Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that facilitate multiple switching points within a slot. A slot format indication is conveyed to a user equipment which indicates which symbols within a slot are uplink, downlink or unknown. Some formats feature half-slot switching meaning that a switch from uplink to downlink transmission takes place twice within a slot. Switching on a more frequent basis can deliver improved latency.

Abstract: Methods and devices utilizing sidelink transmission between user equipment (UEs) for HARQ retransmission are provided. The sidelink HARQ retransmissions include data from the initial transmission or an outer coded version thereof. HARQ feedback from the targeted receiver of the initial transmission may identify code block groups and/or individual code blocks the target receiver did not successfully decode. A UE that has not successfully decoded an entire transport block, may still cooperate in HARQ retransmission for the targeted receiver of the transport block by retransmitting at least a subset of the code block groups that it was able to successfully decode for the transport block.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for transmitting and receiving pre-emption indications. The pre-emption indication is transmitted every K symbols or slots, on a group-common physical downlink control channel. The pre-emption indication is in respect of a group of K symbols or slots preceding a symbol or slot containing the group-common pre-emption indication. The group-common pre-emption indication indicates, for the group of K symbols or slots, which resources are pre-empted. The base station schedules resources for first downlink traffic, and transmits the scheduled first downlink traffic subject to pre-emption, and transmits second downlink traffic by pre-empting resources for the first downlink traffic. On the UE side, the UE receives the pre-emption indication. The UE receives its scheduled traffic taking into account the pre-emption indication.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes receiving, by a network device, a cooperation candidate set (CCS) and determining a cooperation active set (CAS). The CCS includes a plurality of potential cooperating user equipment (CUEs) for selection to the CAS, and the plurality of potential CUEs is selected from a plurality of user equipment (UEs) in the network. The CAS is a set of CUEs selected from the CCS. A target user equipment (TUE) and the set of CUEs form a virtual multipoint transceiver.

Abstract: A method that includes sensing, by a first user equipment (UE), a signal transmitted by a second UE indicating a resource reservation for a shared channel for a sidelink (SL) transmission by the second UE and a priority associated with the SL transmission; determining, by the first UE, a threshold based on a type of the SL transmission and the priority; and selecting, by the first UE, a resource in the shared channel to use for a SL transmission by the first UE based on the threshold.

Abstract: A method for transmitting data over a SL data channel wherein a transmit UE and a receive UE are each semi-statically provided with a CG configuration such that a CG configuration indication does not have to be transmitted in association with each individual data transmission during a duration that the CG configuration is applied.

Abstract: A New Radio (NR) control signal that indicates one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) network parameters may be transmitted to NR UEs to enable the NR UEs to identify which resources carry LTE signal(s). The NR UEs may then receive one or more NR downlink signals over remaining resources in a set of resources without processing those resources that carry LTE signal(s). The NR downlink signals may have a zero power level, or otherwise be blanked, over resources that carry the LTE signal(s).

Abstract: When a user equipment (UE) is wirelessly communicating with a network, the wireless channel conditions may sometimes result in a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The low SNR may be a result of the UE having poor geometry, e.g. the UE is at a cell edge. It is desired to increase the reliability of wireless communications in low SNR conditions. In some embodiments, less information may be dynamically signaled in the downlink control information (DCI), thereby allowing for a possibly lower effective coding rate.

Abstract: An embodiment method includes receiving, by a first user equipment (UE), a message, for a second UE, transmitted over a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) on behalf of a communications controller and determining a plurality of log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) in accordance with the received plurality of RBs. The method also includes transmitting, a subset of the determined LLRs to the second UE.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided to support network communications with groups of UEs. The embodiments include a two-level group-based hybrid-automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism and acknowledgement (ACK)/negative ACK (NACK) feedback. An embodiment method includes receiving, at a UE within a virtual multi-point (ViMP) comprising UEs, a data packet for a target UE (TUE) that is broadcasted from a base station (BS) to the ViMP node, decode the data packet, and upon successfully decoding the data packet, broadcasting the data packet to the UEs within the ViMP node until a timer pre-established by the BS expires or an ACK message is received from the TUE or the ViMP node. In an embodiment, broadcasted data received in the ViMP node is re-broadcasted upon receiving a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message from the TUE, a beacon UE, or any of the UEs within the ViMP node.

Abstract: A user equipment (UE) may determine that a transmission resource includes a first orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol that is configured as a downlink symbol or as flexible, where the transmission resource is allocated for uplink (UL) transmissions during a time duration, and includes K transmission occasions (TOs). The UE may transmit a first UL transmission in the transmission resource omitting the first OFDM symbol. The first UL transmission includes K repetitions to be transmitted in the respective K TOs, and the K repetitions includes an initial transmission and at least one retransmission of the initial transmission.

