WO2019088898A1

WO2019088898A1 - Configuring measurement reporting

Info

Publication number: WO2019088898A1
Application number: PCT/SE2018/051088
Authority: WO
Inventors: Parisa PAKNIAT; Icaro L. J. Da Silva
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2017-10-30
Filing date: 2018-10-25
Publication date: 2019-05-09

Abstract

According to some examples, a method performed by a wireless device is disclosed for configuring Inter-Radio Access Technology (IRAT) measurement reporting. The method comprises receiving an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform IRAT measurements on the at least one cell. The method also comprises configuring IRAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

Description

CONFIGURING MEASUREMENT REPORTING

Technical Field

Embodiments of this disclosure relate to configuring measurement reporting, such as for example Intra-Radio Access Technology (IRAT) measurement reporting.

Background

Standardization of 5G, including New Radio (NR) and 5G Core Network (5GCN), are ongoing in 3GPP. There are ways to deploy a 5G network with or without interworking with an existing Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and/or Evolved Packet Core (EPC). One configuration for interworking between NR and LTE cells is EN-DC (EUTRAN-NR Dual Connectivity). In such a deployment, Dual Connectivity between NR and LTE exists where LTE provides a master node (e.g. master eNodeB, eN B) and NR provides a secondary node (e.g. secondary gNodeB, gNB). The node supporting NR (e.g. gNB) may not have a control plane connection to a core network (e.g. EPC), and may instead rely on the LTE node as master node (MeNB). This may referred to as "Non-standalone NR" (NSA NR), and there may be no 5GCN (or no connection to a 5GCN) in this deployment.

With introduction of 5GCN, other interworking options may be available, such as for example with a stand-alone NR deployment where a gNB is connected to a 5GCN. Similarly, a LTE node can also be connected to a 5GCN. In these examples, both NR and LTE may be seen as part of the NG-RAN which may be connected to 5GCN. Other options include MR- DC (Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity).

It may also be possible to support multiple interworking options the same network. In combination with dual connectivity and interworking solutions between LTE and NR, it may also be possible to support CA (Carrier Aggregation) in each cell group (i.e. Master Cell Group, MCG and Secondary Cell Group, SCG) and dual connectivity between nodes on same RAT (e.g. NR-NR DC).

A mixture of different deployment options in the same network is possible. One example is expected to be the coexistence of NR cells (connected to 5GC) operating in SA (standalone) mode, NSA (non-standalone) NR cells, LTE cells associated to network nodes connected to 5GC and LTE cells associated to network nodes connected to EPC, both in the same or different frequency carriers. Also, that same network node associated with an LTE cell may be connected to both 5GC and EPC. But from a UE connection perspective (i.e. when it is in connected mode), there is only one core network involved where the UE is registered in, i.e. either EPC or 5GC. In addition to the different deployments, User Equipments (UEs) may also have different connectivity capabilities. Examples for UE capabilities include LTE-EPC capable only; LTE-5GC capable only; both LTE-5GC and LTE-EPC capable; NR NSA capable (which may also mean the UE is LTE-EPC capable); NR SA capable; and/or both NR SA and NR NSA capable. UE capabilities may also include the possibility to use EN-DC or another form of aggregation, e.g. intra-RAT CA or inter-RAT DC between LTE and NR.

Summary One aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a wireless device for configuring Inter-Radio Access Technology (IRAT) measurement reporting. The method comprises receiving an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform IRAT

measurements on the at least one cell. The method also comprises configuring IRAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a base station for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting. The method comprises sending an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

A further aspect of the present disclosure provides apparatus for configuring Inter- Radio Access Technology (IRAT) measurement reporting in a wireless device. The apparatus comprises a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to receive an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell, and configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

A still further aspect of the present disclosure provides apparatus for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting. The apparatus comprises a processor and a memory. The memory contains instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to send an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

An additional aspect of the present disclosure provides apparatus for configuring Inter-

Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting in a wireless device. The apparatus is configured to receive an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell. The apparatus is also configured to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

