Abstract: Systems and methods to allocate PUCCH resources such as Scheduling Request (SR) and Channel State Information (CSI) to RRC-Connected UEs in the 4G and 5G radio access network (RAN).

Abstract: A method for implementing automated testing of an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) system in the cloud includes: hosting, in the cloud, the O-RAN test system; triggering an automation suite of an automation framework to execute a pre-defined set of test cases on the O-RAN test system; and transmitting test results including key performance indicators (KPIs) to at least a results repository hosted in the cloud; wherein the automation framework comprises i) a front end module hosted on a public cloud, and ii) a back end module hosted on one of a private cloud and the public cloud, and wherein the front end module and the back end module communicate via an application programming interface. The O-RAN test system comprises at least one of simulated radio units (RUs) and simulated user equipments (UEs) simulated by a test software, and the O-RAN test system is hosted on the public cloud.

Abstract: A Radio Access Network (RAN) system includes a group of cell sites where each cell site includes multiple sectors, and each sector communicates with UE, the system including a Radio Resource Controller (RRC) in Central Unit (CU) controlling PUCCH resources for the sectors, and a Media Access Control (MAC) Scheduler in each sector allocating resources for PUCCH HARQ transmissions in an orthogonal manner separated in time or frequency or cyclic shift to minimize the inter-carrier interference across the sectors to improve system throughput.

Abstract: A method of operating a wireless cellular communication system includes: operating one of an eNB or gNB communicating with a set of user equipments (UEs); and scheduling, using a scheduler, uplink (UL) auto-grants to the set of the UEs when selected resources are available, the selected resources including Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) resource, Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) resource and scheduler capacity. The scheduler determines at least two UEs in RRC-connected mode and having zero UL buffer count, at least one of the two UEs with downlink (DL) traffic present and at least one of the two UEs without DL traffic present. The scheduler selects a set of RRC-connected UEs with zero UL buffer count for which UL auto-grants can be scheduled with a designated number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) and designated Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS).

Abstract: A system for optimizing Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) Format 3 resource assignment in 4G Radio Access Network (RAN) includes: a Layer 3 (L3) Radio Resource Control (RRC) module configured to selectively configure four PUCCH Format 3 resources for each one of user equipments (UEs) which attach or hand-in to a serving cell of the RAN, the L3 RRC module configuring the four PUCCH Format 3 resources from a PUCCH Format 3 UE-configuration lookup table structured to balance the number of assignments to each of ten PUCCH Format 3 resources; and a Layer 2 (L2) Media Access Control (MAC) Scheduler configured to selectively reserve one of PUCCH Format 1 resource or PUCCH Format 3 resource depending on buffer occupancy (BO), the selective reservation of PUCCH Format 3 resource being accompanied by updating an L2 Format 3 Reserved bitmap to track the PUCCH Format 3 resources in a Bundling Period.

Abstract: A system and method for providing messaging between an Open Radio Access Network Distributed Unit (O-DU) and an Open Radio Access Network Radio Unit (O-RU) for on-demand non-delay-managed Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) transfer and improving beamforming. An O-DU sending a request message with Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) configuration information to an O-RU, and the O-RU extracts non-port-reduced DMRS data and transmits it in a non-delay managed manner to the O-DU. The O-DU identifies one or more users that need an improved update rate of channel state information and triggers the non-port-reduced DMRS transfer based on at least a doppler speed of the user and/or an inter-cell interference level due to user density.

Abstract: Minimizing signaling traffic between a User Plane (UP) and a Control Plane (CP), where Policy and Charging Function/Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCF/PCRF) software transmits a first and a second Policy and Charging Control rule (PCCRule1 and PCCRule2) to CP equipment. The CP equipment installs both PCCRule1 and PCCRule2 on UP equipment as UPRule1 and UPRule2 respectively, where UPRule1 is set as active during a first time period and the UPRule2 set as active during a second time period. User Plane Function (UPF) software matching data traffic with a Packet Detection Rule (PDR) to generate identified traffic during the first and second time periods and automatically redirecting data traffic to a predetermined location at the expiration of the first and second time periods respectively. UPRule1 and UPRule2 are automatically enabled and disabled alternatively after expiration of their respective timers by the UPF software.

Abstract: A system for optimizing a 4G or 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) including multiple cell sites each having multiple sectors, and at least one of the cell sites in communication with a user equipment (UE), the system including i) a downlink (DL) medium access control (MAC) layer including a DL MAC Scheduler configured to schedule at least one of Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) message 2, PRACH message 4, Radio Resource Control (RRC) Release and Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) of other traffic, in each sector in at least one of frequency and time, in the downlink direction; and ii) an uplink (UL) MAC layer including a UL MAC scheduler configured to schedule at least one of PRACH message 3, RRC Setup Complete and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) of other traffic, in each sector in at least one of frequency and time, in the uplink direction.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for increasing a peak data rate achieved in HARQ feedback-disabled User Equipment (UE) in a Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN) system where NB-IoT devices are connected to the gNodeB (gNB) through a satellite where a Downlink Control Information (DCI) N0 is received at the UE and the UE checks a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process number field to confirm the HARQ feedback is disabled, where the system determines an actual number of scheduled Transmission Blocks (TB) in an Uplink based on a New Data Indicator field and a Number of Scheduled TBs for Unicast field in the DCI N0. The actual number of scheduled TBs being greater than two without adding new bits to the DCI N0.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing bottleneck queues in the O-RAN architecture through classification of a PDCP queue at a CU-UP server with a CU Congestion Indicator, and classification of a RLC queue at a DU server with a DU Congestion Indicator. The CU Congestion Indicator determines a category for the PDCP queue for a DRB, x and the DU Congestion Indicator determines a category for the RLC queue for a DRB, y. The DU server transmitting the CE indication to UE when the CU Congestion Indicator or the DU Congestion Indicator classifies the DRB x or DRB y as CE, which in turn, communicates a congestion occurrence to an application source. The application source modifies a data rate for data traffic that is sent to the UE based on the CE indication.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing bottleneck queues in the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture through classification of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and Radio Link Control (RLC) queues at the Centralized Unit-User Plane (CU-UP). The system analyzes and determines a category for the CU-UP PDCP queue for the Data Radio Bearer (DRB), x, at the CU-UP and analyzes and determines a category for the DU RLC queue for the DRB, x, at the CU-UP. If the Congestion Indicator indicates Congestion Experienced (CE) for this DRB in the RAN, the system at the CU-UP starts inserting CE in the IP packet header for packets going in the reverse direction towards the application source, which in turn will modify the rate of transfer based on the number and duration of CE received.

