WO2024168561A1

WO2024168561A1 - Reduced capability indications for random access

Info

Publication number: WO2024168561A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/076071
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ruiming Zheng; Yongjun Kwak; Linhai He; Prasad Reddy KADIRI
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2023-02-15
Filing date: 2023-02-15
Publication date: 2024-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 2025-08-15

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A wireless communications system may be configured to support a user equipment (UE) indicating a level of reduced capability, from a set of multiple levels of reduced capability, that is associated with the UE. For example, during a random access procedure associated with a UE requesting communication, the UE may transmit a random access message that includes an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second degree of reduced capability. Different signaling techniques may be implemented at different protocol layers of a protocol stack for communications between the UE and a network entity, which may support indications being handled in different protocol entities, or in different physical entities of a disaggregated network architecture, or support relatively low-overhead indications.

Description

REDUCED CAPABILITY INDICATIONS FOR RANDOM ACCESS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following relates to wireless communications, including reduced capability indications for random access.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power) . Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) , or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) . A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations, each supporting wireless communication for communication devices, which may be known as user equipment (UE) .

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support reduced capability indications for random access. In some wireless communications systems, a user equipment (UE) may be associated with reduced capabilities relative to a baseline capability, which may be associated with a lower baseband bandwidth, a lower data rate, or a longer discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle than UEs configured in accordance with the baseline capability, among other reduced capabilities or combinations thereof. Some wireless communications systems may support UEs that are associated with multiple levels of reduced capabilities, each of which may be associated with different baseband bandwidths that are lower than a baseline capability, or different data rates that are lower than a baseline data rate, or different DRX cycles that are longer than a baseline DRX cycle, among other characteristics or combinations thereof. However, a wireless communications system may lack signaling techniques that support a UE indicating which level of reduced capability they are associated with, which may lead to inefficient allocation or utilization of communication resources. For example, a network entity may over-allocate resources to a UE associated with a relatively greater degree of reduced capability (e.g., a UE associated with a relatively low capability) , or a UE associated with a relatively greater degree of reduced capability may be unable to fully utilize a resource allocation from a network entity.

In accordance with examples as disclosed herein, a wireless communications system may be configured to support a UE indicating, from a set of multiple levels of reduced capability, a level of reduced capability that is associated with the UE. For example, during a random access procedure associated with a UE requesting communication resources (e.g., uplink resources, downlink resources, broadcast resources) , the UE may transmit a random access message that includes an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second degree of reduced capability. The indication may be associated with different aspects of the random access message, such as being indicated by a value of a logical channel identifier (LCID) associated with the message or by a value of a field of the message, or some portion thereof. Different signaling techniques may be implemented at different protocol layers of a protocol stack for communications between the UE and a network entity, which may support indications being handled (e.g., evaluated, forwarded) in different protocol entities, or in different physical entities of a disaggregated network architecture, or support relatively low-overhead indications, among other benefits. By supporting UE indications of different levels of reduced capability, a wireless communications system may support a more accurate match between resource allocations and the ability of UEs to utilize the resource allocations, while also supporting coexistence of UEs associated with different levels of reduced capability (e.g., associated with reduced signaling overhead, supporting lower power operations and longer battery life, supporting UEs with diverse capabilities) , which may improve spectral efficiency and device diversity supported by the wireless communications system.

A method for wireless communication at a UE is described. The method may include transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources, receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include at least one processor and memory coupled with the at least one processor. The memory may store instructions executable by the at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after pre-processing, without pre-processing) to cause the UE to transmit a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources, receive a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, transmit a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and receive a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a UE is described. The apparatus may include means for transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources, means for receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, means for transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and means for receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by at least one processor to transmit a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources, receive a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, transmit a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and receive a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, transmitting the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , where a value of the LCID includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, transmitting the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, via the third random access message, an RRC message, where a value of the RRC message includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, transmitting the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with an LCID, where a value of the LCID of the MAC CE includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the MAC CE may be associated with a payload of zero bits.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, transmitting the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting, via the third random access message, a MAC subheader associated with an enhanced logical channel identifier (eLCID) , where a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the communication resources may be associated with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that may be based on the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the second level of reduced capability may be associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, or a combination thereof.

