IDC-2021P00290US
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`NEW RADIO (NR) VEHICLE TO VEHICLE (V2xX)-
`METHODS FOR SCHEDULING SIDELINK IN UNLICENSED SPECTRUM
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`BACKGROUND
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`[0001]
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`Vehicular to anything (V2X) communication is a mode of communication whereby WTRUs can communicate
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`with each other directly. There are two scenarios for V2X operations — in-coverage scenarios and out of coverage
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`scenarios. In in-coverage scenario WIRUs may receive assistance from the network to start transmitting and receiving
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`V2X messages.
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`In out of coverage scenarios, WIRUs use some pre-configured parameters to start transmitting and
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`receiving V2X messages.
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`[0002]|V2X communication services may include four different types: (1) V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle): Vehicular UEs can
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`communicate with each other directly;
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`(2) V2I
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`(Vehicle to infrastructure): Vehicular WTRUs can communicate with
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`RSUs/eNBs; (3) V2N (Vehicle to Network): Vehicular WIRUs can communicate with core network; and (4) V2P (Vehicle
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`to Pedestrian): Vehicular WTRUs can communicate with WTRUswith special conditions e.g. low battery capacity.
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`SUMMARY
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`[0003]
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`A SL wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), configured in mode 1, with SL transmissions on unlicensed
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`spectrum, may receive a SL grant from a gNodeB (gNB) and determine whetherthe SL grantfalls within a COTinitiated
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`by another WTRU, based on COTstructure information received from SCI transmissions of other WTRUs.If the SL grant
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`falls within the COTinitiated by another WTRU, the WTRU may perform a first LBT typeto try to share the COT.If the SL
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`grant does notfall within the COTinitiated by another WTRU, the WTRU may perform a second LBTtypetotry to initiate
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`its own COT.If LBT fails for the grant, the WTRU may report a failed LBT to the gNB in UCI.
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`[0004]
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`If the LBT succeeds, the WTRU may determine a COTlength, report the remaining COTlength in the UCI to
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`the gNB (depending on which method was used), and report to the gNB whetherthe first WTRUinitiated its own COT or
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`is sharing another WTRU’s COT. For a WTRUinitiated COT, the WTRU may determine the COT length based on the data
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`multiplexed in the SL grant. For a shared COT, the WTRU may determine the COT length from the COT length received
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`in the SCI of another WTRU.
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`[0005]=Inone embodiment, aSL WTRU maydetermine whetherit can share the COTinitiated by another WTRU based
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`on combination ofpriority of transmission and an indirection number received by another WTRU.
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`[0006]—In one embodiment, a SL WTRU may determine whetherit can share a COTinitiated by another WTRU, and
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`the LBT parameters to use to for transmitting in that COT by receiving COT information from one or more other WTRUs
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`which include an indirection number associated with that COT and if the minimum indirection number received by the
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`WTRU associated with that COT is below a threshold configured based on the priority of the data to be transmitted,
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`determine that it can share the COT, and perform LBT using parameters which are determined bythe indirection number
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`and priority. If the WIRU acquires the channel, it may transmit an indirection numberthat is one greater than the received
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`indirection number. Otherwise, the WIRU may determinethatit cannot share the COTinitiated by the other WTRU, and
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`mayinitiate its own COT,
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`[0007]
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`A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in
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`conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals in the figures indicate like elements, and
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`wherein:
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`[0008]
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`FIG. 1A is a system diagramillustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed
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`embodiments may be implemented;
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`[0009]
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`FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that may be used
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`within the communications systemillustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;
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`[0010]
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`FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network
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`(CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment:
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`[0011]
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`FIG. 1D is a system diagramillustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used
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`within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment; and
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`[0012]
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`FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary method by which a WTRU may change its COT informationifit
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`conflicts with other received COT information.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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`[0013]
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`FIG. 1A is a diagramillustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed
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`embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides
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`content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system
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`100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources,including wireless
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`bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as
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`code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA),
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`orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word discrete Fourier transform Spread
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`OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM)}, resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier
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`(FBMC),andthelike.
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`[0014]=As shownin FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs)
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`102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, aradio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network
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`(PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments
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`contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and/or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b,
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`102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and/or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of
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`example, the WIRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may bereferred to as a station (STA), may be configured to
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`transmit and/or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile
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`subscriberunit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a smartphone,
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`alaptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device,
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`a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g.,
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`remote surgery), an industrial device and applications(e.g., a robot and/orother wireless devices operating in an industrial
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`and/or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumerelectronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or
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`industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred
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`to as a UE.
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`[0015]|The communications systems 100 mayalso include a base station 114a and/or a basestation 114b. Eachof
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`the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs
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`102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106,the Internet 110,
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`and/orthe other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a basetransceiverstation (BTS),
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`a NodeB, an eNode B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNodeB, a next generation NodeB, such as a gNode B (gNB), a
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`new radio (NR) NodeB,a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the basestations 114a,
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`114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 1146 may include any
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`number of interconnected base stations and/or network elements.
