Abstract: A wireless device performs an uplink transmission, such as an idle-mode uplink transmission using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR). The wireless device determines whether a serving-cell signal measurement M2 was completed within a predetermined range of time before a reference time T2, the reference time T2 corresponding to an uplink transmission opportunity. Responsive to determining that the serving-cell signal measurement M2 was not completed within the predetermined range of time, the wireless device either defers transmission to a subsequent transmission opportunity, or drops the uplink transmission, or collects an additional serving-cell measurement M2? that falls within the predetermined range of time, for use in validating a TA for transmitting at the transmission uplink opportunity and/or for estimating a PL for power control of a transmission at the uplink transmission opportunity.

Abstract: Methods of operating a network node in a communication network are provided. Operations according to such methods include receiving a transmission that is sent by a user equipment, UE, and that is received over a preconfigured uplink resource, PUR and selecting one or more transmission types for indicating feedback corresponding to the received transmission conditioned to having been successfully received.

Abstract: A User Equipment, UE (700), determines paging occasions that are associated with a Narrowband Reference Signal, NRS, from a plurality of paging occasions based on a common timing reference between a Radio Access Network, RAN, node (600) and the UE (700). The RAN node (600) transmits, to the UE (700) the NRS on paging occasions based on the common timing reference.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for handling DCI. The method which may be performed by a terminal device comprises receiving DCI from a network node and determining one or more bits in the DCI. The one or more bits in the DCI are determined to be available for forming a joint encoding DCI field indicating both physical downlink shared channel. PDSCH, scheduling delay and hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, delay, based at least in part on a 14 hybrid automatic repeat request, HARQ, processes feature being configured. The one or more bits are associated with only one DCI field existing prior to standardization support of the 14 HARQ processes feature in downlink, DL.

Abstract: A wireless communication device (12) conditions its use of Preconfigured Uplink Resources (PUR), as preconfigured by a wireless communication network (16), on assessing the validity of a Timing Advance (TA) value used by the device (12) for controlling its uplink transmission timing. The device (12) maintains a timer (37) and deems the TA value to be invalid upon expiration of the timer (37). In an example case, a device (12) operating in idle mode performs a PUR-based transmission in dependence on the timer (37) not being expired. A radio network node (10) of the network (16) maintains a like timer (57), to maintain an awareness of TA validity at the device (12) and, for example, sends an updated TA for the device (12) upon receiving a PUR-based transmission from the device (12). The device (12) and the node (10) may refresh their respective timers, in association with the TA update.

Abstract: Methods of operating a network node in a communication network are provided. Operations according to such methods include receiving a transmission that is sent by a user equipment, UE, and that is received over a preconfigured uplink resource, PUR and selecting one or more transmission types for indicating feedback corresponding to the received transmission conditioned to having been successfully received.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatuses for 16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) modulation scheme in a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system. The method implemented at a network node in the NB-IoT system includes transmitting downlink power allocation for 16 QAM modulation scheme to a terminal device in the NB-IoT system, wherein the downlink power allocation indicates data-to-pilot power ratio information to be used for determining Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel (NPDSCH) energy per resource element (EPRE).

Abstract: A wireless device performs an uplink transmission, such as an idle-mode uplink transmission using preconfigured uplink resources (PUR). The wireless device determines whether a serving-cell signal measurement M2 was completed within a predetermined range of time before a reference time T2, the reference time T2 corresponding to an uplink transmission opportunity. Responsive to determining that the serving-cell signal measurement M2 was not completed within the predetermined range of time, the wireless device either defers transmission to a subsequent transmission opportunity, or drops the uplink transmission, or collects an additional serving-cell measurement M2? that falls within the predetermined range of time, for use in validating a TA for transmitting at the transmission uplink opportunity and/or for estimating a PL for power control of a transmission at the uplink transmission opportunity.

Abstract: Methods, a UE, a network node, and computer readable storage media for TBS index range interpretation for 16-QAM in different deployment modes are disclosed. The method at the UE includes: receiving, from a network node, information including: a first indication of a deployment mode for communication, a second indication of use of 16-QAM, and a third indication of a range of TBS indices for 16-QAM and interpreting, based on said deployment mode, the range of TBS indices for 16-QAM as a range of TBS indices for 16-QAM in said deployment mode.

Abstract: A technique for transmitting system information for a time-division duplex, TDD, communication in a radio access network, RAN, is described. As to a method aspect of the technique, a master information block, MIB, is transmitted on an anchor carrier (602 1) of the TDD communication in the RAN. The MIB is indicative of a spectral resource (602-1; 602-2) allocated to a system information block, SIB, of the TDD communication in the RAN. The SIB is transmitted on the spectral resource (602-1; 602-2) indicated in the MIB.

Abstract: A method, network nodes and wireless devices for scheduling transmissions over preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method is performed by a network node for scheduling a plurality of wireless devices with periodic preconfigured uplink shared channel resources. The method includes configuring a wireless device of the plurality of wireless devices with preconfigured uplink resources, PURs, the PURs having a transmission length and a periodicity, the PURs being configured based at least in part on one or more multiplexing criteria for multiplexing the plurality of wireless devices for PUR transmission.

