource sets in the same DL PRS positioning frequency layer have the same value of dl-PRS-SubcarrierSpacing-rl 6. The supported values of dl-PRS-SubcarrierSpacing-r!6 are given in Table 4.2-1 of [4, TS38.211],

• DL-PRS-CyclicPrefix defines the cyclic prefix for the DL PRS resource. All DL PRS Resources and DL PRS Resource sets in the same DL-PRS- PositioningLrequencyLayer have the same value of DL-PRS-CyclicPrefix. The supported values of DL-PRS-CyclicPrefix are given in Table 4.2-1 of [4, TS38.211],

• dl-PRS-PointA-r!6 (also in RRC UL message LocationMeasurementlndication) defines the absolute frequency of the reference resource block. Its lowest subcarrier is also known as Point A. All DL PRS resources belonging to the same DL PRS resource set have common Point A and all DL PRS resources sets belonging to the same DL PRS positioning frequency layer have a common Point A.

[0024] The UE expects that it will be configured with dl-PRS-ID-rl 6 each of which is defined such that it is associated with multiple DL PRS resource sets from the same cell. The UE expects that one of these dl-PRS-ID-rl 6 along with a nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSetId-rl6 and a nr-DL-PRS-ResourceId-rl6 can be used to uniquely identify a DL PRS resource.

[0025] A DL PRS resource set consists of one or more DL PRS resources and it is defined by Clause 6.4.2.1 ofTS 37.355:

• nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSetld-rl 6 defines the identity of the DL PRS resource set configuration.

• dl-PRS-Periodicity-and-ResourceSetSlotOffset-rl6 defines the DL PRS resource periodicity and takes values

T_p ^{p s} e 2^M{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots, where p = 0, 1, 2, 3 for dl-PRS-SubcarrierSpacing-rl6=\5, 30, 60 and 120 kHz respectively and the slot offset for DL PRS resource set with respect to SFN0 slot 0. All the DL PRS resources within one DL PRS resource set are configured with the same DL PRS resource periodicity.

• dl-PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor-rl 6 defines how many times each DL-PRS resource is repeated for a single instance of the DL-PRS resource set and takes values T^Pp^S e {1,2,4,6,8,16,32},. All the DL PRS resources within one resource set have the same resource repetition factor.

• dl-PRS-ResourceTimeGap-rl6 defines the offset in number of slots between two repeated instances of a DL PRS resource with the same nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSetld- rl 6 within a single instance of the DL PRS resource set. The UE only expects to be configured with dl-PRS-ResourceTimeGap-rl 6 if dl-PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor- rl 6 is configured with value greater than 1. The time duration spanned by one instance of a nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSet-rl 6 is not expected to exceed the configured value of DL PRS periodicity. All the DL PRS resources within one resource set have the same value of dl-PRS-ResourceTimeGap-rl 6. • dl-PRS-MutingOptionl-rl6 and dl-PRS-MutingOption2-rl6 define the time locations where the DL PRS resource is expected to not be transmitted for a DL PRS resource set. If mutingOptionl is configured, each bit in the bitmap of mutingOptionl corresponds to a configurable number provided by higher layer parameter dl-PRS- MutingBitRepetitionFactor-rl6 of consecutive instances of a DL PRS resource set where all the DL PRS resources within the set are muted for the instance that is indicated to be muted. The length of the bitmap can be {2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} bits. If mutingOptiori2 is configured each bit in the bitmap of mutingOptiori2 corresponds to a single repetition index for each of the DL PRS resources within each instance of a nr-DL-PRS-ResourceSet-rl 6 and the length of the bitmap is equal to the values of dl- PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor-rl 6. Both mutingOptionl and mutingOption2 may be configured at the same time in which case the logical AND operation is applied to the bit maps as described in Clause 7.4.1.7.4 of [4, TS 38.211],

• nr-DL-PRS-SFNO-Offset-rl 6 defines the time offset of the SFNO slot 0 for the transmitting cell with respect to SFNO slot 0 of reference cell.

• dl-PRS-CombSizeN-rl 6 defines the comb size of a DL PRS resource where the allowable values are given in Clause 7.4. 1.7.1 of [TS38.211] . All DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same positioning frequency layer have the same value of dl- PRS-CombSizeN-rl 6.

• dl-PRS-ResourceBandwidth-rl6 defines the number of resource blocks configured for DL PRS transmission. The parameter has a granularity of 4 PRBs with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. All DL PRS resources sets within a positioning frequency layer have the same value of dl-PRS-ResourceBandwidth-rl6.

• dl-PRS-StartPRB-rl 6 defines the starting PRB index of the DL PRS resource with respect to reference Point A, where reference Point A is given by the higher-layer parameter dl-PRS-PointA-rl 6. The starting PRB index has a granularity of one PRB with a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 2176 PRBs. All DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same positioning frequency layer have the same value of dl-PRS-StartPRB-rl 6.

A DL PRS resource is defined by:

• dl-PRS-ResourceList-rl6 determines the DL PRS resources that are contained within one DL PRS resource set. • nr-DL-PRS-ResourceId-rl6 determines the DL PRS resource configuration identity. All DL PRS resource IDs are locally defined within a DL PRS resource set.

• dl-PRS-SequenceId-rl6 is used to initialize Cinit value used in pseudo random generator [4, TS38.211, 7.4. 1.7.2] for generation of DL PRS sequence for a given DL PRS resource.

• dl-PRS-CombSizeN-and-ReOffset-rl6 defines the starting RE offset of the first symbol within a DL PRS resource in frequency. The relative RE offsets of the remaining symbols within a DL PRS resource are defined based on the initial offset and the rule described in Clause 7.4.1.7.3 of [4, TS38.211],

• dl-PRS-ResourceSlotOffset-rl6 determines the starting slot of the DL PRS resource with respect to corresponding DL PRS resource set slot offset

• dl-PRS-ResourceSymbolOffset-rl6 determines the starting symbol of a slot configured with the DL PRS resource.

• dl-PRS-NumSymbols-rl 6 defines the number of symbols of the DL PRS resource within a slot where the allowable values are given in Clause 7.4.1.7.1 of [4, TS38.211],

• dl-PRS-QCL-Info-rl 6 defines any quasi-colocation information of the DL PRS resource with other reference signals. The DL PRS may be configured to be 'QCL- Type-D' with a DL PRS or SS/PBCH Block from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The DL PRS may be configured to be 'QCL-Type-C with a SS/PBCH Block from a serving or non-serving cell. If the DL PRS is configured as both 'QCL-Type-C and 'QCL-Type-D' with a SS/PBCH Block then the SSB index indicated should be the same.

