Abstract: A method includes obtaining elevation angle information for a plurality of user devices, wherein the elevation angle information includes, for each of the plurality of user devices, a best or preferred beam elevation angle used or applied by a network node for communication with the user device; estimating an elevation angle distribution for the plurality of user devices based on the collected elevation angle information; determining, based on the elevation angle distribution, a set of analog beamforming weights to be used for hybrid beamforming, wherein each analog beamforming weight of the set of analog beamforming weights is associated with an analog elevation angle; and adjusting the set of analog beamforming weights based on at least one of a set of pre-tilt angle beamforming weights or an estimated (or an estimate of) mechanical downtilt angle.

Abstract: An apparatus, having: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: collecting traffic information indicative of user radio conditions within a cell group having at least one cell; and determining, from the traffic information, a plurality of time windows, the plurality of time windows having different specified user traffic load threshold conditions for switching off and switching on of cells within the cell group.

Abstract: Various example embodiments relate to power saving in a wireless communication network and, in particular, an apparatus and a method to determine a threshold to establish whether a cell of a group of cells supporting network coverage in an area of a wireless communication network should enter or exit a power saving mode. In particular, aspects may provide: prediction circuitry configured to predict a future load in a group of cells supporting network coverage in an area of a wireless communication network based on historical load data for the group of cells; and determination circuitry configured to determine, based at least on the predicted future load, at least one threshold load value for establishing whether a cell of the group of cells should enter or exit a power saving mode.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and software for selecting among a plurality of IMS network slices. When an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network is partitioned into a plurality of IMS network slices, an IMS slice selection manager may be implemented at an edge of the IMS network slices. The IMS slice selection manager receives an IMS slice selection policy, and receives an IMS service request for an IMS service. The IMS slice selection manager selects an IMS network slice to provide the IMS service based on the IMS slice selection policy, and causes routing of the IMS service request to the selected IMS network slice.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for aligning signals in a phased array system having multiple tiles. Tile-to-tile signal alignment is achieved through the use of internally-generated local oscillator signals and existing coupling paths between transmit and receive antenna elements in adjacent tiles of the phased array system. The relative phases of the local oscillator signals are measured in both directions between adjacent tiles to determine phase differences that can then be used for alignment of the signals between the adjacent tiles. The self-alignment process can then be repeated on subsequent adjacent tile pairs, thus providing a fully aligned and phase-balanced phased array system. Because there is no need for any external signals or components that are not already resident on the tiles, self-alignment can be performed as part of system startup, e.g., to align the multi-tile phased array before the system is placed into operation in a live network.

Abstract: A method includes, for each optical fiber path in an optical network, allocating an optical wavelength channel in an optical spectrum such that the allocated optical wavelength channel is assigned to support optical communications over the optical fiber path. The method also includes updating an allocation table in response to performing the allocating for one or more of the optical fiber paths; the allocating including determining the optical wavelength channel to be allocated based on a state of the allocation table. The allocation table indicates optical wavelength channels allocated over optical fiber spans of the optical network. The method also includes defining a set of optical sub-bands to cover a part of the optical spectrum in response to a state of the allocation table satisfying a fullness property. The optical sub-bands are such that each of the allocated wavelength channels is in one of the optical sub-bands.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method, device and computer readable medium for centralized unit switch. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the DU transmits identity information of a target CU/DU to the source CU for the CU switch. The target CU does not need to initiate context setup procedure to set up context for the terminal device. Thus, the switch is implemented with minimized signaling and interruption in the data connection and the switched is completed faster by avoiding the unnecessary F1 AP context setup.

Abstract: A method includes receiving initial acknowledgement resource information at a user device from a base station. The initial acknowledgement resource information is associated with a subset of acknowledgement resources. The method includes determining in dependence on the initial acknowledgement resource information which of the subset of acknowledgement resources is to be used. The user device transmits an acknowledgement on the determined resource.

Abstract: The present subject matter relates to an apparatus for a communication system. The apparatus is configured for: for each beam direction of a set of beam directions of an antenna array of the communication system, determining a level of a passive intermodulation, PIM, signal at a receiver of the communication system, the PIM signal being caused by a set of signals transmitted by the antenna array in the beam direction, identifying beam directions of the set of beam directions whose PIM level is higher than a predefined threshold, adapting a beamforming of signals in at least part of the identified beam directions to mitigate the PIM level at the receiver.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for scheduling radio resources across a group of one or more user equipment (UEs) are provided. One method may include encoding every sequence of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU MIMO) beam combinations into a unique numerical value, adding a Q value into the encoded numerical value to produce a Q encoded value (Qencoded), providing each of the sequence of beam combinations with a unique designated bin, passing a matrix comprising a state representation for each of the beam combinations through a deep Q network (DQN), and outputting, by the deep Q network (DQN), one or more optimal beams to assign to a user equipment (UE).