A method for wireless communication at a network entity is described. The method may include obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources from a UE, outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a network entity is described. The apparatus may include at least one processor and memory coupled with the at least one processor. The memory may store instructions executable by the at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after pre-processing, without pre-processing) to cause the network entity to obtain a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources from a UE, output a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, obtain a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and output a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a network entity is described. The apparatus may include means for obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources from a UE, means for outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, means for obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and means for outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a network entity is described. The code may include instructions executable by at least one processor to obtain a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources from a UE, output a second random access message responsive to the first random access message, obtain a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability, and output a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, obtaining the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for obtaining, via the third random access message, an RRC message associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , where a value of the LCID includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, obtaining the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for obtaining, via the third random access message, an RRC message, where a value of the RRC message includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for communicating the RRC message from a medium access control (MAC) layer entity to an RRC layer entity and decoding the value of the RRC message at the RRC layer entity.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, communicating the RRC message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for communicating the RRC message from a distributed unit (DU) of a network entity to a central unit (CU) of the network entity.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for indicating, from the CU of the network entity to the DU of the network entity, whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, obtaining the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for obtaining, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , where a value of the LCID of the MAC CE includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, obtaining the third random access message may include operations, features, means, or instructions for obtaining, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) subheader associated with an enhanced logical channel identifier (eLCID) , where a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader includes the indication of whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for indicating, from a distributed unit (DU) of a network entity to a central unit (CU) of the network entity, whether the UE may be associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 2 through 4 illustrate examples of process flows that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 5 and 6 illustrate block diagrams of devices that support reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a communications manager that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram of a system including a device that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 9 and 10 illustrate block diagrams of devices that support reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a communications manager that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a diagram of a system including a device that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 13 and 14 illustrate flowcharts showing methods that support reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some wireless communications systems, a user equipment (UE) may be associated with reduced capabilities relative to a baseline capability, which may be associated with a lower baseband bandwidth, a lower data rate, or a longer discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle than UEs configured in accordance with the baseline capability, among other reduced capabilities or combinations thereof. Some wireless communications systems may support UEs that are associated with multiple levels of reduced capabilities, each of which may be associated with different baseband bandwidths that are lower than a baseline capability, or different data rates that are lower than a baseline data rate, or different DRX cycles that are longer than a baseline DRX cycle, among other characteristics or combinations thereof. However, a wireless communications system may lack signaling techniques that support a UE indicating which level of reduced capability they are associated with, which may lead to inefficient allocation or utilization of communication resources. For example, a network entity may over-allocate resources to a UE associated with a relatively greater degree of reduced capability (e.g., a UE associated with a relatively low capability) , or a UE associated with a relatively greater degree of reduced capability may be unable to fully utilize a resource allocation from a network entity.

In accordance with examples as disclosed herein, a wireless communications system may be configured to support a UE indicating a level of reduced capability, from a set of multiple levels of reduced capability, that is associated with the UE. For example, during a random access procedure associated with a UE requesting communication resources (e.g., uplink resources, downlink resources, broadcast resources) , the UE may transmit a random access message that includes an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second degree of reduced capability. The indication may be associated with different aspects of the random access message, such as being indicated by a value of a logical channel identifier (LCID) associated with the message or by a value of a field of the message, or some portion thereof. Different signaling techniques may be implemented at different protocol layers of a protocol stack for communications between the UE and a network entity, which may support indications being handled (e.g., evaluated, forwarded) in different protocol entities, or in different physical entities of a disaggregated network architecture, or support relatively low-overhead indications, among other benefits. By supporting UE indications of different levels of reduced capability, a wireless communications system may support a more accurate match between resource allocations and the ability of UEs to utilize the resource allocations, while also supporting coexistence of UEs associated with different levels of reduced capability (e.g., associated with reduced signaling overhead, supporting lower power operations and longer battery life, supporting UEs with diverse capabilities) , which may improve spectral efficiency and device diversity supported by the wireless communications system.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to process flows, apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to reduced capability indications for random access.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, a New Radio (NR) network, or a network operating in accordance with other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

The network entities 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications system 100 and may include devices in different forms or having different capabilities. In various examples, a network entity 105 may be referred to as a network element, a mobility element, a radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, among other nomenclature. In some examples, network entities 105 and UEs 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) access link) . For example, a network entity 105 may support a coverage area 110 (e.g., a geographic coverage area) over which the UEs 115 and the network entity 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which a network entity 105 and a UE 115 may support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs) .

