Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for access management for reduced capability (RedCap) devices. A method may include acquiring system information from a cell. In some example embodiments, the system information may provide a control resource set zero configuration. The method may also include monitoring a physical downlink control channel based on the control resource set zero configuration. The method may further include receiving, from the physical downlink control channel, downlink control information that indicates a resource allocation for a system information block. In addition, the method may include determining, from the resource allocation whether the cell is barred.

Abstract: A reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) in a radio network includes a plurality of passive elements which are controlled by a plurality of active elements distributed among the plurality of passive elements, wherein the plurality of active elements configure the reconfigurable intelligent surface to perform, based on at least one request message, at least one of sensing incident electromagnetic radiation harvested over at least one frequency range by the passive elements; and steering energy of the harvested electromagnetic radiation towards at least one energy harvesting device in the radio network. A network node is configured to select at least one reconfigurable intelligent surface in a radio network; and send at least one request message to the selected reconfigurable intelligent surface to cause the reconfigurable intelligent surface to steer harvested electromagnetic radiation within at least one frequency range toward at least one energy harvesting device in the radio network.

Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) assisted communication. For example, RIS assisted blockage avoidance for low power internet of things (IoT) devices. An apparatus performs communication with a network device via a RIS, using at least one of a first channel or a second channel, wherein the first channel is for a transmission to the RIS and the second channel is for a reception from the RIS. In this way, it is possible to help reconnecting an IoT device with the network that has lost its connection with a gNB by using an RIS. It is also provided a low-cost and low-power connectivity solution for low-power IoT devices.

Abstract: Method, apparatuses, and computer program product for overhead reduction are provided. One method may include receiving an allocation of a preconfigured uplink resource and a preconfigured uplink resource radio network temporary identifier associated with the preconfigured uplink resource. The method may also include receiving an assignment of a control channel search space associated with the preconfigured uplink resource. The method may further include monitoring, according to a specified occasion cycle, the control channel search space for a message. In addition, the message may be received according to a specific receive pattern.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for physical broadcast channel extension are provided. For example, a method can include mapping, by the network element, symbols of a physical channel to a first set of resource elements. The method can also include identifying, by the network element, a portion of the symbols of the physical channel mapped outside a second set of resource elements. The second set of resource elements can be a subset of the first set of resource elements, The method can further include preparing, by the network element, replacement symbols corresponding to a first portion of the physical channel outside the second set of resource elements. The method can additionally include mapping, by the network element, the replacement symbols to the second set of resource elements in extension symbols. The method can also include transmitting, by the network element, the physical channel and the extension symbols.

Abstract: In a system, apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium related to for providing a frequency domain resource set indication for reduced capability user equipment (UE), a radio access network node is caused to, determine whether to provide enhanced messages to a UE device via at least one enhanced physical resource block (PRB) based on a network setting, provide a resource set indication to the UE device based on results of the determining, the resource set indication indicating a set of physical resource blocks which are to be enhanced, transmit downlink control information (DCI) to the UE device, the DCI including a frequency domain resource allocation indication indicating a plurality of physical resource blocks assigned to at least one desired message, and transmit the at least one desired message to the UE device based on the frequency domain resource allocation indication.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for access management for reduced capability (RedCap) devices. A method may include acquiring system information from a cell. In some example embodiments, the system information may provide a control resource set zero configuration. The method may also include monitoring a physical downlink control channel based on the control resource set zero configuration. The method may further include receiving, from the physical downlink control channel, downlink control information that indicates a resource allocation for a system information block. In addition, the method may include determining, from the resource allocation whether the cell is barred.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus, said apparatus comprising means for receiving, at a user equipment, a scheduling grant for a first number, M, of transport blocks, wherein the scheduling grant comprises an indication of a second number, N, of transport blocks to be transmitted or received before a time delay, wherein M is greater than 1 and N is less than or equal to M, causing transmission or reception of a first group of N transport blocks and, if N is less than M, after the time delay, causing transmission or reception of a further group of up to N transport blocks followed by the time delay, until M transport blocks are caused to be transmitted or received.

Abstract: In a system, apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium related to attachment procedures for passive Internet of Things (IoT) device communication with ambient energy sources, wherein a reader node is caused to, receive an association response message from a radio access network (RAN) node, the association response message including attachment information corresponding to at least one associated energy-harvesting (EH) user equipment (UE) device and the reader node, and transmit an attachment acknowledgement message to the RAN node in response to the association response message.