[0026] An antenna port is defined such that the channel over which a symbol on the antenna port is conveyed can be inferred from the channel over which another symbol on the same antenna port is conveyed. Each antenna port has its own reference signal. For PRS, the channel over which a PRS symbol on one antenna port is conveyed can be inferred from the channel over which a PRS symbol on the same antenna port is conveyed only if the two symbols are within a DL PRS resource within the same slot.

[0027] 3 : Additional information in NRPPa [0028] In NRPPa some additional information is sent from gNB to LMF, one is PRS Resource Transmit power, applicable to the PRS Resource Set:

[0029] 4. On-demand DL PRS

[0030] The On-demand DL PRS involves two scenarios (see 3GPP Technical Document R2-2108400): a) On-demand PRS implies configuring PRS on need basis. This would also imply that there is no PRS being transmitted or PRS has been deactivated. If LCS client request for Positioning (GMLC, UE LCS client), the LMF needs to determine the suitable PRS configuration; and b) Another scenario is where PRS is already being transmitted and either the UE may request or LMF may need to change the current configuration

[0031] 4.1 PRS is currently not transmitted

[0032] From a UE perspective, scenario a) is equivalent to a situation that already happens in real LTE PRS deployments: when PRS is being transmitted but LMF is unsure about the TRPs/Cells to be included in the assistance data. Thus, E-CID can be considered as a pre-requisite procedure to provide LMF such information, i.e. in which cell the UE is. Another way is LMF requesting detailed TRPs capability information from the gNB during an initialization phase, so that the LMF can have a generic view of the network prior to configuring any PRS. For on-demand PRS, it may happen that the PRS is not currently being transmitted and based upon pre-requisite procedure such as E-CID (SSB and CSI-RS RSRP) results or the TRP capability information from gNB, the LMF may request to gNBs for the initiation of DL-PRS transmissions. Additionally, on-demand request is used to activate PRS which were potentially deactivated, this request/feedback should not be based on DL PRS reference signal but based on some other reference signal information. The simplest approach is that UE provides RSRP feedback per TRP per beam (e.g., SSB), which the network utilizes to switch ON DL-PRS. FIG. 2 is a signaling diagram illustrating the steps described below.

[0033] (1) The AMF transfers the location services request to an LMF, which was received from an LCS client either in GMLC or in UE. If the LCS client is in UE, it may include measurement report (CSI-RS and SSB RSRP, E-CID report) as part of MO-LR request message [9], The LCS client in UE may also provide other details such as number of TRPs, beam direction, start time, and duration for the DL-PRS transmission, which may also be forwarded from AMF to LMF. Note: Positioning QoS is already part of LCS service request. (See, e.g., 3GPP TS 38.305, 7.3.2).

[0034] (2) If the client is GMLC or the measurements not available in step 1, the LMF may request for measurements to UE.

[0035] (3) The UE provides the requested measurements to LMF, if not already provided in step 1.

[0036] (4) LMF determines the needed DL-PRS transmission resources.

[0037] (5) LMF request for DL-PRS transmission from different gNBs (TRPs), which may include serving and other TRPs.

[0038] (6) The gNBs provide an acknowledgement to the LMF for initiating the PRS transmission or may indicate failure if unable to initiate PRS transmission.

[0039] (7) In case of success, the LMF prepares the DL-PRS configuration accordingly and provides to the UE

[0040] 4.2 PRS is already transmitted

[0041] In the case, the assumption is that when the LCS client wants to position the UE the DL-PRS is already being transmitted. There can be multiple pre-defined configurations and UE may request one of the pre-defined configurations. Further, LMF may also change the current configuration with a different pre-defined configuration. FIG. 3 is a signaling diagram illustrating the steps described below.

[0042] (1) LMF provides Assistance Data (DL PRS configuration) to the UE via LPP dedicated signalling.

[0043] (la) Alternatively, or in addition to step 1, DL PRS configuration is provided to UE via RRC broadcast (posSIBs).

[0044] (2) UE performs positioning measurements based upon received DL PRS

Configurations from either LPP or RRC broadcast. If UE is operating in UE-based positioning mode and certain condition such as Positioning QoS is not met, the UE initiates On-demand PRS request. [0045] (3) UE sends an on-Demand PRS request with its preferred configuration such as configuration index or request to increase resource/decrease DL-PRS resources.

[0046] (4) LMF determines whether there is need to change DL-PRS configuration. The

LMF may decide based upon input received from multiple UEs.

[0047] (5) LMF requests the serving and non-serving gNBs/TRPs for changing the current DL-PRS configuration via NRPPa.

[0048] (6) The gNBs/TRPs provide the DL-PRS transmission update in the NRPPa response message accordingly.

[0049] (7) LMF provides the on-demand DL-PRS configuration to the UE via LPP.

[0050] (7a) Alternatively, or in addition to step 7, LMF provides the on-demand DL-PRS configuration to the gNBs via NRPPa for broadcast.

[0051] (7b) gNBs provide the configuration to the UE via RRC Broadcast.

[0052] 5. Power savings in gNB

[0053] gNB applies power savings on several levels, turning off the complete cell being one option or turning off certain resources like PRS being another. In the area where the cells are turned off, there is normally coverage of cells on other frequency layers. But turning off the PRSs can be done on all frequency layers to save power. Activating SSB (cell) and PRSs should be rather quick, order of 100 ms.

SUMMARY

[0054] Certain challenges currently exist. For example, the on-demand position reference signal feature may allow a network to turn off the position reference signal for certain durations, but doing so may impact communication. Similarly, turning off power of position reference signals or turning off complete cells might impact positioning. The gNB is not aware of OTDOA/DL-TDOA positioning and there is no mechanism in 3GPP that enables the gNB to take power saving decisions considering OTDOA/DL-TDOA positioning procedures. The gNB relies on the Location Management Function (LMF) deactivating position reference signals when not used.

[0055] The LMF on the other hand might have several options of PRSs to activate, but all might not be needed. For instance, the LMF may consider it appropriate for positioning perspective to activate some PRS in some cells, however, since the LMF is lacking the radio access network view, the LMF is not aware that those cells have no traffic and are candidates for RAN to put them in cell sleep. Similar problems exists for E-CID measurements, which are based on SSB RSRP, measured and reported by the UE via LPP protocol.

[0056] In Rel-18, a new work item is expected, which is network energy savings. One possible research question that may arise from this is the following: as part of this network energy saving mechanism, one needs to explore how to perform efficient coordination between positioning and communication to safeguard both operation whilst ensuring that network energy saving is performed.

