Abstract: Various example embodiments provide efficient jitter control by means of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process. Abase station may transmit to a UE a forwarding time parameter for data packet(s) associated with a HARQ process. The UE 110 may store the data packet(s) in a HARQ buffer and determine to hold the data packet(s) in the HARQ buffer until a delivery time determined based on the forwarding time parameter. Once the delivery time has been reached, the UE may forward the data packets to higher protocol layers. This enables efficient jitter control of a data packet flow. Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs are disclosed.

Abstract: Method, apparatuses, and computer program products provide means for monitoring time sources for nodes of a network and providing timing resiliency solutions. An example method includes: establishing time synchronization within a network comprising a plurality of nodes using a time source; receiving an indication regarding at least one of degradation or failure of the time source for at least one node; receiving an indication regarding at least recovery of the time source for the at least one node; and determining, within the network, an action to be taken to upon failure at the at least one node in response to the at least one of the degradation or the failure of the time source for the at least one node, where the action to be taken comprises instructing the at least one node to leverage either hold over functionality or a backup time source.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product receive, at a network node of a communication network, information about an accumulated packet delay in the communication network. The method, apparatus and computer program product estimate next hop transport delay and estimate or measure a processing delay of the network node. The method, apparatus and computer program product update the accumulated packet delay by adding the next hop transport delay and the processing delay to the accumulated packet delay. The method, apparatus and computer program product cause transmission of information about the accumulated packet delay in a header of a packet carrying user data or a control packet in the communication network to a next hop node of the communication network.

Abstract: According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method comprising, embedding information for time synchronization to a SSB, encrypting the SSB and transmitting in a cellular communication network the encrypted SSB comprising the information for time synchronization.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided herein to receive, from a source, performance requirements, and cause transmission, to a network, of a request to influence time sensitive communications (TSC) configuration parameters. For example, a method is provided to in response to the request to influence TSC configuration, receive, from the network, network configuration and radio access network (RAN) resource constraints and determine a quality of service (QoS) and the TSC configuration parameters to support a TSC data stream based on the performance requirements received from the source, the network configuration, and the RAN resource constraints. The method is further configured to cause transmission of the determined QoS and the TSC configuration parameters to the network and the source and in an instance the network accepts the determined QoS and the TSC configuration parameters, configure resources for the TSC data stream and continuously support service continuity.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided herein to receive, from a source, performance requirements, and cause transmission, to a network, of a request to influence time sensitive communications (TSC) configuration parameters. For example, a method is provided to in response to the request to influence TSC configuration, receive, from the network, network configuration and radio access network (RAN) resource constraints and determine a quality of service (QoS) and the TSC configuration parameters to support a TSC data stream based on the performance requirements received from the source, the network configuration, and the RAN resource constraints. The method is further configured to cause transmission of the determined QoS and the TSC configuration parameters to the network and the source and in an instance the network accepts the determined QoS and the TSC configuration parameters, configure resources for the TSC data stream and continuously support service continuity.

Abstract: Various example embodiments are disclosed relating to transmission adaptation in a wireless network. According to another example embodiment, an apparatus may include a processor. The processor may be configured to measure a channel quality for a plurality of wireless resources (e.g., physical resource blocks), determine one or more proposed resources based on the measured channel quality for the wireless resources, determine at least one proposed transmission parameter based on a number of the proposed wireless resources and the channel quality of the proposed wireless resources, and send a report to an infrastructure node, the report including the at least one proposed transmission parameter and identifying the proposed wireless resources.