A further aspect of the present disclosure provides apparatus for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (IRAT) measurement reporting. The apparatus is configured to send an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure IRAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform IRAT measurements on the at least one cell. Brief Description of the Drawings

For a better understanding of examples of the present disclosure, and to show more clearly how the examples may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a flow chart of an example of a method performed by a wireless device; Figure 2 is a flow chart of an example of a method 200 performed by a base station;

Figure 3 shows a timeline of events and messages between a UE and a network node; Figure 4 shows an example of a MeasObjectToAddModList information element; Figure 5 shows an example of a MeasObjectNR information element;

Figure 6 shows an example of a MeasObjectEUTRA information element;

Figure 8 is a schematic of an example of apparatus for configuring Inter-Radio Access

Technology (IRAT) measurement reporting in a wireless device; and

Figure 8 is a schematic of an example of apparatus for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (IRAT) measurement reporting. Detailed Description In some cases, functionality of an NR cell is limited to be used for connected mode UEs as a booster and/or diversity leg, but a UE cannot camp on these NR cells. Hence, as that cannot be camped, the network may not want to trigger an I RAT (Inter-RAT) handover from LTE to these NSA NR cells as these might not have the functionality to suspend the UEs to inactive/idle state (as UEs could not camp there). Also, these cells might not have a direct connection to any CN (e.g. Core Network). Furthermore, in some cases, a target cell for a UE handover may not be capable of supporting handover of a UE from a particular cell, and/or the UE may not support functionality needed for handover to the target cell.

Existing I RAT measurements (e.g. from LTE towards NR and vice-versa) by a UE includes all cells that fulfil the measurement criteria, for example as defined in TS 36.331 and 38.331. Therefore, additional filtering may be needed in the Radio Access Network (RAN) node serving the UE to identify whether a neighbor cell identified in a measurement report from the UE is a valid target for the UE (e.g. whether the target cell and the UE include the needed functionality for handover to that cell). This may result in unnecessary measurement reports from the UE, unnecessary RRC signaling, extra processing in RAN node(s) and/or delayed mobility/CA setup.

Embodiments of this disclosure may extend Inter-Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement configuration so that a wireless device such as a UE may only measure those cells which are valid handover targets for the wireless device, or may not report measurements of cells that are not valid handover targets. This may achieved for example by blacklist or whitelist I RAT neighbor cells. The blacklist and/or whitelist may for example be based on neighbor cell information held by the serving cell, UE capability information, and/or desired action for best UE and/or network performance.

Figure 1 is a flow chart of an example of a method 100 performed by a wireless device (e.g. a U E), for example for configuring Inter-Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting (e.g. in the wireless device). The method 100 comprises, in step 102, receiving an indication identifying at least one cell. The indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell. In some examples, measurements comprise signal strength measurements, Signal to Interference and Noise (SINR) measurements, and/or any other measurements of a signal on the at least one cell that indicate the suitability of the at least one cell as a handover target. A cell may be identified in any suitable manner, such as for example by Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN).

The method 100 also comprises, in step 104, configuring I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication. For example, the configuring may comprise configuring the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell. The at least one cell may be for example a cell that is not a valid target for the UE. For example, the at least one cell and/or the wireless device may not include the capability for the wireless device to be handed over to any one of the at least one cell (which may in some examples comprise a plurality of cells that are not valid handover targets).

In some examples, the method 100 further comprises refraining from sending measurement reports for the at least one cell. Therefore, for example, the wireless device may not perform unnecessary measurements on cells which may not be valid handover targets. For example, the method 100 may comprise refraining from performing I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

In some examples, the indication comprises a blacklist of the at least one cell for which measurement reports are not required from the wireless device. Thus, any cells in the blacklist may in some examples not trigger measurement reports by the wireless device for those cells, or measurements on those cells may not be included in a measurement report sent for example to the serving cell of the wireless device.

