Abstract: Described herein is a User Plane Function, UPF, network node, configured for data forwarding for selective activation of a Secondary Cell Group, SCG, for serving a User Equipment, UE, the UPF network node comprising: at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UPF network node at least to: receive an indication message for starting data forwarding; and execute data forwarding on the basis of the received indication message.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for conditional handovers. In some example embodiments, there may be provided a method including sending, by a first node serving a user equipment, a message to a second node, the message including an indication of whether a conditional cell change is prohibited at the second node; and receiving, by the first node, an acknowledgment in response to the message.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to for handover. In response to reception of a request for handover of a second device from a third device to a first device, the first device transmit to the third device an indication that a radio bearer for the second device is to be changed from a split bearer terminated in a fourth device to a Master Cell Group bearer terminated in the first device, the second device being in dual connectivity with the third and fourth devices. The first device receives from the third device a transmission status of data associated with the radio bearer.

Abstract: A network node comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: transmitting a request to a plurality of nodes to prepare one or more cell candidates; receiving an indication from at least one of the plurality of nodes indicating a capacity to prepare one or more further cell candidates; and transmitting, to one or more of the at least one of the plurality of nodes, a further request to prepare at least one further cell candidate.

Abstract: This disclosure presents processes to allow a conditional reconfiguration of a conditional cell change operation between a user equipment (UE) and one or more of a master node (MN), a source secondary node (SN), or a target SN. In some aspects, a SN/SgNB change required message can include a measurement ID for target PSCells, a dedicated measurement ID for each target PSCell, a set of measurement IDs, or a list of target PSCells, where the data can be prepared by the target SN, or an indication for the MN to inform the source SN about a list of prepared target PSCells or a default measurement ID. In some aspects, the respective of a RRCReconfiguration or a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message can include the measurement ID, the set of measurement IDs, or the default measurement ID to inform the UE on the configurations for the cell change operation.

Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program is described including sending an addition request from a master node of a dual connectivity mobile communication system to a target secondary node of the dual connectivity mobile communication system, wherein each addition request includes information relating to a maximum number of primary secondary cells that can be prepared for primary secondary cell change by said target secondary node; and receiving a response to the addition request from the target secondary node indicating how many primary secondary cells have been prepared by said target secondary node in response to said addition request.

Abstract: An apparatus, comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions, the at least one memory and the instructions configured to, with the at least one processor, cause a serving secondary node to transmit to a target secondary node a preparation request indicating that an inter-secondary node conditional PSCell change is to be prepared.

Abstract: A method may include receiving a request for conditional handover from a source node. The method may also include sending a conditional handover request acknowledgment message in response to the request. The method may further include sending a conditional handover cancellation message to a source node. The conditional cancellation message may include a genuine cancellation or a modification-related cancellation. Further, the method may include receiving a response message from the source node in response to the conditional handover cancellation message. In addition, the method may include deciding to keep or release user equipment context based on the response message.

Abstract: Inter-alia, a method is disclosed comprising: determining conditional cell release information indicative of at least one condition based on which a configured cell of a cell group of a mobile communication network is to be released; and releasing the configured cell based, at least in part, on the conditional cell release information. It is further disclosed an according apparatus, computer program and system.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium are provided for forwarding of buffered user data at a target node to a re-establishment node. In an example implementation, the method may include receiving, by a first network node, a handover cancel or an Xn-User plane address indication message from a second network node, the handover cancel or the Xn-User plane address indication message including tunnel addresses for one or more data radio bearers; and forwarding, by the first network node, buffered downlink packets to a third network node or the second network node, the forwarding based at least on the tunnel addresses. In an additional example implementation, the method may include sending, by a third network node, tunnel addresses for one or more data radio bearers to a second network node upon re-establishing of a radio resource control connection; and receiving, by the third network node, buffered packets at the first network node from a second network node or the first network node.

Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media for a primary secondary cell (PSCell) change failure. In example embodiments, a master network device receives, from a source secondary network device, a first request for a change of a terminal device from the source secondary network device to a target secondary network device. The master network device receives, from the source secondary network device, an identification of a source PSCell operated by the source secondary network device and serving the terminal device prior to the first request. The master network device further receives, from the terminal device, an indication of a radio link failure of the terminal device in a PSCell and transmits the indication of the radio link failure to the source secondary network device along with the identification of the source PSCell.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause a target node at least to: transmit a target node beam information to a source node, wherein the target node beam information characterizes at least one beam of the target node accessed by a user equipment for a handover from the source node to the target node.