Abstract: It is provided a method, including determining a parameter of a data flow to pass through a non-deterministic network and a buffering device; configuring the data flow in at least one of a network element of the non-deterministic network and the buffering device based on the parameter, wherein the parameter is determined based on a capability of the buffering device

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for improving redundant data treatment in communication systems are provided. One method may include detecting, by a network entity, that two or more flows of packets are related. The method may then include informing lower layer(s) that the packets are related along with their QoS constraints, and directing the lower layer(s) to ensure that latency, availability and/or reliability requirements of the packets are fulfilled.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided herein to receive, from a source, performance requirements, and cause transmission, to a network, of a request to influence time sensitive communications (TSC) configuration parameters. For example, a method is provided to in response to the request to influence TSC configuration, receive, from the network, network configuration and radio access network (RAN) resource constraints and determine a quality of service (QoS) and the TSC configuration parameters to support a TSC data stream based on the performance requirements received from the source, the network configuration, and the RAN resource constraints. The method is further configured to cause transmission of the determined QoS and the TSC configuration parameters to the network and the source and in an instance the network accepts the determined QoS and the TSC configuration parameters, configure resources for the TSC data stream and continuously support service continuity.

Abstract: Certain embodiments may relate to communication systems, and, for example, some embodiments may relate to multi-QoS level uplink grants. According to a first embodiment, a method may include transmitting, by a first network entity, one or more grants of one or more uplink resources to a second network entity. The one or more grants of one or more uplink resources includes one or more physical resource allocation parameters containing one or more logical channel groups. The method may further include receiving, by the first network entity, data from the second network entity allocated according to the one or more logical channel groups.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product receive, at a network node of a communication network, information about an accumulated packet delay in the communication network. The method, apparatus and computer program product estimate next hop transport delay and estimate or measure a processing delay of the network node. The method, apparatus and computer program product update the accumulated packet delay by adding the next hop transport delay and the processing delay to the accumulated packet delay. The method, apparatus and computer program product cause transmission of information about the accumulated packet delay in a header of a packet carrying user data or a control packet in the communication network to a next hop node of the communication network.

Abstract: There is provided a method comprising: maintaining, by a network element of a source cell, a list of candidate target cells for a handover, the list comprising for each candidate target cell an indication of whether a handover to the candidate target cell is allowed or not; and upon receiving a handover request from a user equipment to a candidate target cell for which a handover is determined as allowable, triggering the handover to the candidate target cell without negotiating regarding the request with a network element associated with the candidate target cell.

Abstract: An approach is provided for receiving and transmitting data over a wireless network, while minimizing power consumption. A determination is made, as part of a discontinuous communication mechanism defining an on-period for permitting transmission of data over a network, whether a resource allocation has been made to a user equipment for communicating over the network. If the resource allocation has been made, generating a keep-awake message to instruct the user equipment to extend the on-period.

Abstract: An approach is provided for receiving and transmitting data over a wireless network, while minimizing power consumption. A determination is made, as part of a discontinuous communication mechanism defining an on-period for permitting transmission of data over a network, whether a resource allocation has been made to a user equipment for communicating over the network. If the resource allocation has been made, generating a keep-awake message to instruct the user equipment to extend the on-period.

Abstract: An approach is provided for receiving and transmitting data over a wireless network, while minimizing power consumption. A determination is made, as part of a discontinuous communication mechanism defining an on-period for permitting transmission of data over a network, whether a resource allocation has been made to a user equipment for communicating over the network. If the resource allocation has been made, generating a keep-awake message to instruct the user equipment to extend the on-period.

Abstract: A shared control channel structure includes at least one control channel to be allocated at least to a user for at least one of uplink and downlink directions in a network, which the at least one control channel is arranged as at least a part of a modular structure comprising of modular code blocks on at least two different sizes. One of such modular structures may be represented as a tree structure in particular, where each of the modular code blocks define one node of the tree, respectively.

Abstract: A shared control channel structure includes at least one control channel to be allocated at least to a user for at least one of uplink and downlink directions in a network, which the at least one control channel is arranged as at least a part of a modular structure comprising of modular code blocks on at least two different sizes. One of such modular structures may be represented as a tree structure in particular, where each of the modular code blocks define one node of the tree, respectively.

Abstract: An approach is provided for generating a control signal for allocating one or more physical resource blocks to a terminal for communicating over a network. The control signal is separately coded and utilizes a nested bit mapping scheme to specify the allocation.

Abstract: An approach is provided for control signaling. A sub-set of channel parameters is received. Control channels are automatically mapped to physical resources of a communication network according to the received channel parameters.