In some examples, the method 100 comprises sending I RAT measurement reports of measurements of cells not identified in the indication. Therefore, any cells not indicated (e.g. not contained within a blacklist) may be considered as or assumed to be valid handover target cells, and hence measurements may be taken on those cells (e.g. if detected) and included in a measurement report from the wireless device. In alternative examples, however, the indication identifies at least one further cell, and the method further comprises sending measurement reports only for the at least one further cell. For example, the indication may include a whitelist indicating the only cells (e.g. valid handover target cells for the wireless device) that the wireless device should measure and include in a measurement report. Thus, for example, the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to send measurement reports only for the at least one further cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to perform I RAT measurements only on the at least one further cell. In some examples, the indication may include a whitelist, and absence from the whitelist may imply an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

In some examples, the method 100 comprises the wireless device sending I RAT measurement reports of measurements of the at least one further cell (e.g. if the cells are detected) to a base station, such as for example a base station associated with a serving cell of the wireless device. In some examples, the at least one further cell supports handover of the wireless device from a serving cell of the wireless device to one of the at least one further cell. Additionally, the wireless device supports handover to one of the at least one further cell. Thus the at least one further cell, e.g. indicated in a whitelist, may be a valid handover target cell for the wireless device.

In some examples, not all of the at least one further cell identified in the indication (e.g. in a whitelist) are detected by the wireless device, and thus the measurement report may include a subset of the at least one further cell (e.g. where the at least one further cell comprises multiple cells) or may even include none of the at least one further cell.

In some examples, the at least one cell (e.g. identified in a blacklist) does not support handover of the wireless device from a serving cell of the wireless device to one of the at least one cell, and/or the wireless device does not support handover to one of the at least one cell. Thus the at least one cell is not a valid handover target for the wireless device. For example, the at least one cell comprises at least one LTE cell that is connected to a 5th Generation Core Network (5GCN) , at least one LTE cell that is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), at least one New Radio (NR) cell that is connected to a 5th Generation Core Network (5GCN), at least one New Radio (NR) cell that is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), at least one Standalone (SA) New Radio (NR) cell, and/or at least one Non-Standalone (NSA) New Radio (NR) cell.

In some examples, receiving the indication identifying the at least one cell comprises receiving a message identifying the at least one cell from a base station or a serving cell of the wireless device. The message may comprise for example a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, or a RRCConnectionResume message.

In some examples, configuring I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication may comprise configuring triggering criteria for performing measurements and/or sending measurement reports based on the indication. For example, the triggering criteria may be configured so that measurements and/or measurement reports are not triggered for the at least one cell. In some examples, the wireless device may receive an instruction to perform a measurement and/or send a measurement report that includes the at least one cell, and the wireless device may perform the measurement and send the measurement report accordingly.

Therefore, in some examples, the indication may comprise configuration information for configuring the triggering criteria. Alternatively, for example, the indication may indicate other information, such as identifying the at least one cell, and the configuration information may be generated accordingly. In some examples, the triggering criteria comprise events that cause a measurement and/or a measurement report. Therefore, for example, the events that cause a measurement and/or a measurement report may exclude events related to the at least one cell.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of an example of a method 200 performed by a base station, for example for configuring a wireless device (e.g. a UE) for Inter Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting. The method 200 comprises, in step 202, sending an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

Thus the indication sent to the wireless device may configure the wireless device to not send measurement reports for cells that are not target cells for the wireless device, where the at least one cell comprises one or more cells that are not valid handover targets. In some examples, this may configure the wireless device to send measurement reports only for valid handover target cells for the wireless device.

In some examples, the indication comprises a blacklist of the at least one cell for which measurement reports are not required from the wireless device. Additionally or alternatively, the indication also identifies at least one further cell, and the method 200 further comprises receiving, from the wireless device, I RAT measurement reports of measurements of the at least one further cell. For example, the indication may include a whitelist of cells to measure (for example, provided the cells are detected by the wireless device), which may thus be valid handover target cells for the wireless device. Therefore, the method 200 may include receiving, from the wireless device, I RAT measurement reports of measurements of the at least one further cell. Undetected cells may in some examples not be included in a measurement report from the wireless device, whether they are identified in the indication or not. In some examples, absence of a cell from the whitelist may imply that the cell should not be measured and/or included in the measurement report.

