Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided to facilitate relay discovery, selection, and/or reselection for U2N relaying over SL utilizing a service-continuity indication provided via one or more solicitation messages from a remote UE to at least one relay UE. In some embodiments, a serving network may provide identification of the at least one relay UE via a remote configuration for the remote UE. In some embodiments, the serving network may provide identification of the at least one relay UE via a response message transmitted to the remote UE via SL. In some embodiments, the remote UE may prioritize one or more potential relay UE candidates identified by the serving network.

Abstract: One embodiment is directed to a method comprising receiving a configuration of a resource pool for sidelink communication; determining there is a need for assistance from one or more other UEs in proximity in resource reservation or resource selection from the configured resource pool for SL communication of the UE; sending a request over SL for the needed assistance from the one or more other UEs in proximity based on the determination; monitoring and receiving possible response from the one or more other UEs in proximity which may include recommended resource from the configured resource pool for the request of UE; selecting resource for SL communication of the UE by taking into account the received response; and performing SL communication using the selected resource.

Abstract: Inter-alia, a method is disclosed comprising: determining a suitability to serve as a relay device for a relayed communication between a first device and a second device via one or more relay devices to be selected among one or more relay device candidates; transmitting a message as part of a relay discovery procedure, and with the apparatus acting as one of the one or more relay device candidates; and performing at least one of a transmit power adjustment and/or a radio resource selection for transmitting the message based, at least in part, on the determined suitability.

Abstract: A method may include establishing a second communication session at a second network with a user equipment that currently has a first communication session with a first network. The method may also include receiving a report from the user equipment including information related to measurement and reporting of the user equipment on the first network. The method may further include, based on the report, performing an adaptation of an operation and performance of the second communication session for the user equipment.

Abstract: Techniques for performing sidelink discovery with user equipment (UE) to UE relay are provided. An initiating UE initiates a sidelink discovery solicitation message toward relay UEs and responding UEs. A relay UE can facilitate the discovery between two or more UEs by monitoring for sidelink discovery solicitation messages and sidelink discovery solicitation responses. A responding UE in receipt of a sidelink solicitation message responds toward a relay UE and/or initiating UE via communication method that may depend on various factors. The communication method may include non-unicast communication, such as broadcast or multicast, to reduce signaling overhead in comparison to unicast communication methods.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media of Channel Occupancy Time (COT) for Sidelink (SL) communication in Unlicensed band (U-band). The method includes receiving, at a first device and from a second device, configuration information associated with a COT at least for a SL transmission of the first device on an unlicensed resource pool allocated for the first device, the configuration information at least indicating whether a listen before talk procedure is required to be performed at the first device within the COT before the SL transmission; and performing the SL transmission within the COT based on the configuration information. In this way, the COT sharing mechanism can be used for SL communications in U-band and therefore a sensing procedure for resource selection may not be impacted by the LBT procedure.

Abstract: Various example embodiments provide efficient burst transmission of duplicated data packets. A data burst comprising multiple data packets may be configured to be transmitted on a first transmission leg. The data burst may be further configured to be transmitted on a second transmission leg with a different order of data packets. A reception status of the data packets may be configured to be determined based on transmissions on the first and second transmission legs and non-acknowledged data packets may be retransmitted on the first transmission leg and/or the second transmission leg. Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs are disclosed.

Abstract: An ARQ system for sidelink communication between transmitter and receiver, with the help of cooperative UE, or relay UE is disclosed. The relay intercepts the initial transmission from transmitter to receiver. If the relay does not intercept any ARQ feedback from the receiver (DTX), it retransmits the initial transmission. Upon receiving at least the Sidelink Control Information, SCI, identifying the retransmission, the transmitter terminates the HARQ process, assuming that the relay is now in charge of the retransmission. Upon reception of the retransmission, the receiver feeds back an HARQ ACK to the relay and the transmitter. If the receiver correctly receives the initial transmission, it feeds back an HARQ ACK to the relay and the transmitter and both relay and transmitter stop the HARQ process. If the relay does not successfully receive the initial transmission, it feds back a NACK to the transmitter which performs retransmission to the relay.

Abstract: A method is disclosed comprising including: performing a sensing on at least one of a first pool on a first carrier and a second pool on a second carrier for sidelink, SL, communication using a sensing-based UE—selected resource allocation mode on at least one of the first pool and the second pool, wherein the first pool and the second pool have at least a 1-to-1 relationship of SL resources; selecting one or more resources from at least one of the first pool and the second pool for a SL transmission based on at least one outcome of the sensing on at least one of the first pool and the second pool; and transmitting data over SL using the selected one or more resources. It is further disclosed an according An apparatus, computer program, and system are further disclosed.