[0057] Another problem is that it is possible that some of the users (UE based positioning mode and with LCS client within UE) may use PRS in inactive/idle mode, which the LMF/network may not be aware of, and, hence, it is difficult to judge whether the transmitted PRS is useful or not.

[0058] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. A method is proposed where a gNB keeps track of communication- related traffic and a core network function, such as the Access and Mobility Management Function/Location Management Function (AMF/LMF), keeps track of positioning requests and how many users are possibly using the PRS. Further a lightweight mechanism is introduced whereby a network function may poll UEs in a cell to know whether they are performing any position reference signal based measurements in UE-based mode.

[0059] In one aspect there is provided a method performed by the LMF. In one embodiment the method includes the LMF sending a message to an Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning. In another embodiment, the method performed by the LMF includes determining a current number of UEs being positioned, and, based on the determined current number of UEs being positioned, the LMF determining whether a resource can be turned off or the LMF ranking the resource.

[0060] In another aspect there is provided a method performed by the ESC. In one embodiment the method includes the ESC receiving a first message from a Location Management Function, LMF, the first message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning. The method also includes the ESC receiving a second message from a base station, the second message indicating at least the first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for cellular traffic. [0061] In another embodiment the method performed by the ESC includes the ESC receiving a message with a request to turn off a resource, the message also including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off. The method also includes the ESC deciding whether to reject or accept the request to turn off the resource.

[0062] In another embodiment the method performed by the ESC includes the ESC receiving a message comprising information indicating a number of UEs that are currently being positioned. The method also includes the ESC determining whether to turn off a resource based in part on the number of UEs that are currently being positioned.

[0063] In another aspect there is provided a method performed by a network node. The method includes the network node sending a message to an energy savings controller, ESC, the message requesting a resource to be turned off and including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off. The method also includes the network node receiving a message from the ESC that the ESC has accepted the request. The method also includes the network node deactivating the resource in response to determining, based on the message from the ESC, that the ESC has accepted the request. The method also includes the network node sending to a location management function, LMF, and/or the ESC a notification indicating that the network node has deactivated the resource.

[0064] Certain embodiments may provide the advantage for the possibility for the network to optimize sleep mode functions considering positioning possibilities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] FIG. 1 illustrates he NR Positioning architecture.

[0066] FIG. 2 is a signaling diagram.

[0067] FIG. 3 is a signaling diagram.

[0068] FIG. 4 is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0069] FIG. 5 is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0070] FIG. 6 is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0071] FIG. 7 is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0072] FIG. 8 is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0073] FIG. 9 is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments. [0074] FIG. 10 is a signaling diagram according to some embodiments.

[0075] FIG. 11 shows an example of a communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0076] FIG. 12 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0077] FIG. 13 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments.

[0078] FIG. 14 shows a host in accordance with some embodiments.

[0079] FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0080] FIG. 16 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

[0081] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0082] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0083] FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0084] FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0085] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0086] FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to some embodiments.

[0087] FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a network node according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0088] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0089] This disclosure introduces a logical software entity that controls which resources, frequency layer, bandwidth, TRX port, antenna panel, TRPs, beams, etc. can be switched off. In this disclosure the logical entity is referred to as an Energy Saving Controller (ESC). The ESC can reside in any physical node or can be an operation and maintenance (0AM) entity.

[0090] Core network entities, such as AMF/LMF, and access network entities, such as gNBs, communicate with the ESC to verify if a resource (frequency layer, bandwidth, TRX port, antenna panel, TRPs, beams, etc.) can be switched off or switched on. [0091] The LMF may also define different positioning traffic load periods, for example, busy period from time period 1 to time period 2, non-busy hours from time period 2 to time period 3. The ECS will take these different time periods into account and decide how many ports, positioning frequency layers, TRPs, beams to enable at certain time period and communicate to the LMF and the gNB. The gNB may also recommend the TRPs to be used for these time periods.

[0092] The LMF can rank the PRSs, SSBs, and other signals in order of how frequently they are used and send the information to the ESC. If a signal is often needed, there is no point in the gNB trying to move traffic away from that TRP. On the other hand, the ESC can prioritize TRPs for sleep mode based on rank information, where low ranked TRPs can be candidate for sleep mode by the gNB.

[0093] Alternatively, if the gNB considers that, for radio related reasons, there is a strong incentive to turn off a cell(s)/TRP(s), then it can communicate to the LMF, or via the ECS, that this cell(s)/TRP(s) should not be considered by the LMF as a candidate(s) for positioning. The gNB, or the ESC, can also send a list of ranking entities denoting which TRPs/Cells are likely to be turned off by the gNB for energy efficiency reasons, and thus avoid considering those for positioning.

[0094] Intra network assistance information would also be crucial to realize the network energy savings. How such interactions would be realized between different network entities is provided in this disclosure.

[0095] On a high level, FIG. 4 is a signaling diagram illustrating steps for interaction between network node and the ESC. As shown in FIG. 4, The ESC sends to a network node (e.g., gNB) a message requesting the network node to report the current number of UE’s performing positioning and the network node’s communication traffic load. The network node responds to the message by transmitting to the ESC a the requested information. The ESC then determines an energy savings action (e.g., sleep) taking into consideration both communication and positioning resource requirements and sends to the network node a message instructing the network node to perform the energy savings action (e.g., cease transmitting (or reduce the transmission of) a certain reference signal (e.g., SSB, PRS, etc.)).

[0096] In short, the LMF ranks resources (e.g. SSB, PRS, other resources) in order of importance and sends this ranking information to the ESC. The ESC uses this ranking information as one input parameter when selecting cells to put in sleep mode. [0097] If the gNB shall turn off SSB or PRS for radio/sleep mode reasons, it sends a request to the ESC. If a cell shall be shut down for maintenance reasons, this shall also be indicated to the ESC. The ESC communicates which resources are switched off or going to be switched off to the LMF, and LMF may then have to select or down-select other PRS configurations.

[0098] The ESC may recommend to the gNB to deactivate SSB/PRS in case the reason is sleep mode. The ESC may exchange information and coordinate on cells sleep with the ESCs from other nodes. This can be done, e.g., over the Xn interface or a new interface. The ESC may also be used in the architecture of future wireless telecommunication technologies like 6G.

