Abstract: A user equipment (UE) may determine, based on a criterion, whether to indicate, to a gNB, that it is a reduced capability (RedCap) UE during or after a random access (RA) procedure, and indicate that it is the RedCap UE during or after the RA procedure according to a determination result. The RedCap UE has a reduced quantity of receive branches or a reduce bandwidth than a non-RedCap UE. The gNB may determine whether a first message received during the RA procedure indicates that the UE is the RedCap UE. When the first message indicates the UE as the RedCap UE, the gNB sends a second message to the UE during the RA procedure using a coverage recovery technique. When the first message does not indicate the UE as the RedCap UE, the gNB determines whether the UE is the RedCap UE after the RA procedure is completed.

Abstract: A first user equipment (UE) reserves a resource from a resource pool for transmission of sidelink data associated with a packet priority, and transmits a location of the reserved resource, an indicator indicating whether a reservation priority is assigned to the sidelink data, and a priority value that is associated with the packet priority or the reservation priority. A second UE receives the location of the reserved resource, the indicator and the priority value, and based thereon performs sidelink communication. A UE may also select, from a resource pool based on a packet priority of sidelink data to be transmitted, a subset of resources usable by the UE, and transmit the sidelink data using a resource selected from the subset of resources. The resource pool includes one or more subsets of resources each of which is associated with a set of priority values.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided herein for determining a synchronizing master for device-to-device (D2D) communication in a cellular network environment. In an embodiment, a user equipment (UE) receives a discovery signal comprising a timing reference, and determines a transmitter of the discovery signal. In accordance with the determination of the transmitter of the discovery signal, the UE performs one of synchronizing to the timing reference in the discovery signal and transmitting a second discovery signal. The UE performs the synchronizing to the timing reference if the transmitter of the discovery is a cellular network. Alternatively, the UE transmits the second discovery signal upon determining that the transmitter of the discovery signal is a second UE that is out of coverage of a cellular network.

Abstract: A system and method for operating a user equipment (UE) for sidelink transmission of data in a wireless communications system includes the UE determining a candidate resource region for a transmission of data, the candidate resource region indicating candidate resource slots for the transmission of the data, monitoring sensing slots in sensing occasions to determine available resources from the candidate resource region, the sensing occasions being determined in accordance with the candidate resource region, a periodicity for sensing, and a maximum number of the sensing occasions, selecting, by the UE, a resource from the available resources, and transmitting, by the UE, data over the selected resource.

Abstract: User Equipments (UEs) may be assigned a set of aggregated component carriers for downlink carrier aggregation and/or carrier selection. Some UEs may be incapable of transmitting uplink signals over all component carriers in their assigned set of aggregated component carriers. In such scenarios, a UE may need to perform SRS switching in order to transmit SRS symbols over all of the component carriers. Embodiments of this disclosure provide various techniques for facilitating SRS switching. For example, a radio resource control (RRC) message may be used to signal a periodic SRS configuration parameter. As another example, a downlink control indication (DCI) message may be used to signal an aperiodic SRS configuration parameter. Many other examples are also provided.

Abstract: A method implemented by an access node includes sending, by the access node to a user equipment (UE), an indicator indicating use of coverage enhancement technique, the indicator being sent prior to the UE achieving a radio resource control (RRC) connected state with the access node; receiving, by the access node from the UE, an uplink transmission in accordance with the indicator; and sending, by the access node to the UE, a contention resolution message in accordance with the indicator.

Abstract: Example methods and apparatus for reducing power consumption of user equipment (UE) are described. One example method includes receiving an indication by the UE for determining physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate ordering for a plurality of PDCCH candidates in a PDCCH search space. The UE determines a first PDCCH candidate from among the plurality of PDCCH candidates based on the indication. In response to determining that downlink control information (DCI) for the UE is not found in the first PDCCH candidate, the UE determines a second PDCCH candidate from among the plurality of PDCCH candidates based on the indication. In response to determining that the DCI for the UE is found in the second PDCCH candidate, the UE processes the DCI.

Abstract: A user equipment (UE) in a frame based equipment (FBE) mode may determine that a communication channel in an unlicensed spectrum is available for use, and transmit, in the communication channel, a transmission to a gNB in a fixed frame period (FFP) associated with the UE to initiate a channel occupancy time (COT) by the UE in the FFP. The transmission starts at the beginning of the FFP and ends before an idle period within the FFP. The gNB receives the transmission and, based thereon, determines that the UE has initiated the COT. The gNB may acknowledge or reject initiation of the COT by the UE.