Abstract: A base station and wireless device are configured to support TDD operation. In exemplary embodiments, the base station or UE can make use of the available symbols in the DwPTS or UpPTS of a special subframe respectively for NB-IoT transmissions. In one example, the base station can use OFDM symbols in the DwPTS to repeat in a predetermined manner some of the symbols transmitted in an immediately preceding downlink subframe, or in a succeeding downlink subframe. In other embodiments, the UE can use symbols in the UpPTS to repeat in a predetermined manner some of the symbols transmitted in the immediately succeeding uplink subframe, or in a preceding uplink subframe. The symbols repeated in the special subframe can be coherently combined at the receiver with corresponding symbols transmitted in a downlink or uplink subframe to improve decoding performance, reduce errors, improve channel estimation, and increase system capacity.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining timing advance (TA) validity are disclosed. In some embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed herein in which a wireless device implicitly considers a TA to be valid in a full cell when no TA validation mechanisms are explicitly configured. In other embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed herein in which a timer serves a dual purpose. If the timer is set to infinity, a wireless device will always consider a TA to be valid within a given cell, and at the same time will disable other TA validation mechanisms. Otherwise, the wireless device will interpret the timer as indicating for how long the TA value that the wireless device possesses is considered to be valid. Benefits of the solutions described herein include reducing signaling bits in the configuration and avoiding the possibility of conflicting configurations.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining timing advance (TA) validity are disclosed. In some embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed herein in which a wireless device implicitly considers a TA to be valid in a full cell when no TA validation mechanisms are explicitly configured. In other embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed herein in which a timer serves a dual purpose. If the timer is set to infinity, a wireless device will always consider a TA to be valid within a given cell, and at the same time will disable other TA validation mechanisms. Otherwise, the wireless device will interpret the timer as indicating for how long the TA value that the wireless device possesses is considered to be valid. Benefits of the solutions described herein include reducing signaling bits in the configuration and avoiding the possibility of conflicting configurations.

Abstract: The present application generally relates to wireless communication technology. More particularly, the present application relates to a method and apparatus for scheduling delay associated with HARQ processes in LTE-MTC. The present application also relates to computer program product adapted for the same purpose. According to one embodiment, a method for scheduling delay associated with HARQ processes in LTE-MTC comprises: —a) in response to presence or non-presence of PUCCH repetition, invalid BL/CE DL subframe, invalid BL/CE UL subframe, and measurement gap, determining a HARQ-ACK scheduling counting strategy; and —b) scheduling a HARQ-ACK delay value in accordance with the HARQ-ACK scheduling counting strategy.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining timing advance (TA) validity are disclosed. In some embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed herein in which a wireless device implicitly considers a TA to be valid in a full cell when no TA validation mechanisms are explicitly configured. In other embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed herein in which a timer serves a dual purpose. If the timer is set to infinity, a wireless device will always consider a TA to be valid within a given cell, and at the same time will disable other TA validation mechanisms. Otherwise, the wireless device will interpret the timer as indicating for how long the TA value that the wireless device possesses is considered to be valid. Benefits of the solutions described herein include reducing signaling bits in the configuration and avoiding the possibility of conflicting configurations.

Abstract: Systems and methods for selecting subcarriers to be used for sub-Physical Resource Block (PRB) transmission and, in some embodiments, for mapping Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS) to resources on the selected subcarriers are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of operation of a radio node for providing sub-PRB transmission comprises selecting two adjacent subcarriers from a set of three allocated subcarriers that are allocated for a sub-PRB transmission that uses Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) Pi/2 Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation using only two adjacent subcarriers out of the set of three allocated subcarriers with Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) spread length of 2. In some embodiments, the selection is such that the selected adjacent subcarriers varies, e.g., from one cell to another. In doing so, interference is distributed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a reestablishment of a connection between a terminal device and a network. The method performed at a terminal device comprises receiving, from a first network node in a communication network, information for assisting the terminal device to perform a reestablishment of a connection to the communication network; and transmitting, to the first network node, a message indicating that the terminal device selects a resource to perform the reestablishment. During the reestablishment of the connection, the interference for the wireless communication system may be reduced, and the latency for the terminal device may be reduced.

Abstract: The present application generally relates to wireless communication technology. More particularly, the present application relates to a method and an apparatus for configuring radio resource for a terminal device in a 5 wireless network. The present application also relates to a method for utilizing radio resource in a wireless network and a terminal device adapted for the same purpose. The present application also relates to computer program product adapted for the same purpose.

Abstract: A method 1200 by a wireless device includes receiving, from the network node, a first message comprising a 3 bit indicator associated with a first number of Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) repetitions to be used by the wireless device for a first instance of a PUSCH transmission. The wireless device receives a second message comprising a 2 bit indicator for determining a second number of PUSCH repetitions to be used by the wireless device for one or more subsequent instances of the PUSCH transmission based on said second number of PUSCH repetitions. The wireless device applies a zero-bit padding to the 2 bit indicator to obtain an updated 3 bit indicator used to communicate from physical layer to higher layers the second number of PUSCH repetitions to be used and sends the one or more subsequent PUSCH transmissions based on the second number of PUSCH repetitions.