Abstract: A user equipment (UE), or other network component can operate to generate listen-before-talk (LBT) operations in order to manage power consumption by configuring the discontinuous reception (DRX) in a dynamic manner. The UE can configure an extended active time for the DRX based on whether the LBT is successful and an acquisition channel indication from a base station, e.g., a next generation NodeB (gNB). The UE can operate aperiodic wakeup occasions with or independently of periodic DRX on-durations to better manage power while monitoring a channel for unlicensed carrier communications.

Abstract: Systems and methods of increasing paging opportunities when the unlicensed band is used are described. The gNB sends an RRC message that indicates multiple monitoring occasions in a paging occasion of a paging frame. The UE monitors a monitoring occasion of a PO to determine whether a PDCCH with a P-RNTI has been received in an unlicensed band. If such a PDCCH is received, the UE decodes PDSCH information in the PDCCH to determine whether the P-RNTI is a P-RNTI of the UE. If so, the UE avoids monitoring subsequent monitoring occasions of the PO. If the PDCCH does not contain a P-RNTI, the UE continues to monitor other monitoring occasions within the PO.

Abstract: Embodiments of a next generation Node-B (gNB), User Equipment (UE) and methods for communication are generally described herein. A gNB may be configurable to operate as a master gNB (MgNB). The MgNB may transmit radio-resource control (RRC) signaling to provide information for dual connectivity to allow the UE to utilize radio resources of both a master cell group (MCG) associated with the MgNB and a secondary cell group (SCG) associated with a secondary gNB (SgNB). The MgNB may transmit, to the SgNB, an SgNB release request message that indicates a partial suspension of the dual connectivity, wherein: a first portion of a configuration for the SCG is to be maintained and a second portion of the configuration for the SCG is to be released.

Abstract: A mode of operation is provided for user equipment (UE) communicating in unlicensed carrier (e.g., NR-unlicensed). The UE is configured to operate in one or more modes of operation, including FBE and LBE. The UE can be configured to operate in FBE, where the equipment has a fixed frame period according to CCA, or in LBE, where the equipment determines whether the channel is idle or not and transmits only when the channel is clear. The UE is configured to operate in a mode of operation to be used in the communicating with a communication network (e.g., a cellular network), where the UE can transmit and/or receive one or more listen before talk (LBT) messages with the communication network through a Radio Access Network (RAN) based on the mode of operation.

Abstract: An apparatus and system to permit a UE idle or inactive mode to operate as an URLLC initiating device operating in a shared spectrum in a PRACH procedure are described. The UE receives a gNB control signal that contains an indication that the UE is able to operate as an initiating device and in response transmits a physical random access channel (PRACH) message within a Fixed Frame Period (FFP) of the UE. Transmission of the PRACH message is contingent on non-overlap of the PRACH message transmission with the idle period of a gNB FFP.

Abstract: Some embodiments of this disclosure include apparatuses and methods for facilitating a transmission, retransmission, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) in IDLE mode. In some embodiments, user equipment (UE) may establish a first PUR and a second PUR to use in IDLE mode. The UE may transmit uplink data using the first PUR using a HARQ process. The UE may start a PUR retransmission timer and monitor a control channel for an acknowledgement message. The UE may identify an expiration of the PUR retransmission timer prior to receiving the acknowledgement message, and in response, may retransmit the uplink data using the second PUR.

Abstract: An approach is described for a user equipment (UE) configured for a new radio (NR) system with unlicensed spectrum. The UE includes processor circuitry that performs a first channel load measurement at a first frequency of a serving cell and a second channel load measurement at a second frequency of a neighbor cell and associates a report with the first channel load measurement and the second channel load measurement. At least one of the first frequency and the second frequency is in the unlicensed spectrum. The UE also includes radio front end circuitry that is coupled to the processor circuitry and configured to transmit the report to an access node (AN).

Abstract: A method and device are disclosed for performing collision resolution in a two-step random access channel (RACH) process. In such a process, an MsgA PUSCH signal and a grant based PUSCH signal may collide. When such a collision is detected, either the MsgA PUSCH signal or the grant based PUSCh signal are dropped. The other of the two signals is then transmitted. The determination regarding which signal to drop can be based on a set of rules stored in memory.

Abstract: Some embodiments of this disclosure include systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media for use in a wireless network for operating eMTC (enhanced Machine Type Communication) user equipment (UE) and/or NB-IoT UEs when connected to a 5G Core Network (5GCN). For example, some embodiments are directed to a user equipment (UE). The UE includes processor circuitry and radio front circuitry. The processor circuitry can be configured to receive, using the radio front end circuitry and from a Non-Access Stratum layer (NAS) of a cell, an indication to use a 5G Core Network (5GCN) for the cell. The processor circuitry can be further configured to transmit, using the radio front end, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request in response to the indication to use the 5GCN.

Abstract: Systems and methods of in-sync/out-of-sync (IS/OOS) determination in the unlicensed band are described. Reference signals are measured on the unlicensed band. If the UE determines that at least one of the reference signals is missing, the IS/OOS condition is evaluated on that basis. If the missing signals are ignored when determining the IS/OOS condition, and the IS/OOS condition is unable to evaluated, the L1 sends an indication to the RRC layer. If the number of indications exceeds a threshold, the UE performs re-establishment or sends a report to the base station for adjustment of the reference signal resources. If the missing signals are counted, the missing signals are weighted based on proximity to the noise floor or a number of adjacent signals that are missing.