[0099] FIGs 5-9 are signaling diagrams illustrating various communications between relevant actors (i.e., LMF, ESC, network node, etc.). For example, FIG. 5 shows the LMF sending to the ESC a list of a gNB’s TRPs with rank information for each TRP. FIG. 6 shows the gNB sending to the LMF a message to indicate turning off SSBs and/or PRSs and the LMF responds to that and adjusts its LPP configuration accordingly. FIG. 7 shows the gNB sending to the ESC a message comprising information indicating that the gNB requests to turn off resources due to power savings or maintenance. The ESC decides which resources to switch off and sends to the gNB a response message (a.k.a., acknowledgement (ACK)) comprising information identifying the resources the ESC has decided should be turned off. FIG. 8 shows the gNB sending to the ESC a message comprising information indicating the gNB requests the LMF to consider a list of TRPs to be used for non-busy/non-critical hours, optionally indicating the antenna information and resources to be used (e.g. CSI-RS). FIG. 9 shows the LMF sending to the gNB a message comprising information indicating that the LMF requests the gNB to provide Positioning Traffic Load (Busy hours non busy hours).

[0100] Polling of UEs in UE based mode with LCS client in UE

[0101] FIG. 10 shows the gNB and/or ESC (gNB/ESC) sending to a core network function (e.g., AMF/LMF) a subscribe message for the number of UE’s currently performing positioning. That is, the gNB (or any network entity designated to perform energy savings, e.g., the ESC) may subscribe with AMF/LMF on the number of UEs that are currently performing positioning. FIG. 10 also shows the AMF/LMF sending to the gNB/ESC a message requesting the gNB/ESC to send a System Information Broadcast (SIB) indicating a reporting flag (set a bit) such that when such reporting flag is enabled the UE provides the information to the ESC via core network (AMF/LMF) or to a serving gNB that UE is currently performing PRS measurements in these cells/TRPs/FL etc. FIG. 10 further shows the gNB sending the SIB with the reporting flag enabled, and shown the UE sending a report to the network (e.g., one or more of gNB, ESC, AMF, LMF).

[0102] Traffic Hours

[0103] The ESC may keep track of positioning and communication busy hours and nonbusy hours. Also, the ESC can further categorize which of the TRPs that are common (i.e. always utilized) during busy hours and which of the TRPs are primarily used for positioning only and for communication purpose only, using AI/ML techniques. Based upon these findings, e.g. crowdsourcing approach, it may provide certain recommendations to minimize certain TRPs during busy hours and may provide guidance to an operator on how to increase common TRPs and minimize dedicated TRPs meant only for positioning or communications. The overall goal is to identify a subset of TRPs that serves both positioning and communication needs and how-to co-ordinate among these two operations in order to identify the sleep cycle of cells/frequency layer/TRPs etc.

[0104] Steps could include to prioritize mutual inclusion

P { (Resources for Positioning) Cl (Resources for Communication) }

And avoid mutual exclusion:

P {(Resources for Positioning) Cl (Resources for Communication) } = 0

[0105] Antenna Ports

[0106] During non-busy hours or when positioning requirements are not critical, the gNB may inform to the LMF that it would turn off antenna port that is transmitting DL-PRS. In such a case, the LMF may utilize other reference signal such as CSI-RS for tracking or UL- SRS for positioning. Such request/recommendation may originate also from the LMF or the ESC. In one embodiment specific antenna ports for TRPs dedicated for non-busy/non-critical hours may be signalled to the LMF to be activated only in that situation by the LMF or the ESC.

[0107] FIG. 11 shows an example of a communication system 1100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0108] In the example, the communication system 1100 includes a telecommunication network 1102 that includes an access network 1104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1106, which includes one or more core network nodes 1108. The access network 1104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1110a and 1110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1110), or any other similar 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 1110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1112a, 1112b, 1112c, and 1112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1112) to the core network 1106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0109] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 1100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, 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. The communication system 1100 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.

[0110] The UEs 1112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 1110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1110 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1112 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1102 to enable and/or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and/or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 1102.

[oni] In the depicted example, the core network 1106 connects the network nodes 1110 to one or more hosts, such as host 1116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 1106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and/or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0112] The host 1116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1104 and/or the telecommunication network 1102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0113] As a whole, the communication system 1100 of FIG. 11 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0114] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 1102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1102. For example, the telecommunications network 1102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and/or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)ZMassive loT services to yet further UEs. [0115] In some examples, the UEs 1112 are configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 1104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multistandard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0116] In the example, the hub 1114 communicates with the access network 1104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1112c and/or 1112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1110b). In some examples, the hub 1114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 1110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1114. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 1114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0117] The hub 1114 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1110b. The hub 1114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 1114 and UEs (e.g., UE 1112c and/or 1112d), and between the hub 1114 and the core network 1106. In other examples, the hub 1114 is connected to the core network 1106 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 1104 and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1110 while still connected via the hub 1114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to/from the UEs from/to the network node 1110b. In other embodiments, the hub 1114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 1110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

[0118] FIG. 12 shows a UE 1200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0119] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a 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).

[0120] The UE 1200 includes processing circuitry 1202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1204 to an input/output interface 1206, a power source 1208, a memory 1210, a communication interface 1212, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 12. 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.

[0121] The processing circuitry 1202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1210. The processing circuitry 1202 may be implemented as one or more hardware -implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0122] In the example, the input/output interface 1206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and/or output devices. Examples of an output device include 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. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1200. Examples of an input device 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, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0123] In some embodiments, the power source 1208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1208 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1200 to which power is supplied.

[0124] The memory 1210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1210 includes one or more application programs 1214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1216. The memory 1210 may store, for use by the UE 1200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0125] The memory 1210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and/or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1210 may allow the UE 1200 to access instructions, application programs and 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 as or in the memory 1210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0126] The processing circuitry 1202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1212. The communication interface 1212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1222. The communication interface 1212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1218 and/or a receiver 1220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1218 and receiver 1220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0127] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, 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. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and/or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol/intemet protocol (TCP/IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0128] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0129] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input. [0130] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a flood/moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and/or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1200 shown in FIG. 12.

[0131] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE 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 UE and/or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0132] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and/or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators. [0133] FIG. 13 shows a network node 1300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and/or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NRNodeBs (gNBs)).

[0134] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may 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 remote radio units 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).

[0135] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-

TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and/or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0136] The network node 1300 includes a processing circuitry 1302, a memory 1304, a communication interface 1306, and a power source 1308. The network node 1300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB 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 1300 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 NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1300.

[0137] The processing circuitry 1302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, 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 1300 components, such as the memory 1304, to provide network node 1300 functionality.