Abstract: A method of implementing data traffic overload control utilizing an E2 node for i) a stand-alone (SA) 4G or 5G architecture wireless network, and a non-stand-alone (NSA) architecture wireless network, the method including: detecting an overload condition at the E2 node; and performing an overload control action including: i) reducing a number of UEs for which corresponding scheduling metric is computed in each transmission time interval (TTI); ii) reducing a number of UEs for which UL grant is given; iii) reducing a size of UL grant given to each UE; (iv) reducing the amount of radio resource the E2 node provides to each cell; (v) dynamically allocating increased buffer spaces to radio link control (RLC) queues in the DU; (vi) reducing an activity factor for selected data radio bearers (DRBs); and (vii) adjusting relative data transmission rates between a 4G leg and a 5G leg of data transmission.

Abstract: A method for enhanced radio resource management of radio access network (RAN) based on machine-learning-based technique includes: deploying a trained machine-learning-based model trained on a plurality of RAN-related parameters for a selected user equipment (UE) on the RAN, including i) plurality of trained weights for determining scheduling priority of the selected UE, ii) a network operator policy influencing scheduling priority of the selected UE, and iii) at least one of Packet Delay Budget (PDB), a target guaranteed bit rate (GBR), and proportional fair (PF) metric of the selected UE; computing, at the RIC, a difference between two consecutive overall error functions for PDB, GBR, and PF calculated based on corresponding observed values at two consecutive sampling time points; and updating, at the RIC, the plurality of weights based on the difference between the first and second overall error functions.

Abstract: There is provided a method of operating an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN). The method includes (a) communicating from an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU) to an O-RU controller, data informing that the O-RU supports physical random-access channel (PRACH) combining, (b) communicating from the O-RU controller to the O-RU, a parameter to facilitate the PRACH combining, and (c) configuring the O-RU in accordance with the parameter. There is also provided an O-RU and an O-RU controller that perform the method.

Abstract: There is provided, an open radio access network distributed unit (O-DU) having an electronic module that performs an FS-8 Radio Access Technology (RAT) functionality such as frequency hopping, downlink (DL) carrier aggregation, uplink (UL) channelization, power control, and fast automatic gain control (AGC).

Abstract: A method for time sensitive network (TSN) operation includes: in the case of data traffic stoppage in a communication channel of TSN due to at least one of down time of a user plane (UP) connection and a reset of the UP connection, performing the following: generating, by a user plane function (UPF), an audit report about the at least one of the down time and the reset; sending, by the UPF, the audit report to a first element in control plane (CP), without waiting for communication from the CP; and determining, by one of the first element or a second element in the CP, survival time of the communication channel. The audit report is sent along with a report type indicating the down time of the UP connection due to connection fluctuation or a switch-over of the UP connection from a primary UPF to a back-up UPF.

Abstract: A method for facilitating an on-demand multimedia priority service (MPS) for a data transport services (DTS) session to receive end to end prioritization within 5G Core (5GC) and radio access network (RAN) is provided. The method includes: propagating an MPS On-Demand indication to 5GC network functions and RAN via (a) Policy Control Function sending an MPS On-Demand indication to Session Management Function (SMF) when a authorized user initiates such a service usage, (b) SMF recording the on session demand status and sending the MPS On-Demand indication to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and (c) AMF, in response to receiving the MPS On-Demand indication, upgrading the user for multimedia priority services in the 5G core based on policy, and sending to user equipment (UE), an MPS indicator in downlink Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messaging to indicate that the UE may use MPS access identity to receive radio access prioritization.

Abstract: There is provided a method for sharing bandwidth consumption information in a communication system having a first user plane function (UPF), a second UPF and a third UPF, each of which serves an access point name (APN). The method includes (a) receiving by the first UPF from the second UPF, information indicating a bandwidth being consumed by the second UPF, (b) receiving by the first UPF from the third UPF, information indicating a bandwidth being consumed by the third UPF, (c) sending from the first UPF to the second UPF, information indicating a bandwidth being consumed by the first UPF and the third UPF, and (d) sending from the first UPF to the third UPF, information indicating the bandwidth being consumed by the first UPF and the second UPF. Thus, each of the first, second and third UPFs is aware of a total bandwidth being consumed for the APN.

Abstract: A control plane signaling method for reducing energy consumption of O-RAN radio units used in O-RAN CUS and including an O-DU controlling an O-RU via control-plane messaging where a sleep period is extended using a 16-bit binary number that is formed by two reserved octets in Section Type 0, or via an inactivity timer is used to trigger transitions between different sleep states and active states, or via and a bitmap is formed by a reserved octet in Section Type 0 and is used to signal the O-RU to directly transition to different sleep modes.

Abstract: System and Methods for configuring shared spectrum cellular systems with Physical Resource Block Blanking and related operations for the control and data channels and reference signals within the carrier channel bandwidth. The systems are configured for protection in the carrier bandwidth to avoid victim interference mitigation.