Sending an indication to the U E comprises sending a message to the wireless device identifying the at least one cell. For example, the message may comprise RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, or a RRCConnectionResume message.

In some examples, the method 200 may include receiving at least one measurement report from at least one further wireless device, the at least one measurement report identifying the at least one cell, and storing information identifying the at least one cell, wherein sending the indication to the wireless device comprises sending the indication to the wireless device based on the information. The information may include cell measurements (e.g. signal strength) and also may include capabilities of the at least one cell. The base station carrying out the method 200 may in some examples use this information to configure the wireless device and/or other wireless devices, and in particular to determine which cells are valid handover target cells for each wireless device, and configure each wireless device not to report measurements on cells that are not valid target cells.

Particular example embodiments of this disclosure will be described below.

In some embodiments, the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message from a base station (e.g. eNB or gNB) to a wireless device (e.g. UE) may be used for measurement configuration, and may include one or more configurations as disclosed herein. For example, the configuration may cause the wireless device to report measurements on only valid target cells for the wireless device.

Certain embodiments of this disclosure may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s): reduced RRC signalling (at least some measurement reports are avoided); more efficient nodes in the network (no need for extra filtering of non-useful measurement reports by a network node to remove non-valid target cells); improved end user performance (faster and more reliable mobility (handover)/Dual Connectivity decisions based on measurement reports that only indicate measurements for valid target cells, avoiding negative impact on UE performance, e.g. session interruption or risk of radio link failure).

One or more embodiments disclosed herein comprise an extension of the LTE measurement configuration, e.g. signalled by eNodeB to a UE connected to E-UTRAN, where this extension consists of a list of NR cells indicating implicitly or explicitly whether these cells are NR standalone cells or NR Non-standalone cells.

In a first example, a UE is configured by the network with a list of NSA NR cells to be treated by the UE as blacklisted cells. When configured with this list, upon detecting an NR cell in the carrier indicated in the list (or alternatively simply by determining that the carrier is in the list, thus not attempting to detect a cell on that carrier), the UE is not required to perform measurements. Hence, the UE does not trigger measurement events (e.g. B1 -B2, A1 -A6, or any other I RAT events) for these cells and consequently does not send measurement reports including measurements on these NSA NR cells. In some examples, an LTE node may perform this configuration of the UE when a gNodeB does not set up EN-DC with the LTE node due to at least one of the following reasons: the gNodeB is connected to 5GCN and might not support EN-DC with a NSA NR cell; and/or the UE being configured is not EN-DC capable.

In a second example, the UE is configured by the network with a list of SA NR cells to be treated by the UE as blacklisted cells. When configured with this list, upon detecting an NR cell in that carrier, the UE is not required to perform measurements and/or is not required to report measurements on those cells. Hence, the UE does not not trigger measurement events on those cells (e.g. B1 -B2, A1 -A6, or any other I RAT events). In some examples, an LTE gNodeB may perform this configuration due to at least one of the following reasons: the gNodeB is connected to EPC and does not support inter-RAT handover to SA NR cells; the gNodeB is connected to 5GCN but may know that a particular NR cell is not a stable NR cell for a handover based on statistics and/or other previous data; and/or the gNodeB requires measurements only for EN-DC capable cells.

In a third example, the UE is configured by the network with a list of NSA NR cells to be treated by the UE as whitelisted cells. When configured with this list, upon detecting an NR cell in that carrier, the UE perform measurements and/or reports measurements only on those cells in the whitelist. Hence, these are the only cells that would trigger measurement events (e.g. B1 -B2, A1 -A6, or any other IRAT events) in the UE and, consequently, to include in measurement reports from the UE (e.g. provided that those cells are detected by the UE). In some examples, an LTE gNodeB may perform this configuration of a UE for at least one of the following reasons: the gNodeB is connected to EPC and configures an NR carrier to support EN-DC with a NSA NR cell; the gNodeB, for that particular NR carrier, is for monitoring NR NSA cells from the same gNodeB for the purpose of EN-DC; and/or the UE being configured by that gNodeB is only EN-DC capable.