Abstract: Various communication systems may benefit from differentiated quality of service management. For example, specific applications run on a user equipment in a 5G radio access network may benefit from the flexible differentiated quality of service management. A method includes determining a service flow setup, and mapping traffic through the service flow by a common convergence sublayer entity to at least one radio convergence sublayer entity. The method also includes controlling the traffic through the service flow.

Abstract: An SL UE that detects a resource conflict associated with a transmitting UE may be able to indicate this resource conflict by transmitting inter-UE coordination information over a PSFCH resource determined based on a group member ID of the transmitting UE. This may be different from transmitting HARQ feedback via a PSFCH resource determined based on a group member ID of the detecting UE.

Abstract: A mobile equipment comprising means for: determining to attempt to create a unicast sidelink communication channel between the mobile equipment and an identified target user equipment via a relay user equipment; and sending a relay request message to at least one user equipment, operable as a relay to the target user equipment, wherein the relay request message comprises at least some information for configuring a sidelink process to obtain feedback from the target user equipment.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for new radio (NR) sidelink relay of small data transmissions (SDT) are provided. One method may include determining whether conditions to use SDT via at least one relay user equipment are met. When it is determined that the conditions to use the SDT are met, the method may include transmitting a SDT relaying request comprising a SDT payload to the at least one relay user equipment. The method may also include receiving a SDT response, from the at least one relay user equipment, based on how the SDT relaying request is transmitted.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for reusing sidelink resources associated with dropped configured grant are provided. For example, a method can include receiving, with a first device, a sidelink grant from a network node for transmission to a third device; receiving a coordination request from a second device; determining whether to transmit to the third device using at least one resource associated with the sidelink grant; and determining whether to forward the at least one resource associated with the sidelink grant to the second device with a response to the coordination request.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for efficiently activating or deactivating user equipment. An example method includes receiving a deactivation request comprising one or more identifiers for one or more user equipment or one or more user equipment groups, determining which one or more user equipment or user equipment groups are impacted by the deactivation request and causing a suspend request to be transmitted to the one or more user equipment or user equipment groups that are impacted. Another example method is provided for receiving an activation request comprising one or more identifiers for one or more user equipment or one or more user equipment groups, determining which one or more user equipment or user equipment groups are impacted by the activation request, and causing a notice to be transmitted to the one or more user equipment or user equipment groups that are impacted.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for remote user equipment direct to indirect path switching in sidelink relay are provided. For example, a method can include receiving, at a user equipment from a network element, a system information block message having an information element to configure monitoring of paging messages at a common paging occasion, which can be configured for user equipment that are in idle or inactive state and that are configured to act as a user-equipment-to-network relay user equipment. The method may also include monitoring a page at the common paging occasion based on the information element. The method may further include sending a random access preamble dedicated to the user equipment in response to the page. The method may additionally include performing a state transition to connected mode only after a response to the random access preamble is received.

Abstract: The present invention addresses method, apparatus and computer program product for setting up a proximity services device-to-device communication service. Thereby, by a transmitting user equipment, a message including application control information is compiled, a scheduling assignment for scheduling the message transmission is transmitted to a device to be set up, and the message is transmitted to the device according to the scheduling assignment. A receiving user equipment receives a scheduling assignment and at least one of data packets scheduled in the scheduling assignment, determines whether at least one of the received data packets relates to a new proximity services device-to-device communication service traffic flow, determines whether a message including application control information is included in the at least one of the received data packets, and completes the setup based on the application control information.

Abstract: According to an example embodiment, an apparatus includes 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: receive, by a user device, a configuration associated with a first configured grant that is allocated to the user device and an indication of availability of resources associated with at least one second configured grant; and define, by the user device based on an amount of data to be transmitted, a latency requirement and/or a reliability requirement, that a transmission is to be performed by the user device using both the configuration associated with the first configured grant and at least part of the resources associated with the at least one second configured grant, and perform the transmission accordingly.

Abstract: There is provided a first apparatus for a first terminal, wherein the first terminal has a unicast link established with a second terminal. The first apparatus includes 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 first apparatus at least to: receive, from the second terminal, assistance information for a preferred discontinuous reception, DRX, configuration for the second terminal; determine a DRX configuration for the second terminal using: the received assistance information, and other information acquired by the first terminal related to DRX operations of terminals other than the second terminal; and provide, to the second terminal, the determined DRX configuration for the second terminal to be applied on the unicast link between the first and second terminals.

Abstract: There is provided a method comprising determining a service coverage zone operation within a network, the network able to form a synchronised sub-network, and being associated with at least one cellular network which provides cellular access over the coverage area of the network, configuring, in dependence on the determined service coverage zone operation, a plurality of nodes of the network for providing a service coverage zone to provide at least one service, providing an indication of the service coverage zone to at least one user equipment and controlling access of the at least one user equipment to the at least one service.