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`[0016]
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`The basestation 114a maybepart of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and/or network
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`elements (not shown), such as a basestation controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and thelike.
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`The base station 114a and/or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals on one
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`or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may bein licensed
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`spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combinationoflicensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a
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`wireless service to a specific geographical area that may berelatively fixed or that may change overtime. The cell may
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`further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three
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`sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the
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`cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and mayutilize
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`multiple transceivers for each sectorof the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and/or receive signals
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`in desired spatial directions.
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`[0017]
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`The basestations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over
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`an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communicationlink (¢.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave,
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`centimeter wave, micrometer wave,
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`infrared (IR), ultraviolet
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`(UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be
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`established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).
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`[0018]
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`More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may
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`employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA,and thelike. For
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`example, the basestation 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implementa radio technology such
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`as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air
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`interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA mayinclude communication protocols such as High-Speed
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`Packet Access (HSPA) and/or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA mayinclude High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access
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`(HSDPA) and/or High-Speed Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).
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`[0019]=In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implementa radio technology
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`such as Evolved UMTSTerrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term
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`Evolution (LTE) and/or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and/or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).
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`[0020]=In an embodiment, the basestation 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implementa radio technology
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`such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.
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`[0021]
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`In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio
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`access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio
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`access and NR radio accesstogether, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized
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`by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and/or transmissions
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`sent to/from multiple types of basestations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).
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`[0022]
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`In other embodiments,
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`the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio
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`technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
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`Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard
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`95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for
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`GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), andthelike.
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`[0023]
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`The basestation 114b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B,or accesspoint,
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`for example, and mayutilize any suitable RATforfacilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of
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`business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the
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`like.
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`In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as
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`IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs
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`102c, 102d may implementa radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN).
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`In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT(e.g.,
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`WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shownin FIG. 1A,
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`the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required
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`to accessthe Internet 110 via the CN 106.
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`[0024]
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`The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to
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`provide voice, data, applications, and/or voice overinternet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a,
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`102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput
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`requirements, latency requirements,error tolerance requirements,reliability requirements, data throughput requirements,
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`mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 may providecall control, billing services, mobile location-based services,
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`pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and/or perform high-level security functions, such as user
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`authentication. Although not shownin FIG. 1A,it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and/or the CN 106 maybein direct
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`or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104ora different RAT. For example,in
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`addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may beutilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in
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`communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio
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`technology.
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`[0025]©The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the
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`Internet 110, and/or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may includecircuit-switched telephone networksthat provide
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`plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks
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`and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram
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`protocol (UDP) and/orthe internet protocol(IP) in the TCP/IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired
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`and/or wireless communications networks owned and/or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks
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`112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a
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`different RAT.
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`[0026]
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`Someorall of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode
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`capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different
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`wireless networks overdifferent wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to
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`communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station
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`114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.
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`[0027]
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`FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1B, the WTRU 102 may
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`include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit/receive element 122, a speaker/microphone 124, a keypad 126, a
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`display/touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning
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`system (GPS) chipset 136, and/or other peripherals 138, among others.It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may
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`include any sub-combinationof the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.
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`[0028]
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`The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional
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`processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association
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`with aDSPcore, acontroller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate
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`Arrays (FPGAs), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform
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`signal coding, data processing, power control, input/output processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the
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`WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be
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`coupled to the transmit/receive element 122. While FIG. 1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate
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`components,it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an
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`electronic packageorchip.
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`[0029]
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`The transmit/receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base
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`station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example,
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`in one embodiment, the transmit/receive
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`element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and/or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit/receive
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`element 122 may be an emitter/detector configured to transmit and/or receive IR, UV,or visible light signals, for example.
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`In yet another embodiment, the transmit/receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and/or receive both RF and
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`light signals.It will be appreciated that the transmit/receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and/or receive any
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`combination of wireless signals.
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`[0030]
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`Although the transmit/receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may
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`include any numberof transmit/receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology.
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`Thus,in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 mayinclude two or more transmit/receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas)
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`for transmitting and receiving wireless signals overthe air interface 116.
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`[0031]
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`The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit/receive
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`element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit/receive element 122. As noted above, the
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`WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the
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`WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11, for example.
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`[0032]
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`The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from,
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`the
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`speaker/microphone 124, the keypad 126, and/or the display/touchpad 128(e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit
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`or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the
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`speaker/microphone 124, the keypad 126, and/or the display/touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access
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`information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and/or the
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`removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory
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`(ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber
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`identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and thelike. In other embodiments,the
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`processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102,
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`such as on a server or ahome computer (not shown).
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`[0033]|The processor 118 may receive powerfrom the power source 134, and may be configuredto distribute and/or
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`control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for
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`powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-
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`cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the
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`like,
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`[0034]
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`The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPSchipset 136, which may be configured to provide location
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`information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, orin lieu of, the
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`information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a
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`base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and/or determineits location based on thetiming of the signals being received
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`from two or more nearby basestations.It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way
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`of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.