In a fourth example, the UE is configured by the network with a list of SA NR cells to be treated by the UE as whitelisted cells. When configured with this list, upon detecting an NR cell in that carrier, the UE is required to perform measurements and/or send measurement reports for those cells. Hence, the UE triggers measurement events (e.g. B1 -B2, A1 -A6, or any other I RAT events) only for those cells and, consequently, sends measurement reports associated to only those SA NR cells (e.g. if those cells are detected by the UE). In some examples, a LTE gNodeB may perform this configuration due to at least one of the following reasons: the gNodeB is connected to 5GCN and may support inter-RAT handover to SA NR cells; and/or the gNodeB is connected to 5GCN and may support inter-RAT handover to SA NR cells that are in its own gNodeB.

One or more embodiments disclosed herein may comprise an extension of the LTE measurement configuration, e.g. signalled by an eNodeB to a UE connected to E-UTRAN, where this extension consists of a list of LTE cells indicating implicitly or explicitly whether these cells are LTE cells connected to EPC or LTE cells connected to 5GCN.

One or more embodiments disclosed herein comprise an extension of the NR measurement configuration, e.g. , signalled by a gNodeB to a UE connected to NR, where this extension consists of a list of LTE cells indicating implicitly or explicitly whether these LTE cells are connected to EPC or these LTE cells are connected to 5GCN.

In a particular example, a UE connected to NR (e.g. a NR SA cell) is configured by the network with a list of LTE-EPC cells to be treated by the UE as blacklisted cells. When configured with this list, the UE is not required to perform measurements on those cells, and/or does not include measurements on those cells in a measurement report. Hence, the UE does not trigger measurement events (e.g. B1 -B2, A1 -A6, or any other IRAT events) for those cells and, consequently, does not send measurement reports associated to these NSA NR cells. In some examples, an NR gNodeB may perform this configuration of the UE when the gNodeB does not set up EN-DC due to at least one of the following reasons: gNodeB does not want to trigger CN based handovers, but rather Radio Access Network (RAN) based handovers, only possible with LTE cells connected to 5GC; the gNodeB wants to trigger M R-DC, which would only be possible with LTE cells connected to 5GC, and hence the network does not want the UE to measure/report LTE-EPC cells; and/or the UE does not support connectivity to LTE-EPC cells.

In another example, a UE connected to NR (e.g. NR SA cell) is configured by the network with a list of LTE-5GC cells to be treated by the UE as blacklisted cells. When configured with this list, the UE is not required to perform measurements on those cells and/or does not include measurements on those cells in measurement reports. In some examples, an NR gNodeB may perform this configuration due to at least one of the following reasons: the gNodeB does not want the UE to undergo a RAN-based handover (e.g. I RAT handover) for one or more specific cells known to be weak but still detectable by the UE; and/or the UE does not support connectivity to LTE-5GC cells.

In a still further example, the UE connected to NR (i.e. NR SA cell) is configured by the network with a list of LTE-EPC cells to be treated by the UE as whitelisted cells. When configured with this list, upon detecting an NR cell in that carrier, the UE can perform measurements. Hence, these are the only cells for which the UE triggers measurement events (e.g. B1 -B2, A1 -A6, or any other I RAT events) and, consequently, the only cells to include measurements of in measurement reports. In some examples, an LTE gNodeB can perform this configuration if the same node supports some EPC-LTE cells and it is known that the UE only supports LTE-EPC.

In an additional example, the UE connected to NR (e.g. NR SA cell) is configured by the network with a list of LTE-5GC cells to be treated by the UE as whitelisted cells. When configured with this list, upon detecting an NR cell in that carrier, the UE can perform measurements. Hence, these are the only cells for which the UE will trigger measurement events (e.g. B1 -B2, A1 -A6, or any other I RAT events) and, consequently, the only cells for which measurements are to be included in measurement reports from the UE. In some examples, an LTE gNodeB may perform this configuration if the same node supports some 5GC-LTE cells and it is known that the UE supports LTE-EPC; and/or the network wants to be able to set up MR-DC with cells from the same gNodeB and/or same 5GCN connectivity. One or more embodiments disclosed herein comprise an extension of the NR measurement configuration, e.g. signaled by an NR gNodeB to a UE connected to NR where this extension consists of a list of NR cells indicating implicitly or explicitly whether these NR cells are NSA cells or SA cells.