Abstract: A method for operating a first communicating device includes sensing an availability of transmission resources; determining a first candidate sidelink resource set in accordance with the availability of transmission resources; and transmitting, to a second communicating device, a sidelink control information (SCI) message comprising a priority indicator indicating a priority associated with the first candidate sidelink resource set and time resource assignments of the first candidate sidelink resource set, the time resource assignments comprising resources reserved by the first communicating device for updating a second candidate sidelink resource set of the second communicating device.

Abstract: A method includes determining a first subframe on which to transmit a first downlink control information (DCI) message and determining a second subframe on which to transmit a first information. The method also includes determining a delay between the first subframe and the second subframe and transmitting, by a communications controller to a user equipment (UE), the second subframe in accordance with the delay.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a first indicator indicating distance based HARQ feedback operation with negative acknowledgement only and a first sidelink message grant; and determining that location information associated with a first communication device is unavailable, and based thereon, transmitting a second indicator indicating that location information is unavailable.

Abstract: A method includes determining a first subframe on which to transmit a first downlink control information (DCI) message and determining a second subframe on which to transmit a first information. The method also includes determining a delay between the first subframe and the second subframe and transmitting, by a communications controller to a user equipment (UE), the second subframe in accordance with the delay.

Abstract: A method and system for including a base station that configures a first user equipment (UE) that is in a radio resource control connected state with the base station. The UE is configured to be a synchronization source and transmit a first device-to-device synchronization signal (D2DSS) by using a synchronization resource that comprises a time resource, a frequency resource or a time and frequency resource. The base station instructs the first UE to transmit the first D2DSS using the synchronization resource. The base station signals the UE to configure the UE separately from the signal to transmit the D2DSS, and both of the signals are performed with radio resource control signaling from the base station to the UE.

Abstract: User Equipments (UEs) may be assigned a set of aggregated component carriers for downlink carrier aggregation and/or carrier selection. Some UEs may be incapable of transmitting uplink signals over all component carriers in their assigned set of aggregated component carriers. In such scenarios, a UE may need to perform SRS switching in order to transmit SRS symbols over all of the component carriers. Embodiments of this disclosure provide various techniques for facilitating SRS switching. For example, a radio resource control (RRC) message may be used to signal a periodic SRS configuration parameter. As another example, a downlink control indication (DCI) message may be used to signal an aperiodic SRS configuration parameter. Many other examples are also provided.

Abstract: In a control information transmission method according to present disclosure, a user equipment acquires configuration information of an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) set. The user equipment determines, according to the configuration information and from the EPDCCH set, at least one EPDCCH set in which an EPDCCH needs to be monitored. The user equipment monitors an EPDCCH on a resource corresponding to the at least one EPDCCH set, to acquire control information sent by a base station.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, by a first device from a second device, a higher layer message including reservation information for time and frequency domain network resources available for communicating with a plurality of wireless communication protocols; receiving, by the first device from the second device, a dynamically signaled message including a reservation indicator indicating a reservation status of a time and frequency domain network resource from the time and frequency domain network resources for communicating using a wireless communication protocol; and communicating, by the first device, using machine type communications over the wireless communication protocol, the communicating occurring over an available time and frequency domain network resource from the time and frequency domain network resources.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a higher layer message including reservation information for time domain network resources available for communicating with the plurality of wireless communication protocols; receiving a dynamically signaled message including a reservation indicator of a reservation status of a time domain network resource from the time domain network resources for communicating using a wireless communication protocol; and communicating using machine to machine communications over the wireless communication protocol, the communicating occurring over an available time domain network resource from the time domain network resources.

Abstract: Example sidelink communication methods and apparatus are described. One example method includes determining resources for potential transmission from a resource pool on a sidelink by a terminal device. The terminal device transmits a resource indication message on the sidelink, where the resource indication message includes a configuration of the resources that are determined for potential transmission. The configuration of the resources indicates a subset of the resources that are usable by first type of user equipments (UEs) and a subset of the resources that are usable by second type of UEs. The resource indication message is sent in a sidelink control information (SCI) message. The terminal device receives an indication of selected resources from at least one second type of UE, and transmits the indication of selected resources to at least another UE.

Abstract: A method includes performing sensing to determine resources for a sidelink transmission between a first device and a second device; obtaining channel information associated with a first subset of the resources; generating resource selection probabilities for a second subset of the resources, the resource selection probabilities being generated in accordance with the channel information and sensing information derived from the sensing; selecting a resource from the resources in accordance with the resource selection probabilities, the resource being used for the sidelink transmission; and transmitting, to the second device, the sidelink transmission over the selected resource.

Abstract: Embodiments disclose an information acquiring method. The method includes sending indicating information, where the indicating information indicates a resource set used for sending initial information, and the initial information comprises a master information block (MIB); and determining, according to the resource set used for sending initial information, a resource used for sending non-initial information, wherein the non-initial information comprises information carried over a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the resource used for sending the non-initial information does not overlap with the resource set used for sending initial information.