Abstract: It is recognized herein that current LTE reference signals may be inadequate for future cellular (e.g., New Radio) systems. Configurable reference signals are described herein. The configurable reference signals can support mixed numerologies and different reference signal (RS) functions. Further, reference signals can be configured so as to support beam sweeping and beamforming training.

Abstract: Flexibly configured containers consisting of resources within time-frequency blocks may be used to support multiple numerologies in new radio architectures. Uplink control may be defined in resources within a container, or in dedicated resources, by various nodes. Sounding reference signal resources may be dynamically configured for each numerology. The sequence length may be adapted, as well as the time domain location of symbols. Time, frequency, and orthogonal resources may be allocated via a downlink control channel or a radio resource control. Sounding reference signals may be pre-coded, and pre-coding weights may be based on a codebook or non-codebook approaches, e.g., via a radio resource control or a downlink RRC or DL control channel. Pre-coded sounding reference signals may be adapted to user equipment antenna configuration. Further, NR-SRS may be used as UL demodulation RS (DM-RS).

Abstract: New radio download numerology allocation information may be obtained through master information block data, system information block data, radio resource control signals, or signals or a physical downlink numerology indication channel, and used along with a reference signal detected in a search space to obtain resource element positions in an antenna port reference signal in a resource block that belongs to a particular band slice according to a reference signal allocation scheme for a band slice numerology. A physical download control may then be decoded based upon one or more resource elements of the reference signal, allowing the connection of, e.g., an enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine type communication, or ultra-reliable/low-latency application to a communications network thereby. Alternatively, multiple physical downlink control channels may be blindly demodulated at each of a number calculated reference signal locations, and one channel selected based on passing a cyclic redundancy check.