The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout a coverage area 110 of the wireless communications system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are illustrated in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of supporting communications with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 or network entities 105, as shown in FIG. 1.

As described herein, a node of the wireless communications system 100, which may be referred to as a network node, or a wireless node, may be a network entity 105 (e.g., any network entity described herein) , a UE 115 (e.g., any UE described herein) , a network controller, an apparatus, a device, a computing system, one or more components, or another suitable processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be a UE 115. As another example, a node may be a network entity 105. As another example, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second node or a third node. In one aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a UE 115. In another aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a network entity 105. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and third nodes may be different relative to these examples. Similarly, reference to a UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like may include disclosure of the UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like being a node. For example, disclosure that a UE 115 is configured to receive information from a network entity 105 also discloses that a first node is configured to receive information from a second node.

In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with one another, or both. For example, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., in accordance with an S1, N2, N3, or other interface protocol) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a backhaul communication link 120 (e.g., in accordance with an X2, Xn, or other interface protocol) either directly (e.g., directly between network entities 105) or indirectly (e.g., via a core network 130) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., in accordance with a midhaul interface protocol) or a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., in accordance with a fronthaul interface protocol) , or any combination thereof. The backhaul communication links 120, midhaul communication links 162, or fronthaul communication links 168 may be or include one or more wired links (e.g., an electrical link, an optical fiber link) , one or more wireless links (e.g., a radio link, a wireless optical link) , among other examples or various combinations thereof. A UE 115 may communicate with the core network 130 via a communication link 155.

One or more of the network entities 105 described herein may include or may be referred to as a base station 140 (e.g., a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an NR base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB or a giga-NodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB) , a 5G NB, a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB) , a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology) . In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single network entity 105 (e.g., a single RAN node, such as a base station 140) .

In some examples, a network entity 105 may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture (e.g., a disaggregated base station architecture, a disaggregated RAN architecture) , which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 105, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) , or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN) ) . For example, a network entity 105 may include one or more of a central unit (CU) 160, a distributed unit (DU) 165, a radio unit (RU) 170, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 175 (e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (Near-RT RIC) , a Non-Real Time RIC (Non-RT RIC) ) , a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) 180 system, or any combination thereof. An RU 170 may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , or a transmission reception point (TRP) . One or more components of the network entities 105 in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entities 105 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations) . In some examples, one or more network entities 105 of a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU) , a virtual DU (VDU) , a virtual RU (VRU) ) .

The split of functionality between a CU 160, a DU 165, and an RU 170 is flexible and may support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, RF functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CU 160 and a DU 165 such that the CU 160 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU 165 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some examples, the CU 160 may host upper protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3) , layer 2 (L2) ) functionality and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) , service data adaption protocol (SDAP) , Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) ) . The CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170, and the one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170 may host lower protocol layers, such as layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU 160. Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DU 165 and an RU 170 such that the DU 165 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU 170 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU 165 may support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs 170) . In some cases, a functional split between a CU 160 and a DU 165, or between a DU 165 and an RU 170 may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU 160, the DU 165, or the RU 170) . A CU 160 may be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u) , and a DU 165 may be connected to one or more RUs 170 via a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface) . In some examples, a midhaul communication link 162 or a fronthaul communication link 168 may be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 105 that are in communication via such communication links.

In wireless communications systems (e.g., wireless communications system 100) , infrastructure and spectral resources for radio access may support wireless backhaul link capabilities to supplement wired backhaul connections, providing an IAB network architecture (e.g., to a core network 130) . In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) may be partially controlled by each other. One or more IAB nodes 104 may be referred to as a donor entity or an IAB donor. One or more DUs 165 or one or more RUs 170 may be partially controlled by one or more CUs 160 associated with a donor network entity 105 (e.g., a donor base station 140) . The one or more donor network entities 105 (e.g., IAB donors) may be in communication with one or more additional network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) via supported access and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication links 120) . IAB nodes 104 may include an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by DUs 165 of a coupled IAB donor. An IAB-MT may include an independent set of antennas for relay of communications with UEs 115, or may share the same antennas (e.g., of an RU 170) of an IAB node 104 used for access via the DU 165 of the IAB node 104 (e.g., referred to as virtual IAB-MT (vIAB-MT) ) . In some examples, the IAB nodes 104 may include DUs 165 that support communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB nodes 104, UEs 115) within the relay chain or configuration of the access network (e.g., downstream) . In such cases, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., one or more IAB nodes 104 or components of IAB nodes 104) may be configured to operate according to the techniques described herein.