[0138] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1312 and the baseband processing circuitry 1314 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 RF transceiver circuitry 1312 and baseband processing circuitry 1314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0139] The memory 1304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (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 computerexecutable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1302. The memory 1304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and/or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1302 and utilized by the network node 1300. The memory 1304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1302 and/or any data received via the communication interface 1306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1302 and memory 1304 is integrated.

[0140] The communication interface 1306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between a network node, access network, and/or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1306 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 1316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1306 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1310. Radio front-end circuitry 1318 comprises fdters 1320 and amplifiers 1322. The radio front-end circuitry 1318 may be connected to an antenna 1310 and processing circuitry 1302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1310 and processing circuitry 1302. The radio front-end circuitry 1318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1320 and/or amplifiers 1322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

[0141] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1318, instead, the processing circuitry 1302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1312 is part of the communication interface 1306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1306 includes one or more ports or terminals 1316, the radio front-end circuitry 1318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0142] The antenna 1310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1310 is separate from the network node 1300 and connectable to the network node 1300 through an interface or port.

[0143] The antenna 1310, communication interface 1306, and/or the processing circuitry 1302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1310, the communication interface 1306, and/or the processing circuitry 1302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment.

[0144] The power source 1308 provides power to the various components of network node 1300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1308. As a further example, the power source 1308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0145] Embodiments of the network node 1300 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 13 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 1300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1300 and to allow output of information from the network node 1300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1300.

[0146] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a host 1400, which may be an embodiment of the host 1116 of FIG. 11, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1400 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and/or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0147] The host 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1404 to an input/output interface 1406, a network interface 1408, a power source 1410, and a memory 1412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 12 and 13, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1400.

[0148] The memory 1412 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1414 and data 1416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1400 or data generated by the host 1400 for a UE.

Embodiments of the host 1400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1414 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1400 may select and/or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1414 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0149] FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1500 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 any device described herein, 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. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0150] Applications 1502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0151] Hardware 1504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and/or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and/or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input/output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1508a and 1508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1508), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1508.

[0152] The VMs 1508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1508, and the implementations may be made in different ways.

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 customer premise equipment.

[0153] In the context of NFV, a VM 1508 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 VMs 1508, and that part of hardware 1504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and/or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1508 on top of the hardware 1504 and corresponds to the application 1502.

[0154] Hardware 1504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1504 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 management and orchestration 1510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1502. In some embodiments, hardware 1504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes 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. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0155] FIG. 16 shows a communication diagram of a host 1602 communicating via a network node 1604 with a UE 1606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 1112a of FIG. 11 and/or UE 1200 of FIG. 12), network node (such as network node 1110a of FIG. 11 and/or network node 1300 of FIG. 13), and host (such as host 1116 of FIG. 11 and/or host 1400 of FIG. 14) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 16.

[0156] Like host 1400, embodiments of host 1602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1602 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1606 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1650 extending between the UE 1606 and host 1602. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1650.

[0157] The network node 1604 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1602 and UE 1606. The connection 1660 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 1106 of FIG. 11) and/or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0158] The UE 1606 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1606 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1606 with the support of the host 1602. In the host 1602, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1650 terminating at the UE 1606 and host 1602. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1650 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1650.

[0159] The OTT connection 1650 may extend via a connection 1660 between the host 1602 and the network node 1604 and via a wireless connection 1670 between the network node 1604 and the UE 1606 to provide the connection between the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The connection 1660 and wireless connection 1670, over which the OTT connection 1650 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1602 and the UE 1606 via the network node 1604, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0160] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1650, in step 1608, the host 1602 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1606 that shares data with the host 1602 without explicit human interaction. In step 1610, the host 1602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1606. The host 1602 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1606 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1606. The transmission may pass via the network node 1604, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1612, the network node 1604 transmits to the UE 1606 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1602 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1614, the UE 1606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1606 associated with the host application executed by the host 1602.

[0161] In some examples, the UE 1606 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1602. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1602. Accordingly, in step 1616, the UE 1606 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input/output interface of the UE 1606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1606 initiates, in step 1618, transmission of the user data towards the host 1602 via the network node 1604. In step 1620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1604 receives user data from the UE 1606 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1602. In step 1622, the host 1602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1606.

[0162] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1606 using the OTT connection 1650, in which the wireless connection 1670 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the, E.G., data rate, latency, or power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as. E.G., reduced user waiting time, relaxed restriction on filed size, improved content resolution, better responsiveness, or extended battery lifetime.

[0163] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1602. As another example, the host 1602 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1602 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1602 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and/or transmitting data. [0164] In some examples, 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 1650 between the host 1602 and UE 1606, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1602 and/or UE 1606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1650 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 software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1650 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1604. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1602. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1650 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0165] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information 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. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and/or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0166] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 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 non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and/or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0167] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a process 1700 according to some embodiments that is performed by the LMF. Process 1700 includes step sl702. Step sl702 comprises the LMF sending a message to the ESC, the message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning.

[0168] In some embodiments, the message further comprise information enabling selection by the ESC of transmission and reception points (TRPs) or cells to keep activated for positioning purposes, wherein the information indicates an importance of resource positioning.

[0169] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a process 1800 according to some embodiments that is performed by the ESC. Process 1800 may begin with step si 802. Step si 802 comprises the ESC receiving a first message from the LMF, the first message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning. Step sl804 comprises receiving a second message from a base station (e.g., a gNB), the second message indicating at least the first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for cellular traffic. [0170] In some embodiments, the first resource is: a positioning reference signal, PRS; a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB; a channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS; a multiple-input-multiple-output, MIMO, sounding reference signal, SRS; or a positioning SRS.

[0171] In some embodiments process 1800 also includes the ESC obtaining information indicating an importance of resource positioning, and the ESC using the obtained information to select one or more transmission and reception points, TRPs, or cells to keep activated for positioning purposes.

[0172] FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a process 1900 according to some embodiments that is performed by the ESC. Process 1900 may begin with step si 902. Step si 902 comprises the ESC receiving a message with a request to turn off a resource, the message also including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off. Step sl904 comprises deciding whether to reject or accept the request to turn off the resource.

[0173] In some embodiments, the process comprises deciding to accept the request to turn off the resource, and the method further comprises turning off the resource.

[0174] In some embodiments the process further comprises receiving an indication that the resource has been deactivated.

[0175] In some embodiments, deciding whether to reject or accept the request to turn off the resource is based on the cause value, energy saving requirements, timing for being turned off, and/or positioning requirements.

[0176] In some embodiments, the reason is at least one of: power savings; maintenance; or mobility.