Abstract: Embodiments of a User Equipment (UE), Next Generation Node-B (gNB) and methods of communication are generally described herein. The UE may receive, from a gNB, configuration information related to a 2-step random access (RA) procedure between the UE and the gNB in unlicensed spectrum. The 2-step RA procedure may include: an uplink MsgA message that includes, within a random access occasion (RO), a MsgA preamble and a MsgA payload; and a downlink MsgB message that includes, within another RO, a MsgB PDCCH and a MsgB payload. The configuration information may indicate: resources allocated for the MsgA preamble; and a mapping between the resources allocated for the MsgA preamble and the MsgA payload. The UE may determine the resources allocated for the MsgA payload based on the resources allocated for the MsgA preamble and the mapping.

Abstract: A computer-readable storage medium stores instructions for execution by one or more processors of a UE. The instructions configure the UE for small data transmission (SDT) in a 5G NR network and cause the UE to perform operations comprising detecting while in an RRC_Inactive state, a radio link failure during a first SDT of UL data to a base station. A secure key for a second SDT is generated based on the radio link failure. A configuration message including an indication of the second SDT is transmitted to the base station. A response message including a UL grant is received from the base station. The UL data is encoded for the second SDT using the secure key. The second SDT is performed using the UL grant while the UE is in the RRC_Inactive state.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for a handling uplink listen before talk (LBT) procedure failures in unlicensed bands of 5G NR. A wireless device may count a number of failed transmissions due to LBT procedure failures, e.g., that may occur in one or more transmit/receive occasions. The wireless device may determine that the count has met a threshold, e.g., that a number of failed transmissions has reached the threshold. The wireless device may initiate a recovery procedure based on determining that the count has met the threshold.

Abstract: An apparatus of user equipment (UE) includes processing circuitry coup led to a memory, where to configure the UE for radio link monitoring (RLM) in a New Radio-Unlicensed (NR-U) network, the processing circuitry is to decode radio resource control (RRC) signaling from a base station. The RRC signaling includes configuration information to configure transmission occasions for a plurality of RLM reference signals (RLM-RSs). A primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) detection is performed to determine a number of RLM-RSs of the plurality of RLM-RSs that are successfully transmitted during the transmission occasions. Signal measurements are performed on the RLM-RSs that are successfully transmitted within an evaluation duration to determine a block error rate (BLER). The signal measurements are performed when the number is higher than a threshold number. An in-sync (IS) indicator or an out-of-sync (OOS) indicator are generated based on the signal measurements.

Abstract: A Next Generation Node-B (gNB) and methods of communication are generally described herein. The gNB is configurable to operate as a source gNB. The gNB is configured with logical nodes including a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) and a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU). The gNB-CU comprises a gNB-CU control plane (gNB-CU-CP) for control-plane functionality, and a gNB-CU user plane (gNB-CU-UP) for user-plane functionality. When a handover of a User Equipment (UE) from the source gNB to a target gNB is performed, the gNB transfers, from the gNB-DU to the gNB-CU-UP, a downlink data delivery status (DDDS) message to indicate that the gNB-CU-UP is to stop transfer, to the gNB-DU, of downlink data intended for the UE.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure describe methods, apparatuses, storage media, and systems for adequate failure secondary cell group (SCG) reporting in New Radio (NR) involved networks. Various embodiments describe how to generate a sufficient SCG failure report so that a master node (MN) in the network may acknowledge the corresponding failed reference signal including its frequency and subcarrier spacing. In accordance, the MN may configure the UE and network communication effectively. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: An apparatus of user equipment (UE) includes processing circuitry coupled to memory, where to configure the UE for communication of data in a New Radio-Unlicensed (NR-U) spectrum, the processing circuitry is to decode RRC signaling from a base station. The RRC signaling includes configuration information to configure a listen-before-talk (LBT) timer and a scheduling request (SR) prohibit timer. An LBT procedure is performed while the LBT timer is activated. An SR is encoded for transmission to the base station, based on detecting an unoccupied transmission resource within the NR-U spectrum during the LBT procedure. The SR transmission activates the SR prohibit timer. An uplink grant from the base station is decoded in response to the SR, the uplink grant received while the SR prohibit timer is activated. A buffer status report (BSR) is encoded for transmission to the base station based on the uplink grant.

Abstract: Herein described are apparatuses, systems, and methods related to handover operations of user equipment within a wireless network. An apparatus for an evolved NodeB (eNB) may include circuitry to determine one or more candidate eNBs available to provide service to a user equipment (UE) based on cell information received from one or more other eNBs, and generate an autonomous handover (HO) information message for transmission to the UE, wherein the autonomous HO information message includes an indication of the one or more candidate eNBs. The apparatus may further include memory to store the indication of the one or more candidate eNBs. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Abstract: An apparatus of a network (NW) configured to: encode a new radio (NR) Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) transmission, the NR DRS transmission including a synchronization signal block (SSB) and channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) (CSI-RS). The apparatus is further configured to configure the NW to transmit the NR DRS transmission. The RS-CSI may be a fragmented RS-CSI including a first fragmented portion and a second fragmented portion, where the apparatus is configured to encode a symbol of the NR DRS transmission to comprise the first fragmented portion, a symbol of the SSB, and the second fragmented portion, where the symbol of the SSB is encoded on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) portion of the NR DRS transmission.

Abstract: Embodiments of a next generation Node-B (gNB), User Equipment (UE) and methods for communication are generally described herein. A gNB may be configurable to operate as a master gNB (MgNB). The MgNB may transmit radio-resource control (RRC) signaling to provide information for dual connectivity to allow the UE to utilize radio resources of both a master cell group (MCG) associated with the MgNB and a secondary cell group (SCG) associated with a secondary gNB (SgNB). The MgNB may transmit, to the SgNB, an SgNB release request message that indicates a partial suspension of the dual connectivity, wherein: a first portion of a configuration for the SCG is to be maintained and a second portion of the configuration for the SCG is to be released.