Abstract: Methods, devices and computer programs for determining new transmit directions to use for beamformed transmissions in case the link quality of an existing direction falters. A transmitting communication device and a receiving communication device cooperate via a beam tracking procedure to determine a new suitable transmit direction to use for upcoming beamformed transmissions. Information relating to the beam tracking procedure is communicated over an existing link that enables communication between the transmitting and receiving communication devices. The receiving communication device provides the transmitting communication device with information about a beam scan performed in order to detect tracking beams transmitted by the transmitting communication device. This information allows the transmitting communication device to determine suitable transmit directions to use.

Abstract: Methods, network nodes and wireless devices for determining a virtual cell index field length. According to one aspect, a method of determining a length of a virtual cell index field to be transmitted with downlink control information, DCI, is performed where the virtual cell index field length for transmitting a virtual cell index to a wireless device is dynamically settable. The method includes determining a number of configured virtual cell identities, ID. The method includes transmitting the configured virtual cell identities to the wireless device. When a number of configured virtual cell IDs is greater than one, the method includes selecting a virtual cell index corresponding to a particular one of the virtual cell IDs and setting the virtual cell index field length based on the number of virtual cell IDs. The method includes transmitting the selected virtual cell index in the virtual cell index field to the wireless device.

Abstract: There is presented mechanisms for providing information for determining beamforming weights or decoding user data for terminal devices. A method is performed by an RE of an access node. The RE has an interface to an REC of the access node. The method comprises obtaining information from the terminal devices to be used by the REC for determining the beamforming weights or decoding the user data. The method comprises selecting, according to a selection criterion, a part of the information to be provided to the REC in order for the REC to determine the beamforming weights or decode the user data based on the selected part of the information. The method comprises providing the selected part of the information to the REC over the interface.

Abstract: A communication method performed by a base station in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The base station notifies a terminal of a cyclic shift increment NCS configuration information indicating an NCS value. The base station then receives from the terminal a random access preamble related to the NCS value indicated by the NCS configuration information. The NCS value belongs to a set of cyclic shift increments including all of the following cyclic shift increments of 0, 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 32, 38, 46, 59, 76, 93, 119, 167, 279, and 419.

Abstract: An example method for transmitting a random access preamble comprises selecting (502) a random access preamble configuration from a plurality of predetermined random access preamble configurations. The method further includes determining (504) a time interval in which to transmit the random access preamble. The method further comprises transmitting (506) the random access preamble according to the selected random access preamble configuration. Each of the plurality of random access preamble configurations comprises a combination of (a) a single root sequence from a predetermined set of one or more root sequences, (b) a single cyclic shift of a predetermined plurality of cyclic shifts for the root sequence, and (c) a single starting position of two or more predetermined starting positions within time intervals allocated for random access preamble transmission.

Abstract: Methods, network nodes and wireless devices for determining a virtual cell index field length. According to one aspect, a method of determining a length of a virtual cell index field to be transmitted with downlink control information, DCI, is performed where the virtual cell index field length for transmitting a virtual cell index to a wireless device is dynamically settable. The method includes determining a number of configured virtual cell identities, ID. The method includes transmitting the configured virtual cell identities to the wireless device. When a number of configured virtual cell IDs is greater than one, the method includes selecting a virtual cell index corresponding to a particular one of the virtual cell IDs and setting the virtual cell index field length based on the number of virtual cell IDs. The method includes transmitting the selected virtual cell index in the virtual cell index field to the wireless device.

Abstract: A communication method performed by a base station in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The base station notifies a terminal of a cyclic shift increment NCS configuration information indicating an NCS value. The base station then receives from the terminal a random access preamble related to the NCS value indicated by the NCS configuration information. The NCS value belongs to a set of cyclic shift increments including all of the following cyclic shift increments of 0, 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 32, 38, 46, 59, 76, 93, 119, 167, 279, and 419.

Abstract: There is presented mechanisms for providing information for determining beamforming weights or decoding user data for terminal devices. A method is performed by an RE of an access node. The RE has an interface to an REC of the access node. The method comprises obtaining information from the terminal devices to be used by the REC for determining the beamforming weights or decoding the user data. The method comprises selecting, according to a selection criterion, a part of the information to be provided to the REC in order for the REC to determine the beamforming weights or decode the user data based on the selected part of the information. The method comprises providing the selected part of the information to the REC over the interface.

Abstract: An example method for transmitting a random access preamble comprises selecting (502) a random access preamble configuration from a plurality of predetermined random access preamble configurations. The method further includes determining (504) a time interval in which to transmit the random access preamble. The method further comprises transmitting (506) the random access preamble according to the selected random access preamble configuration. Each of the plurality of random access preamble configurations comprises a combination of (a) a single root sequence from a predetermined set of one or more root sequences, (b) a single cyclic shift of a predetermined plurality of cyclic shifts for the root sequence, and (c) a single starting position of two or more predetermined starting positions within time intervals allocated for random access preamble transmission.