[0177] In some embodiments the process also includes the ESC determining, based on the cause value, that the reason is maintenance; and, as a result of determining that the reason is maintenance, the ESC deciding to accept the request.

[0178] FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a process 2000 according to some embodiments that is performed by the LMF. Process 2000 may begin with step s2002. Step s2002 comprises the LMF determining a current number of UEs being positioned. Step s2004 comprises, based on the determined current number of UEs being positioned, the LMF (i) determining whether a resource can be turned off or (ii) ranking the resource. [0179] In some embodiments the process also includes the LMF transmitting to a base station or ESC a message comprising information indicating the current number of UEs being positioned.

[0180] In some embodiments the process also includes the LMF requesting a base station to transmit system information comprising an indicator for instructing at least on UE to provide an indication if the UE is performing a standalone positioning.

[0181] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a process 2100 according to some embodiments that is performed by the ESC. Process 2100 may begin with step s2102. Step s2102 comprises the ESC receiving a message comprising information indicating a number of UEs that are currently being positioned. Step s2104 comprises the ESC determining whether to turn off a resource based in part on the number of UEs that are currently being positioned.

[0182] In some embodiments the process also includes the ESC subscribing to information from the LMF regarding a number of UEs being positioned.

[0183] In some embodiments the message was transmitted by the LMF.

[0184] FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a process 2200 according to some embodiments that is performed by a network node. Process 2200 may begin with step s2202. Step s2202 comprises the network node sending a message to an energy savings controller, ESC, the message requesting a resource to be turned off and including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off. Step s2204 comprises the network node receiving a message from the ESC that the ESC has accepted the request. Step s2206 comprises the network node deactivating the resource in response to determining, based on the message from the ESC, that the ESC has accepted the request. Step s2208 comprises the network node sending to the LMF and/or ESC (LMF/ESC) a notification indicating that the network node has deactivated the resource.

[0185] In some embodiments, supplementary information is signaled over an interface between another ESC from a different network node. In some embodiments, the ESC is external from the network node, but in other embodiments, the ESC is within the network node.

[0186] In some embodiments, signaling between the ESC and the network node is transported over an NGAP/NRPPa interface, but in other embodiments signaling between the ESC and the network node is transported over an interface other than an NGAP/NRPPa interface. In some embodiments, the ESC is part of a central unit of the network node. [0187] FIG. 23 is a block diagram of network node 2300, according to some embodiments, for implementing any of the network nodes and functions disclosed herein, including LMF, ESC, gNB, etc. As shown in FIG. 23, network node 2300 may comprise: processing circuitry (PC) 2302, which may include one or more processors (P) 2355 (e.g., one or more general purpose microprocessors and/or one or more other processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like), which processors may be co-located in a single housing or in a single data center or may be geographically distributed (i.e., network node 2300 may be a distributed computing apparatus); at least one network interface 2348 (e.g., a physical interface or air interface) comprising a transmitter (Tx) 2345 and a receiver (Rx) 2347 for enabling network node 2300 to transmit data to and receive data from other nodes connected to a network 110 (e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) network) to which network interface 2348 is connected (physically or wirelessly) (e.g., network interface 2348 may be coupled to an antenna arrangement comprising one or more antennas for enabling network node 2300 to wirelessly transmit/receive data); and a storage unit (a.k.a., “data storage system”) 2308, which may include one or more non-volatile storage devices and/or one or more volatile storage devices. In embodiments where PC 2302 includes a programmable processor, a computer readable storage medium (CRSM) 2342 may be provided. CRSM 2342 may store a computer program (CP) 2343 comprising computer readable instructions (CRI) 2344. CRSM 2342 may be a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as, magnetic media (e.g., a hard disk), optical media, memory devices (e.g., random access memory, flash memory), and the like. In some embodiments, the CRI 2344 of computer program 2343 is configured such that when executed by PC 2302, the CRI causes network node 2300 to perform steps described herein (e.g., steps described herein with reference to the above flowcharts). In other embodiments, network node 2300 may be configured to perform steps described herein without the need for code. That is, for example, PC 2302 may consist merely of one or more ASICs. Hence, the features of the embodiments described herein may be implemented in hardware and/or software.

[0188] Summary of various Embodiments

[0189] 1. A method performed by a Location Management Function (LMF), the method comprising sending a message to an Energy Saving Controller (ESC), the message indicating an importance of resources for positioning. [0190] 2. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the resources are at least one of: a.

PRS; b. SSB; c. CSI-RS; d. MIMO SRS (Rel-15); and e. Positioning SRS (Rel-16).

[0191] 3. A method performed by an Energy Saving Controller (ESC), the method comprising: receiving a message from a Location Management Function indicating an importance of resources for positioning; and receiving a message from a gNB indicating an importance of the resources for cellular traffic.

[0192] 4. The method of embodiment 3, wherein the resources are at least one of: a.

PRS; b. SSB; c. CSI-RS; d. MIMO SRS (Rel-15); and e. Positioning SRS (Rel-16).

[0193] 5. The method of any of the embodiments 1 or 2, wherein sending a message to the ESC comprises sending a message to the ESC indicating an importance of resource positioning in order to allowing selection by the ESC of TRPs or cells to keep activated for positioning purposes.

[0194] 6. The method of any of the embodiment 3 or 4, wherein sending a message to the

ESC comprises sending a message to the ESC indicating an importance of resource positioning in order to allowing selection by the ESC of TRPs or cells to deactivate or to be put into sleep mode.

[0195] SSB/PRS Deactivation Request

[0196] 7. A method performed by an Energy Saving Controller (ESC), the method comprising: receiving a message with a request to turn off a resource, the message also providing a reason why the resource should be turned off; and either rejecting or accepting the request to turn off the resource.

[0197] 8. The method of embodiment 7, wherein either rejecting or accepting the request to turn off the resource comprises accepting the request to turn off the resource and further comprising turning off the resource.

[0198] 9. The method of embodiment 8, and further comprising receiving an indication that the resource has been deactivated.

[0199] 10. The method of embodiment 7, wherein either rejecting or accepting the request to turn off the resource is based on cause value, energy saving requirements such as ranking information, timing for being turned off and positioning requirements.

[0200] 11. The method of embodiment 7, wherein the resource is at least one of: a. PRS; b. SSB; c. CSI-RS; d. MIMO SRS (Rel-15); and e. Positioning SRS (Rel-16) [0201] 12. The method of embodiment 7, where the reason is at least one of: a. power savings; b. maintenance; and c. mobility.