Abstract: In a system, apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium related to attachment procedures for passive Internet of Things (IoT) device communication with ambient energy sources, wherein a radio access network (RAN) node is caused to, receive an association request message transmitted by an energy-harvesting (EH) user equipment (UE) device based on an energy level of the EH UE device, assign a reader node from a plurality of reader nodes to the EH UE device based on the association request message, transmit an association response message to the EH UE device and the assigned reader node, the association response message including attachment information associated with the EH UE device and the assigned reader node, and receive an attachment acknowledgement message from the assigned reader node in response to the association response message.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for positioning support are provided. One method may include receiving, by a UE configured with power saving feature(s), positioning performance requirements for a positioning session. The method may also include estimating an impact of one or more power saving or reduced capability features on positioning measurements associated with the positioning session and, based on the accuracy and latency requirements and the estimated impact, determining the power saving or reduced capability features that the UE can implement while still achieving the accuracy and latency requirements for the positioning session. The method may then include signaling, to a network node, information on the determined power saving or reduced capability features that the UE can implement while still achieving the required accuracy and latency requirements for the positioning session.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for interleaved control channel element to resource element group mapping within a portion of a control resource set. A method may include determining a first set of parameters having a first configuration for a first control resource set including a plurality of resource element groups. The method also includes determining an interleaver block size of each of a plurality of interleaver blocks. The plurality of interleaver blocks are formed by dividing the control resource set in time and numbering the interleaver blocks. The method further includes mapping the plurality of resource element groups to control channel elements, such that resource element groups of a first interleaver block, which are a subset of the plurality of resource element groups, are mapped to the control channel elements before mapping resource element groups of any subsequent interleaver block of the plurality of interleaver blocks to control channel elements.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for a second resource set for a reduced capability user equipment or enhanced reduced capability user equipment as well as a mapping offset for frequency diversity are provided. For example, a method may include receiving from a network element in a radio access network, a first configuration for a first control resource set (CORESET) having a bandwidth that exceeds a bandwidth of the terminal device. The method may also include determining a second configuration for a second CORESET. The second CORESET may have multiple segments. Each of the segments may not exceed a bandwidth of the terminal device.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for sharing PRACH and PUSCH resources when performing RA-based SDT procedures. One method may include receiving, from a network entity, a configuration indicating physical uplink shared channel resources; determining PUSCH resources based on at least one of reduced bandwidth or reduced PRBs; adjusting at least one characteristic of a PRB allocation based on the PUSCH resources and reduced bandwidth; and performing data communication based on the adjusted at least one characteristic of the PRB allocation.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods and computer program products for user equipment positioning solutions and related signalling. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least send (550), to a network node of a communication network, at least one signaling configuration with at least one set periodicity, wherein the at least one signaling configuration is for use at the network node in calculating at least position information for relaying to the communication network at least for positioning support of the apparatus, and receive (570) the positioning support from the communication network in response to the at least one signaling configuration.

Abstract: A method comprising configuring a narrowband internet of things carrier relative to one or more physical resource blocks of a radio carrier, the one or more physical resource blocks having a bandwidth that is greater than a bandwidth of the narrowband internet of things carrier; and configuring the narrowband internet of things carrier relative to the one or more physical resource blocks such that there is a first guard band between the narrowband internet of things carrier and a first adjacent physical resource block, and a second guard band between the narrowband internet of things carrier and a second adjacent physical resource block.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for power state transition handling for energy harvesting aware user equipment are provided. For example, a method can include monitoring an energy level and power state of a user equipment. The method can also include determining whether the energy level satisfies a power state transition criterion. The method can further include transitioning from a first power state to a second power state based on the power state transition criterion being determined to be satisfied by the energy level of the user equipment.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for power state transition handling for energy harvesting aware user equipment are provided. For example, a method can include sending, by a user equipment, a message to a network indicating either a power state transition or non-transition. The power state transition can correspond to the user equipment transitioning from a first power state to a second power state based on an available energy of the user equipment. The method can also include receiving, by the user equipment, an information message from the network in accordance with the power state transition.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, devices and computer readable storage medium for transport block size (TBS) configuration. In example embodiments, a terminal device transmits a random access preamble to a network device. The terminal device receives a random access response from the network device. The random access response includes a resource allocated for a reference TBS. Based on the reference TBS, the terminal device determines a TBS for transmitting data to the network device. Then, the terminal device transmits the data to the network device by using the determined TBS and the allocated resource. This TBS configuration is more flexible.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media of energy harvesting information supported User Equipment (UE) scheduling. The method includes reporting, to a network device in the radio network, energy harvesting capability of the terminal device indicating a first energy value (?Et) collected during a first time interval (?t) and a second energy value (EAvg) averaged over a second time interval; and communicating with the network device to transmit data according to scheduling information received from the network device and determined based on the energy harvesting capability of the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device may be scheduled by the network based on its energy harvesting capability, to maintain a trade-off between harvested energy utilization and fairness in scheduling from Passive IoT UEs.