Abstract: An apparatus comprising means for performing: sending, to a network entity, a Network Function Discovery request comprising parameter information; and receiving, from the network entity, a response to the request, the response comprising: at least one identifier for at least one Network Function service producer; and at least one of: information ranking the at least one Network Function service producer according to how well the at least one Network Function service producer matches the request; and an indication of how much of the parameter information is matched by one or more parameters of the at least one Network Function service producer.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising: at least one cavity filter element wherein the cavity filter element comprises a first support, a second support distinct from the first support, and a coupling element supported by the first support and the second support. In some examples, there is a series of cavity filter elements. In some examples, the cavity filter element(s) are part of a cavity filter.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for controlling operations of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node are proposed. In some embodiments, an integrated access and backhaul node may receive a message indicating that a handover of the integrated access and backhaul node is to be performed; and stop admission of new user equipment to an active radio cell of the integrated access and backhaul node based on the message received.

Abstract: According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided method, comprising: generating or receiving a first hash on the basis of the mobile network data change by a source network function, providing the first hash and security credentials information of the source network function for validation by a set of validator entities, and in response to detecting validation of the first hash and the security credentials information, generating a first transaction for a first blockchain, the first transaction being indicative of the mobile network data change and comprising the first hash.

Abstract: There is provided a method comprising receiving at least one measured signal characteristic from a user equipment, the user equipment being located at a user equipment location; comparing the at least one measured signal characteristic to at least one of a plurality of signal characteristics, each signal characteristic being associated with a respective measurement point; and determining, based on the comparing, a probability that the user equipment location is a first location.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting multicast communications in a communication system are presented. Various embodiments for supporting multicast communications may be configured to support multicast communications of multiple virtual private networks over a single multicast distribution tree.

Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a resonator (100) and a filter (500). The resonator (100) comprises a capacitance metal sheet (110), an inductance metal sheet (120) and a mounting metal sheet (130). The capacitance metal sheet (110) is configured to generate capacitance of the resonator (100) with a top surface (202) of a metal cavity (200) for housing the resonator (100). The inductance metal sheet (120) is configured to generate inductance of the resonator (100), which is connected to the capacitance metal sheet (110) and extends to a bottom surface (204) of the metal cavity (200). The mounting metal sheet (130) is connected to the inductance metal sheet (120) and configured to mount the resonator (100) in the metal cavity (200). The example embodiments of the present disclosure can implement a resonator and a filter with high performance, small size and low cost.

Abstract: Event triggering based on explicit user equipment list assignment command events is provided. A method may be performed by a network device of initiating a radio intelligent controller subscription procedure to modify a policy of a user device to change at least an operation of the user device, when determining that the user device is underperforming. The network device transmits to a network node a request to change at least the operation of the user device according to the radio intelligent controller subscription procedure.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program is described as obtaining forwarded traffic volume data and discarded traffic volume data of a point-to-multipoint communication network in each of a plurality of discrete time periods over an observation period; generating calibrated forwarded and discarded traffic volume data, wherein calibration data is dependent on a calibration level; filtering, by applying signal processing techniques, multiple instances of said calibrated forwarded and discarded traffic volume data; identifying first sample periods within said observation period; and determining impact scores for the forwarded and discarded traffic volume data for each of said one or more first sample periods.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting forward error correction (FEC) in a communication system are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting FEC in a communication system may include selection of a FEC setting (e.g., an amount of puncturing and/or shortening of a FEC code, a FEC code, or the like) for a communication channel from a transmitter to a receiver based on channel characteristic information of the communication channel from the transmitter to the receiver (e.g., transfer function information, channel loss information, noise characteristic information, error information (e.g., bit error rate, error modeling, or the like), or the like). Various example embodiments for supporting FEC in a communication system, based on selection of a FEC setting for a communication channel based on channel characteristic information of the communication channel, may be applied within various types of communication systems, including various types of wired and/or wireless communication systems.