Abstract: A method including using master cell group resources for a downlink data transmission to a user equipment, wherein the user equipment is configured with at least one secondary cell group terminated split bearer and a secondary cell group is deactivated; determining, at a centralized central unit user plane, when secondary cell group resources of the deactivated secondary cell group are needed, wherein the determining is based, at least partially, on a data volume threshold for a data radio bearer as configured by a central unit control plane; and based upon the determining that the secondary cell group resources are needed, sending a notification to the central unit control plane to trigger activation of the secondary cell group resources.

Abstract: An apparatus includes circuitry configured to: initiate a conditional handover preparation for a conditional handover to change communication access for a user equipment from a source node to a target node; receive a cost from the target node following the conditional handover preparation; receive a cause indicating a trigger for sending the cost, an indication of a type of the cost, and a range for the cost, where the cause characterizes a value of the cost to indicate the type of the cost; the cost being based on resource utilization of the target node, the resource utilization being related to providing communication access for the user equipment following the conditional handover preparation; and adjust a policy related to an initiation of a subsequent conditional handover preparation for the user equipment to the target node, the policy adjusted based on the cost to enhance the resource utilization of the target node.

Abstract: An apparatus includes circuitry configured to: initiate a conditional handover preparation for a conditional handover to change communication access for a user equipment from a source node to a target node; receive a cost from the target node following the conditional handover preparation; receive a cause indicating a trigger for sending the cost, an indication of a type of the cost, and a range for the cost, where the cause characterizes a value of the cost to indicate the type of the cost; the cost being based on resource utilization of the target node, the resource utilization being related to providing communication access for the user equipment following the conditional handover preparation; and adjust a policy related to an initiation of a subsequent conditional handover preparation for the user equipment to the target node, the policy adjusted based on the cost to enhance the resource utilization of the target node.

Abstract: It is provided a method comprising: checking if an indication indicates that a target cell is configured to store concurrently first and second configurations of a terminal, wherein the first configuration is based on a first conditional handover request, and the second configuration data set is based on a second conditional handover request; monitoring if the source cell intends performing a radio reconfiguration of the terminal after the source cell configured the terminal for the first conditional handover; canceling the first conditional handover if the source cell intends performing the radio reconfiguration and the indication does not indicate the concurrently storing; instructing the source cell to request the second conditional handover from the target cell if the source cell intends performing the radio reconfiguration and the indication indicates the concurrently storing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include receiving, by a master node involved in multi-connectivity, at least one indication from a user equipment upon or after at least one condition for conditional cell change is fulfilled that it has detached from at least one source PSCell of a secondary node. The method may further include transmitting, by the master node, at least one SgNB Release Request to the source Secondary Node such that the secondary node stops transmission and reception on the source PSCell and/or initiates data forwarding to the target SN or to the MN. The method may further include receiving, by the master node, at least one SgNB Release Request Acknowledge from the source Secondary Node. The method may further include forwarding, by the master node, user data to the target secondary node upon receiving an indication from the user equipment.

Abstract: It is provided a method comprising monitoring if a source cell intends performing a radio reconfiguration of a terminal configured with a conditional handover from the source cell to a target cell; determining a determined category among plural predetermined categories; wherein the radio reconfiguration is associated to the determined category; for each category a respective predetermined sequence of one or more operations is defined; the respective predetermined of one of the categories is different from the respective predetermined sequence of another one of the categories; and the method further comprises inhibiting the performing of the radio reconfiguration of the terminal unless the predetermined sequence of one or more operations of the determined category is performed along with the performing of the radio reconfiguration if the source cell intends performing the radio reconfiguration of the terminal.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for preventing data outage for user equipment (UE) during Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC). The method may include identifying a status of a user plane path between a first network node and a gateway node in a communication network. The method may also include transmitting, to a second network node, the status of the user plane path. The method may further include setting up or disconnecting a connection between the first network node and the second network node during a dual connectivity operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include configuring, by a network node, a user equipment to use an aggregation of radio technologies. At least one radio bearer is established between the user equipment and the network node and is routed over an access point of an alternate wireless network. The method may also include determining whether trustworthy security is provided by the access point of the alternate wireless network. The method may also include instructing the user equipment to turn off ciphering based on the determining, wherein the ciphering is turned off for the at least one radio bearer between the user equipment and the apparatus. The method may also be used for configuring specific ciphering on selective radio bearers.