Abstract: There is presented mechanisms for providing information for determining beamforming weights or decoding user data for terminal devices. A method is performed by an RE of an access node. The RE has an interface to an REC of the access node. The method comprises obtaining information from the terminal devices to be used by the REC for determining the beamforming weights or decoding the user data. The method comprises selecting, according to a selection criterion, a part of the information to be provided to the REC in order for the REC to determine the beamforming weights or decode the user data based on the selected part of the information. The method comprises providing the selected part of the information to the REC over the interface.

Abstract: A method can be used for facilitating a random access procedure between a first transceiver and a second transceiver within a cell. The first transceiver selects a signature sequence from a set of signature sequences, incorporates the signature sequence into a signal, and transmits the signal to the second transceiver. The set of signature sequences being obtained from a sequence with zero correlation zone.

Abstract: A communication method performed by a base station in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The base station notifies a terminal of a cyclic shift increment NCS configuration information indicating an NCS value. The base station then receives from the terminal a random access preamble related to the NCS value indicated by the NCS configuration information. The NCS value belongs to a set of cyclic shift increments including all of the following cyclic shift increments of 0, 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 32, 38, 46, 59, 76, 93, 119, 167, 279, and 419.

Abstract: A communication method performed by a base station in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The base station notifies a terminal of a cyclic shift increment NCS configuration information indicating an NCS value. The base station then receives from the terminal a random access preamble related to the NCS value indicated by the NCS configuration information. The NCS value belongs to a set of cyclic shift increments including all of the following cyclic shift increments of 0, 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 32, 38, 46, 59, 76, 93, 119, 167, 279, 419.

Abstract: A random access process may be performed with an extended set of random access preambles comprising a standard set and at least one additional set. The use of a preamble from the standard set or the additional set may be used to indicate whether a wireless communication device belongs to a standard class or a non-standard class, allowing a radio access node to provide special treatment to the non-standard class in a random access response.

Abstract: Methods, devices and computer programs for determining new transmit directions to use for beamformed transmissions in case the link quality of an existing direction falters. A transmitting communication device and a receiving communication device cooperate via a beam tracking procedure to determine a new suitable transmit direction to use for upcoming beamformed transmissions. Information relating to the beam tracking procedure is communicated over an existing link that enables communication between the transmitting and receiving communication devices. The receiving communication device provides the transmitting communication device with information about a beam scan performed in order to detect tracking beams transmitted by the transmitting communication device. This information allows the transmitting communication device to determine suitable transmit directions to use.

Abstract: There is presented mechanisms for providing information for determining beamforming weights or decoding user data for terminal devices. A method is performed by an RE of an access node. The RE has an interface to an REC of the access node. The method comprises obtaining information from the terminal devices to be used by the REC for determining the beamforming weights or decoding the user data. The method comprises selecting, according to a selection criterion, a part of the information to be provided to the REC in order for the REC to determine the beamforming weights or decode the user data based on the selected part of the information. The method comprises providing the selected part of the information to the REC over the interface.

Abstract: The disclosure provides methods, apparatus and machine-readable mediums for generating and transmitting a message in a wireless communications network. One embodiment provides a method in a transmitting node. The method comprises: processing a block of data to generate a message for transmission by the transmitting node; and transmitting the message. Processing the block of data comprises: performing a scrambling algorithm on data using a scrambling code; and, subsequent to performing the scrambling algorithm, performing a rate-matching algorithm to match a number of bits for transmission to radio resources available to the transmitting node.

Abstract: Methods, devices and computer programs for determining new transmit directions to use for beamformed transmissions in case the link quality of an existing direction falters. A transmitting communication device and a receiving communication device cooperate via a beam tracking procedure to determine a new suitable transmit direction to use for upcoming beamformed transmissions. Information relating to the beam tracking procedure is communicated over an existing link that enables communication between the transmitting and receiving communication devices. The receiving communication device provides the transmitting communication device with information about a beam scan performed in order to detect tracking beams transmitted by the transmitting communication device. This information allows the transmitting communication device to determine suitable transmit directions to use.

Abstract: A wireless communication device determines its class, and identifies a logical channel identifier (LCID) value that is associated with the determined class within a radio access node. The device then generates a radio resource control (RRC) message including the identified LCID value, and transmits the generated RRC message to the radio access node. Upon receiving the LCID value, the radio access node determines whether the received LCID value is associated with a non-standard class of wireless communication device, and in response to determining that the received LCID value is associated with the non-standard class of wireless communication device, identifying the wireless communication device as belonging to the non-standard class of wireless communication device, and transmitting information to the wireless communication device based on the non-standard class identification.

Abstract: An example method for transmitting a random access preamble comprises selecting (502) a random access preamble configuration from a plurality of predetermined random access preamble configurations. The method further includes determining (504) a time interval in which to transmit the random access preamble. The method further comprises transmitting (506) the random access preamble according to the selected random access preamble configuration. Each of the plurality of random access preamble configurations comprises a combination of (a) a single root sequence from a predetermined set of one or more root sequences, (b) a single cyclic shift of a predetermined plurality of cyclic shifts for the root sequence, and (c) a single starting position of two or more predetermined starting positions within time intervals allocated for random access preamble transmission.