[0202] 13. The method of embodiment 7, where the ESC may not reject if the cause value is maintenance.

[0203] 14. A method in a Location Management Function (LMF), comprising receiving an indication that resources have been deactivated.

[0204] Number of UEs being positioned

[0205] 15. A method in a Location Management Function (LMF), comprising using a number of UEs being positioned when (i) determining whether a resource can be turned off or (ii) ranking resources.

[0206] 16. The method of embodiment 15, further comprising the LMF requesting a gNB to send an indication in system information that a UE indicate to a network if standalone positioning is ongoing.

[0207] 17. A method in an Energy Saving Controller (ESC) comprising: receiving a number of UEs being positioned; and determining whether to turn off a resource based in part on the received number of UEs being positioned.

[0208] 18. The method of embodiment 17, and further comprising the ESC subscribing to information regarding a number of UEs being positioned from the LMF.

[0209] 19. The method of embodiment 17, wherein receiving a number of UEs being positioned comprising receiving, from the LMF, the number of UEs being positioned.

[0210] 20. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0211] Group B Embodiments

[0212] SSB/PRS Deactivation Request

[0213] 21. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: sending a message to an energy savings controller (ESC), the message requesting a resource to be turned off and providing a reason why the resource should be turned off; deactivating the resource in response to the ESC accepting the request; and notifying a location management function and the ESC of the deactivation. [0214] 22. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the resources are at least one of: a.

PRS; b. SSB; c. CSI-RS; d. MIMO SRS (Rel-15); and e. Positioning SRS (Rel-16).

[0215] 23. The method of embodiment 21, wherein the reason is at least one of: a. power savings; b. maintenance; and c. mobility. 24. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-23, wherein the ESC is external from the network node.

[0216] 20. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-24, wherein the ESC is within the network node.

[0217] 26. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-24, wherein signaling between the ESC and a core node is transported over an NGAP/NRPPa interface.

[0218] 27. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-26, wherein signaling between the ESC and a core node is transported over an interface other than an NGAP/NRPPa interface.

[0219] 28. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-27, wherein the ESC is part of a central unit of the network node.

[0220] 29. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-28, wherein supplementary information is signaled over a F1AP interface.

[0221] 30. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-29, wherein supplementary information is signaled over an XnAP interface between the ESC and another ESC from a different network node.

[0222] 31. The method of any one of the embodiments 21-30, wherein supplementary information is signaled over an interface between another ESC from a different network node.

[0223] 32. The method of any of the embodiments 21-31, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0224] Group C Embodiments

[0225] 33. A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group AA embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry. [0226] 34. A network node 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 processing circuitry.

[0227] 35. A user equipment (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 AA 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.

[0228] 36. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over- the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group AA embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0229] 37. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0230] 38. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0231] 39. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group AA embodiments to receive the user data from the host. [0232] 40. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0233] 41. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0234] 42. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over- the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group AA embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0235] 43. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0236] 44. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0237] 45. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group AA embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0238] 46. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0239] 47. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0240] 48. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over- the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0241] 49. The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0242] 50. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0243] 51. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0244] 52. The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0245] 53. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the- top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE. [0246] 54. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and/or the user equipment.

[0247] 55. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over- the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0248] 56. The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0249] 57. The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0250] 58. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0251] 59. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

[0252] ABBREVIATIONS

[0253] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in this disclosure (if there is an inconsistency between abbreviations, preference should be given to how it is used above; if listed multiple times below, the first listing should be preferred over any subsequent listing(s)): lx RTT CDMA2000 lx Radio Transmission Technology

3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project

5G 5 th Generation 6G 6^th Generation

ABS Almost Blank Subframe

ARQ Automatic Repeat Request

AWGN Additive White Gaussian Noise

BCCH Broadcast Control Channel

BCH Broadcast Channel

CA Carrier Aggregation

CC Carrier Component

CCCH SDU Common Control Channel SDU

CDMA Code Division Multiplexing Access

CGI Cell Global Identifier

CIR Channel Impulse Response

CP Cyclic Prefix

CPICH Common Pilot Channel

CPICH Ec/No CPICH Received energy per chip divided by the power density in the band

CQI Channel Quality information

C-RNTI Cell RNTI

CSI Channel State Information

DCCH Dedicated Control Channel

DL Downlink

DM Demodulation

DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal

DRX Discontinuous Reception

DTX Discontinuous Transmission

DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel DUT Device Under Test

E-CID Enhanced Cell-ID (positioning method) eMBMS evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services

E-SMLC Evolved-Serving Mobile Location Centre

ECGI Evolved CGI eNB E-UTRAN NodeB ePDCCH Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel

ESC Energy Saving Control

E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center

E-UTRA Evolved UTRA

E-UTRAN Evolved UTRAN

FDD Frequency Division Duplex

FFS For Further Study gNB Base station in NR

GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

HO Handover

HSPA High Speed Packet Access

HRPD High Rate Packet Data

LMF Location Management Function

LOS Line of Sight

LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

LTE Long-Term Evolution

MAC Medium Access Control

MAC Message Authentication Code

MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast multicast service Single Frequency Network MBSFN ABS MBSFN Almost Blank Subframe

MDT Minimization of Drive Tests

MIB Master Information Block

MME Mobility Management Entity

MSC Mobile Switching Center

NPDCCH Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel

NR New Radio network Network

OCNG OFDMA Channel Noise Generator

OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access

OSS Operations Support System

OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival

O&M Operation and Maintenance

PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel

PCell Primary Cell

PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel

PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol

PDP Profde Delay Profile

PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

PGW Packet Gateway

PHICH Physical Hybrid-ARQ Indicator Channel

PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

PMI Precoder Matrix Indicator PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

PRS Positioning Reference Signal

PSS Primary Synchronization Signal

PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

RACH Random Access Channel

QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

RAN Radio Access Network

RAT Radio Access Technology

RLC Radio Uink Control

RUM Radio Uink Management

RNC Radio Network Controller

RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

RRC Radio Resource Control

RRM Radio Resource Management

RS Reference Signal

RSCP Received Signal Code Power

RSRP Reference Symbol Received Power OR

Reference Signal Received Power

RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality OR

Reference Symbol Received Quality

RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference

SCH Synchronization Channel

SCell Secondary Cell

SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol

SDU Service Data Unit SFN System Frame Number

SGW Serving Gateway

SI System Information

SIB System Information Block

SNR Signal to Noise Ratio

SON Self Optimized Network ss Synchronization Signal

SSB Synchronization Signal Block sss Secondary Synchronization Signal

TDD Time Division Duplex

TDOA Time Difference of Arrival

TOA Time of Arrival

TSS Tertiary Synchronization Signal

TTI Transmission Time Interval

UE User Equipment

UL Uplink

USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module

UTDOA Uplink Time Difference of Arrival

WCDMA Wide CDMA

WLAN Wide Eocal Area Network

Claims

1. A method (1700) performed by a Location Management Function, LMF, the method comprising: sending (sl702) a message to an Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first resource is: a positioning reference signal, PRS; a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB; a channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS; a multiple-input-multiple-output, MIMO, sounding reference signal, SRS; or a positioning SRS.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the message further comprise information enabling selection by the ESC of transmission and reception points, TRPs, or cells to keep activated for positioning purposes, wherein the information indicates an importance of resource positioning.