In some embodiments, blacklisted NR SA or NSA cells can be indicated per NR carrier in a NR measurement object configured over LTE (e.g. measObject message). In some embodiments, blacklisted NR SA or NSA cells can be indicated in a reportConfig message for NR events. In some embodiments, whitelisted NR SA or NSA cells can be indicated per NR carrier in a NR measurement object configured over LTE (e.g. measObject message). In some examples there may be a boolean variable in a reportConfig message that activates a whitelist to the UE (e.g. causes the UE to only measure/report for the whitelisted cells). In some embodiments, whitelisted NR SA or NSA cells can be indicated per report configuration (e.g. in a reportConfig message).

Figure 3 shows an example of a timeline 300 of events and messages between a UE 302 and a network node 304 such as for example an eNB or gNB. In a first event, the network node 304 determines IRAT measurement configuration for the UE 302. The node 304 sends a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message 306 to the UE 302, including a MeasConfig Information Element (I E), to configure or reconfigure the UE 302 with the measurement configuration. It is also possible in other examples to configure the measurements using a RRCConnectionResume message. The UE 302 responds with a

RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message 308. Next, in event 310, the UE 302 starts I RAT measurements based on configuration. For example, the UE 302 may not measure and/or report measurements for cells that are not valid handover targets for the UE 302.

The UE can in some embodiments be requested to perform intra-frequency, inter- frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements. There are also different measurement configurations possible, including event-based measurement and periodical measurements. A measurement configuration is identified by a measurement I D which refers to a

"measurement object" and a "reporting configuration". In some embodiments, an indication (e.g. measurement object) may identify one or more Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN) the UE should perform and/or report measurements on (or not).

In some examples, measurement reports from UEs may include NSA/SA indication for cells (on NR measurements) and/or EPC/5GCN indication (on LTE measurements) for cells. This information may be stored, for example in an eN B or gNB when building information relating to neighbour cells. The eNB/gNB may then use this information to determine measurement configuration for U Es (e.g. use this information to determine cells that are not valid handover target cells for respective UEs). In some embodiments, the eNB/gNB can configure common measurement configurations for all or multiple UEs served by the eNB/gNB, regardless of UE capabilities and compatibilities with different neighbor cells. A post processing of the measurement report may be needed to evaluate whether a planned action (e.g. I RAT handover or DC setup) toward a reported neighbor cell is possible or not.

In some embodiments, if the number of possible valid neighbor cells for I RAT handover or DC setup is limited (e.g. equal to or less than the number of non-valid neighbor cells), they could be provided to the UE in a whitelist instead of providing the non-valid cells in a blacklist.

Figure 4 shows an example of a MeasObjectToAddModList information element (IE)

400. The I E 400 may in some examples a list of measurement objects to add or modify by a wireless device such as a UE. At least some of the components of the I E 400 may be optional. The I E 400 may indicate, for example, a whitelist of cells and/or a blacklist of cells for measuring and/or reporting by the wireless device.

Similarly, Figure 5 shows an example of a MeasObjectNR information element (IE)

500. At least some of the components of the IE 500 may be optional. The IE 500 specifies information applicable for SS/PBCH block(s) intra/inter-frequency measurements or CSI-RS intra/inter-frequency measurements. The IE 500 may indicate, for example, a whitelist of cells and/or a blacklist of cells for measuring and/or reporting by the wireless device.

In some examples, Inter-RAT measurement reporting trigger events (e.g. for UTRAN,

GERAN, NR, E-UTRA and/or CDMA2000) include one or more of the following events:

Event B1 : Neighbour cell signal strength becomes better than an absolute threshold.

Event B2: PCell becomes worse than a first absolute threshold and signal strength of a neighbour cell becomes better than a second absolute threshold.

Event W1 : WLAN signal strength becomes better than a threshold.

Event W2: All WLAN inside a WLAN mobility set become worse than a first threshold and a WLAN outside the WLAN mobility set becomes better than a second threshold.