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`[0035]
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`The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which mayinclude one or more software
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`and/or hardware modulesthat provide additional features, functionality and/or wired or wireless connectivity. For example,
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`the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs
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`and/or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a
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`Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player
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`module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and/or Augmented Reality (VR/AR) device, an activity tracker, and thelike.
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`The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer,
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`a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a
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`geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a
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`biometric sensor, a humidity sensor andthelike.
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`[0036]©The WTRU 102 mayincludea full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of someorall of the signals
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`(e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) may be
`
`concurrent and/or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or
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`substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor(e.g., a
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`separate processor(not shown)or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 mayinclude a half-duplex radio
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`for which transmission and reception of someorall of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframesfor either the
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`UL (e.g., for transmission) or the DL (e.g., for reception).
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`[0037]
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`FIG. 1C is a system diagramillustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted
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`above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over
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`the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.
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`[0038]|The RAN 104 mayinclude eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may
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`include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may
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`each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c overthe air interface 116. In
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`one embodiment,
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`the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus,
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`the eNode-B 160a, for
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`example, may use multiple antennasto transmit wireless signals to, and/or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.
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`[0039]
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`Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be
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`configured to handle radio resource managementdecisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and/or DL,
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`and the like. As shown in FIG. 1C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one anotherover an X2 interface.
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`[0040]|The CN 106 shownin FIG. 1C mayinclude a mobility managemententity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW)
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`164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN
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`106,
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`it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and/or operated by an entity other than the CN
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`operator.
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`[0041]|The MME 162 maybe connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface
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`and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs
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`102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation/deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the
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`WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN
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`104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and/or WCDMA.
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`[0042]|The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface.
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`The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to/from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164
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`may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers,triggering paging when DL
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`data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and
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`the like.
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`[0043]=The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with
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`access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a,
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`102b, 102c and |P-enabled devices.
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`[0044]=The CN 106 mayfacilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the
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`WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications
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`between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c andtraditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may
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`include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an
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`interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108.In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with
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`accessto the other networks 112, which may include other wired and/or wireless networksthat are owned and/or operated
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`by other service providers.
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`[0045]
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`Although the WTRUis described in FIGS. 1A-1D as a wireless terminal,
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`it is contemplated that in certain
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`representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g.,
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`temporarily or permanently) wired communication
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`interfaces with the communication network.
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`7052770.1
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`IDC-2021P00290US
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`[0046]
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`In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.
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`[0047]
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`A WLANin Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an AccessPoint (AP) for the BSS and one
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`or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have accessor aninterface to a Distribution System (DS) or
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`anothertype of wired/wireless network that carries traffic in to and/or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from
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`outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAsto destinations
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`outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS
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`may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may sendtraffic to the AP and the AP maydeliver the
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`traffic to the destination STA. Thetraffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and/orreferred to as peer-to-peer
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`traffic. The peer-to-peertraffic may be sent between(e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct
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`link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS
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`(TDLS). A WLANusing an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs(e.g., all of the STAs) within
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`or using the IBSS may communicatedirectly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes bereferred
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`to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.
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`[0048]|When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP maytransmit
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`a beacon onafixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide
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`bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by
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`the STAsto establish a connectionwith the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
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`Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) may be implemented, for example in 802.11 systems. For CSMA/CA, the STAs (e.g.,
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`every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed/detected and/or determined
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`to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given
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`time in a given BSS.
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`[0049]=High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channelfor communication, for example, via a combination
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`of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channelto form a 40 MHz wide channel.
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`[0050]~—Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and/or 160 MHz wide channels. The
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`40 MHz, and/or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may
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`be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which
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`may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be
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`passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT)
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`processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped onto the
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`two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiverof the receiving STA, the
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`above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium
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`Access Control (MAC).
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`7052770.1
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`IDC-2021P00290US
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`[0051]|Sub 1 GHz modesofoperation are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidths,
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`and carriers, are reduced in 802. 11af and 802.11ahrelative to those used in 802.11n, and 802. 11ac. 802.11af supports 5
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`MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz,
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`4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah
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`may support Meter Type Control/Machine-Type Communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area.
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`MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for)
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`certain and/or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a batterylife above a threshold (e.g., to
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`maintain a very long batterylife).
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`[0052]
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`WLANsystems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac,
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`802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may
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`have a bandwidth equalto the largest commonoperating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of
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`the primary channel may be set and/orlimited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the
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`smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (¢.g.,
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`MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode,evenif the AP, and other STAsin the BSS support 2
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`MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and/or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and/or Network Allocation
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`Vector (NAV) settings may depend onthe status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due
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`to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP,all available frequency bands may be
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`considered busy even though a majority of the available frequency bands remainsidle.
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`[0053]—In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11ah, are from 902 MHz to 928
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`MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz.In Japan, the available frequency bands
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`are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the
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`country code,
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`[0054]
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`FIG. 1D is a system diagramillustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to