4. A method (1800) performed by an Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the method comprising: receiving (si 802) a first message from a Location Management Function, LMF, the first message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning; and receiving (si 804) a second message from a base station, gNB, the second message indicating at least the first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for cellular traffic.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first resource is: a positioning reference signal, PRS; a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB; a channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS; a multiple-input-multiple-output, MIMO, sounding reference signal, SRS; or a positioning SRS.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, the method further comprises: the ESC obtaining information indicating an importance of resource positioning, and the ESC using the obtained information to select one or more transmission and reception points, TRPs, or cells to keep activated for positioning purposes.

7. A method (1900) performed by an Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the method comprising: receiving (si 902) a message with a request to turn off a resource, the message also including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off; and deciding (si 904) whether to reject or accept the request to turn off the resource.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises deciding to accept the request to turn off the resource, and the method further comprises turning off the resource.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving an indication that the resource has been deactivated.

10. The method of any one of claims 7-9, wherein deciding whether to reject or accept the request to turn off the resource is based on the cause value, energy saving requirements, timing for being turned off, and/or positioning requirements.

11. The method of any one of claims 7-10, wherein the resource is at least one of: a positioning reference signal, PRS; a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB; a channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS; a multiple-input-multiple-output, MIMO, sounding reference signal, SRS; and a positioning SRS.

12. The method of embodiment 7, where the reason is at least one of: power savings; maintenance; or mobility.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: the ESC determining, based on the cause value, that the reason is maintenance; and as a result of determining that the reason is maintenance, the ESC deciding to accept the request.

14. A method (2000) in a Location Management Function, LMF, comprising: determining (s2002) a current number of UEs being positioned; and based on the determined current number of UEs being positioned, (i) determining whether a resource can be turned off or (ii) ranking the resource (s2004).

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting to a base station or Energy Saving Controller, ESC, a message comprising information indicating the current number of UEs being positioned.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, further comprising the LMF requesting a base station to transmit system information comprising an indicator for instructing at least on UE to provide an indication if the UE is performing a standalone positioning.

17. A method (2100) in an Energy Saving Controller, ESC, comprising: receiving (s2102) a message comprising information indicating a number of UEs that are currently being positioned; and determining (s2104) whether to turn off a resource based in part on the number of UEs that are currently being positioned.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the ESC subscribing to information from a Location Management Function, LMF, regarding a number of UEs being positioned.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the message was transmitted by the LMF.

20. A method (2200) performed by a network node, the method comprising: sending (s2202) a message to an energy savings controller, ESC, the message requesting a resource to be turned off and including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off; receiving (s2204) a message from the ESC that the ESC has accepted the request; deactivating (s2206) the resource in response to determining, based on the message from the ESC, that the ESC has accepted the request; and sending (s2208) to a location management function, LMF, and/or the ESC a notification indicating that the network node has deactivated the resource.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the resource is: a positioning reference signal, PRS; a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB; a channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS; a multiple-input-multiple-output, MIMO, sounding reference signal, SRS; or a positioning SRS.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein the reason is at least one of: power savings; maintenance; and mobility.

23. The method of any one of the claims 20-22, wherein supplementary information is signaled over an interface between another ESC from a different network node.

24. The method of any one of the claims 20-23, wherein the ESC is external from the network node.

25. The method of any one of the claims 20-24, wherein the ESC is within the network node.

26. The method of any one of the claims 20-24, wherein signaling between the ESC and the network node is transported over an NGAP/NRPPa interface.

27. The method of any one of the claims 20-26, wherein signaling between the ESC and the network node is transported over an interface other than an NGAP/NRPPa interface.

28. The method of any one of the claims 20-27, wherein the ESC is part of a central unit of the network node.

29. A computer program (2343) comprising instructions (2344) which when executed by processing circuitry (2302) of an network node (2300) causes the network node to perform the method of any one of the previous claims.

30. A carrier containing the computer program of embodiment 29, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, and a computer readable storage medium (2342).

31. A Location Management Function, LMF, the LMF being configured to: send (sl702) a message to an Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning.

32. The LMF method of claim 31, wherein the LMF is further configured to perform the method of any one of claims 2-3.

33. An Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the ESC being configured to: receive a first message from a Location Management Function, LMF, the first message indicating at least a first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for positioning; and receive a second message from a base station, gNB, the second message indicating at least the first resource and indicating an importance of the first resource for cellular traffic.

34. The ESC method of claim 33, wherein the ESC is further configured to perform the method of any one of claims 5-6.

35. An Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the ESC being configured to: receive a message with a request to turn off a resource, the message also including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off; and decide whether to reject or accept the request to turn off the resource.

36. The ESC method of claim 35, wherein the ESC is further configured to perform the method of any one of claims 8-13.

37. A Location Management Function, LMF, the LMF being configured to: determine a current number of UEs being positioned; and based on the determined current number of UEs being positioned, (i) determine whether a resource can be turned off or (ii) rank the resource.

38. The LMF method of claim 37, wherein the LMF is further configured to perform the method of any one of claims 15-16.

39. An Energy Saving Controller, ESC, the ESC being configured to: receive a message comprising information indicating a number of UEs that are currently being positioned; and determine whether to turn off a resource based in part on the number of UEs that are currently being positioned.

40. The ESC method of claim 39, wherein the ESC is further configured to perform the method of any one of claims 18-19.

41. A network node, the network node being configured to: send a message to an energy savings controller, ESC, the message requesting a resource to be turned off and including a cause value indicating a reason why the resource should be turned off; receive a message from the ESC that the ESC has accepted the request; deactivate the resource in response to determining, based on the message from the ESC, that the ESC has accepted the request; and send to a location management function, LMF, and/or the ESC a notification indicating that the network node has deactivated the resource.