Event W3: All WLAN inside a WLAN mobility set become worse than a threshold.

Figure 6 shows an example of a MeasObjectEUTRA information element 600. The IE 600 specifies information applicable for example for intra-frequency or inter-frequency E-UTRA cells. At least some of the components of the IE 600 may be optional. The IE 600 may indicate, for example, a whitelist of cells and/or a blacklist of cells for measuring and/or reporting by the wireless device. Figure 7 is a schematic of an example of apparatus 700 for configuring Inter-Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting in a wireless device. The apparatus 700 comprises a processor 702 and a memory 704. The memory 704 contains instructions executable by the processor 702 such that the apparatus 700 is operable to receive an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell, and configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

Figure 8 is a schematic of an example of apparatus 800 for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting. The apparatus 800 comprises a processor 802 and a memory 704. The memory 804 contains instructions executable by the processor 802 such that the apparatus 800 is operable to send an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform IRAT measurements on the at least one cell.

Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented in any appropriate type of system using any suitable components, at least some embodiments disclosed herein are described in relation to a wireless network. In practice, a wireless network may include any elements suitable to support communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device, such as a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device. The wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate the wireless devices' access to and/or use of the services provided by, or via, the wireless network.

The wireless network may comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the I EEE 802.1 1 standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards. A network in some embodiments may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, I P networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, wide-area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.

As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the wireless network to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device and/or to perform other functions (e.g., administration) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)). Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and may then also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Yet further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), core network nodes (e.g., MSCs, MMEs), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLCs), and/or MDTs. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. More generally, however, network nodes may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to enable and/or provide a wireless device with access to the wireless network or to provide some service to a wireless device that has accessed the wireless network.

As used herein, wireless device (WD) refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise noted, the term WD may in some embodiments be used interchangeably herein with user equipment (UE). Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the network. Examples of a WD include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless cameras, a gaming console or device, a music storage device, a playback appliance, a wearable terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop, a laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop-mounted equipment (LME), a smart device, a wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), a vehicle- mounted wireless terminal device, etc.. A WD may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and may in this case be referred to as a D2D communication device. As yet another specific example, in an Internet of Things (loT) scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another WD and/or a network node. The WD may in this case be a machine- to-machine (M2M) device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) standard. Particular examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or home or personal appliances (e.g. refrigerators, televisions, etc.) personal wearables (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. A WD as described above may represent the endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, a WD as described above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments hosted by one or more of hardware nodes. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node may be entirely virtualized. The functions may be implemented by one or more applications (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operative to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and/or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and/or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

The term unit may have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.

Claims

1. A method performed by a wireless device for configuring Inter-Radio Access

Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting, the method comprising:

receiving an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell; and

configuring I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising refraining from sending measurement reports for the at least one cell.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising refraining from performing I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the indication comprises a blacklist of the at least one cell for which measurement reports are not required from the wireless device.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising sending I RAT measurement reports of measurements of cells not identified in the indication.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the indication identifies at least one further cell, and the method further comprises sending measurement reports only for the at least one further cell.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising performing IRAT measurements only for the at least one further cell.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein the at least one further cell comprises one or more cells for which measurement reports are required from the wireless device.

9. The method of any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the indication comprises a whitelist of the at least one further cell for which measurement reports are required from the wireless device.

10. The method of any of claims 6 to 9, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to send measurement reports only for the at least one further cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to perform I RAT measurements only on the at least one further cell.

1 1 . The method of any of claims 6 to 10, further comprising sending I RAT measurement reports of measurements of the at least one further cell to a base station.

12. The method of any of claims 6 to 1 1 , wherein the at least one further cell supports handover of the wireless device from a serving cell of the wireless device to one of the at least one further cell.

13. The method of any of claims 6 to 12, wherein the wireless device supports handover to one of the at least one further cell.

14. The method of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the at least one cell does not support handover of the wireless device from a serving cell of the wireless device to one of the at least one cell.

15. The method of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the wireless device does not support handover to one of the at least one cell.