Abstract: A method for uplink transmission by a UE includes obtaining information regarding a plurality of power control sets each having a plurality of power control parameters, wherein a value of at least one parameter in a first power control set is different from a value of the at least one parameter in a second power control set; obtaining information associating at least one of the power control sets with at least one operational property of the UE; and when at least one of the operational properties is in effect on the UE, transmitting a PUSCH using the parameters of the power control set associated with the at least one operational property in effect.

Abstract: Transporting different sets of encoded packets generated from the same traffic flow over the respective licensed and unlicensed bands may provide bandwidth utilization efficiencies in addition to enabling more robust data streaming. More specifically, a transmit point may encode a traffic flow using a fountain code to obtain encoded packets, and then transmit different subsets of the encoded packets over the respective licensed and unlicensed bands. The fountain code may be applied at the physical layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, or the application layer. The respective subsets of packets may be transmitted over the licensed and unlicensed bands at different rates. Different coding rates may be used over the respective bands.

Abstract: A system and method for multiplexing traffic. A wireless device such as a user equipment (UE) may receive a first signal over first resources assigned to carry a first downlink transmission from a base station, and receive a first downlink control indication (DCI) message from the base station. The first DCI message may include a pre-emption region (PR) indication and a PR bitmap, and the PR indication may indicate a location of a time-frequency region. The PR bitmap may include bits associated with different portions of the time-frequency region, and each of the bits in the PR bitmap may indicate whether a preemptive downlink transmission is present in the corresponding portion of the time-frequency region.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for transmitting and receiving pre-emption indications. The pre-emption indication is transmitted every K symbols or slots, on a group-common physical downlink control channel. The pre-emption indication is in respect of a group of K symbols or slots preceding a symbol or slot containing the group-common pre-emption indication. The group-common pre-emption indication indicates, for the group of K symbols or slots, which resources are pre-empted. The base station schedules resources for first downlink traffic, and transmits the scheduled first downlink traffic subject to pre-emption, and transmits second downlink traffic by pre-empting resources for the first downlink traffic. On the UE side, the UE receives the pre-emption indication. The UE receives its scheduled traffic taking into account the pre-emption indication.

Abstract: Resource usage information is determined at a first UE about usage of a first communication resource by other UEs based on signals received by the UE. The first communication resource is excluded from a set of candidate communication resources when the resource usage information exceeds a usage threshold. When the first communication resource is excluded, a second communication resource from the candidate communication resources remaining in the set is selected to use for a transmission by the UE.

Abstract: A New Radio (NR) control signal that indicates one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) network parameters may be transmitted to NR UEs to enable the NR UEs to identify which resources carry LTE signal(s). The NR UEs may then receive one or more NR downlink signals over remaining resources in a set of resources without processing those resources that carry LTE signal(s). The NR downlink signals may have a zero power level, or otherwise be blanked, over resources that carry the LTE signal(s).

Abstract: Methods and devices utilizing sidelink transmission between user equipment (UEs) for HARQ retransmission are provided. The sidelink HARQ retransmissions include data from the initial transmission or an outer coded version thereof. HARQ feedback from the targeted receiver of the initial transmission may identify code block groups and/or individual code blocks the target receiver did not successfully decode. A UE that has not successfully decoded an entire transport block, may still cooperate in HARQ retransmission for the targeted receiver of the transport block by retransmitting at least a subset of the code block groups that it was able to successfully decode for the transport block.

Abstract: Performing wireless transmissions over a unified air interface that span portions of both the primary band and the complementary band may provide improved throughput and spectral efficiency in next generation networks. Wireless transmissions spanning both the licensed and unlicensed spectrum carry data in different frame formats over the respective primary and complementary bands. For example, frames communicated over the primary band may have a different channel structure (e.g., different size, placement, orientation, etc.) than frames communicated over the complementary band. Wireless transmissions spanning the licensed and unlicensed spectrum may also utilize different access schemes and/or waveforms over the respective primary and complementary bands. Embodiment unified air interfaces may be dynamically configurable via software defined radio (SDR) signaling instructions.

Abstract: Systems and methods for early termination of feedback in respect of sidelink transmissions are provided. A first UE transmits at least one sidelink (SL) transmission of a first set of SL transmissions to a second UE, the first set of SL transmissions comprising an initial SL transmission and a set number of SL retransmissions. If no ACK is received, then the first UE transmits the set number of retransmissions. On the other hand, if an ACK is received, then the first UE transmits fewer than the set number of SL retransmissions when an ACK is received from the second UE before the set number of SL retransmissions has been completed. By transmitting fewer than all of the set number of SL retransmissions, resources can be freed up for other purposes. The approach may be used for SL configured grant transmission.