16. The method of any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the at least one cell comprises at least one LTE cell that is connected to a 5th Generation Core Network (5GCN) , at least one LTE cell that is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), at least one New Radio (NR) cell that is connected to a 5th Generation Core Network (5GCN), at least one New Radio (NR) cell that is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), at least one Standalone (SA) New Radio (NR) cell, and/or at least one Non-Standalone (NSA) New Radio (NR) cell.

17. The method of any of claims 1 to 17, wherein receiving the indication identifying the at least one cell comprises receiving a message identifying the at least one cell from a base station or a serving cell of the wireless device.

18. The method of any of claims 1 to 17, wherein configuring I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication comprises configuring triggering criteria for performing

measurements and/or sending measurement reports based on the indication.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein configuring the triggering criteria comprises configuring triggering criteria so that measurements and/or measurement reports are not triggered for the at least one cell.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the indication comprises configuration information for configuring the triggering criteria.

21 . The method of any of claims 18 to 20, wherein the triggering criteria comprise events that cause a measurement and/or a measurement report.

22. A method performed by a base station for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting, the method comprising:

sending an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the indication comprises a blacklist of the at least one cell for which measurement reports are not required from the wireless device.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein the indication identifies at least one further cell, and the method further comprises receiving, from the wireless device, I RAT measurement reports of measurements of the at least one further cell.

25. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein the indication identifies at least one further cell, and the at least one further cell comprises one or more cells for which measurement reports are required from the wireless device.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the indication comprises a whitelist of the at least one further cell for which measurement reports are required from the wireless device.

27. The method of claim 25 or 26, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to send measurement reports only for the at least one further cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to perform IRAT measurements only on the at least one further cell.

28. The method of any of claims 25 to 27, further comprising receiving, from the wireless device, I RAT measurement reports of measurements of the at least one further cell.

29. The method of any of claims 25 to 28, wherein the at least one further cell supports handover of the wireless device from a serving cell of the wireless device to one of the at least one further cell.

30. The method of any of claims 25 to 29, wherein the wireless device supports handover to one of the at least one further cell.

31 . The method of any of claims 22 to 30, wherein the at least one cell does not support handover of the wireless device from a serving cell of the wireless device to one of the at least one cell.

32. The method of any of claims 22 to 31 , wherein the wireless device does not support handover to one of the at least one cell.

33. The method of any of claims 22 to 32, wherein the at least one cell comprises at least one LTE cell that is connected to a 5th Generation Core Network (5GCN), at least one LTE cell that is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), at least one New Radio (NR) cell that is connected to a 5th Generation Core Network (5GCN), at least one New Radio (N R) cell that is connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), at least one Standalone (SA) New Radio (NR) cell, and/or at least one Non-Standalone (NSA) New Radio (NR) cell.

34. The method of any of claims 22 to 33, wherein sending an indication to the UE comprises sending a message to the wireless device identifying the at least one cell.

35. The method of any of claims 22 to 34, further comprising:

receiving at least one measurement report from at least one further wireless device, the at least one measurement report identifying the at least one cell; and

storing information identifying the at least one cell, wherein sending the indication to the wireless device comprises sending the indication to the wireless device based on the information.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the at least one measurement report from the at least one further UE identifies that the at least one cell is one of: a LTE cell connected to an EPC; a LTE cell connected to a 5GCN; a Standalone NR cell; and a Non-Standalone NR cell.

37. Apparatus for configuring Inter-Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting in a wireless device, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to:

receive an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell; and configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

38. Apparatus for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is operable to: send an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.

39. Apparatus for configuring Inter-Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting in a wireless device, the apparatus configured to:

receive an indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell; and

configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication.

40. Apparatus for configuring a wireless device for Inter Radio Access Technology (I RAT) measurement reporting, the apparatus configured to:

send an indication to the wireless device for the wireless device to configure I RAT measurement reporting based on the indication, the indication identifying at least one cell, wherein the indication comprises an instruction to the wireless device to not send measurement reports for the at least one cell, and/or an instruction to the wireless device to not perform I RAT measurements on the at least one cell.