In the case of the techniques described herein applied in the context of a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured to support reduced capability indications for random access as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by a UE 115 or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may additionally, or alternatively, be performed by one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., IAB nodes 104, DUs 165, CUs 160, RUs 170, RIC 175, SMO 180) .

A UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. A UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a multimedia/entertainment device (e.g., a radio, a MP3 player, or a video device) , a camera, a gaming device, a navigation/positioning device (e.g., GNSS (global navigation satellite system) devices based on, for example, GPS (global positioning system) , Beidou, GLONASS, or Galileo, or a terrestrial-based device) , a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a smartbook, a personal computer, a smart device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, virtual reality goggles, a smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring, a smart bracelet) ) , a drone, a robot/robotic device, a vehicle, a vehicular device, a meter (e.g., parking meter, electric meter, gas meter, water meter) , a monitor, a gas pump, an appliance (e.g., kitchen appliance, washing machine, dryer) , a location tag, a medical/healthcare device, an implant, a sensor/actuator, a display, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. In some examples, a UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples.

The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that may sometimes act as relays as well as the network entities 105 and the network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in FIG. 1.

The UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may wirelessly communicate with one another via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., an access link) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of RF spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication links 125. For example, a carrier used for a communication link 125 may include a portion of a RF spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP) ) that is operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR) . Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information) , control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communications system 100 may support communication with a UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. A UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers. Communication between a network entity 105 and other devices may refer to communication between the devices and any portion (e.g., entity, sub-entity) of a network entity 105. For example, the terms “transmitting, ” “receiving, ” or “communicating, ” when referring to a network entity 105, may refer to any portion of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, a CU 160, a DU 165, a RU 170) of a RAN communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities 105) .

In some examples, such as in a carrier aggregation configuration, a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates operations for other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an evolved universal mobile telecommunication system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute RF channel number (EARFCN) ) and may be identified according to a channel raster for discovery by the UEs 115. A carrier may be operated in a standalone mode, in which case initial acquisition and connection may be conducted by the UEs 115 via the carrier, or the carrier may be operated in a non-standalone mode, in which case a connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., of the same or a different radio access technology) .

The communication links 125 shown in the wireless communications system 100 may include downlink transmissions (e.g., forward link transmissions) from a network entity 105 to a UE 115, uplink transmissions (e.g., return link transmissions) from a UE 115 to a network entity 105, or both, among other configurations of transmissions. Carriers may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in an FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in a TDD mode) .

A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the RF spectrum and, in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as a “system bandwidth” of the carrier or the wireless communications system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of a set of bandwidths for carriers of a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz) ) . Devices of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., the network entities 105, the UEs 115, or both) may have hardware configurations that support communications using a particular carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communications using one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may include network entities 105 or UEs 115 that support concurrent communications using carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured for operating using portions (e.g., a sub-band, a BWP) or all of a carrier bandwidth.

Signal waveforms transmitted via a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) ) . In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may refer to resources of one symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, in which case the symbol period and subcarrier spacing may be inversely related. The quantity of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both) , such that a relatively higher quantity of resource elements (e.g., in a transmission duration) and a relatively higher order of a modulation scheme may correspond to a relatively higher rate of communication. A wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of an RF spectrum resource, a time resource, and a spatial resource (e.g., a spatial layer, a beam) , and the use of multiple spatial resources may increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a UE 115.

The time intervals for the network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of T_s=1/ (Δf_max·N_f) seconds, for which Δf_max may represent a supported subcarrier spacing, and N_f may represent a supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. Time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms) ) . Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023) .

Each frame may include multiple consecutively-numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a quantity of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable quantity of slots, and the quantity of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include a quantity of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period) . In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots associated with one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may be associated with one or more (e.g., N_f) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.

A subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI) . In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., a quantity of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally, or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs) ) .

Physical channels may be multiplexed for communication using a carrier according to various techniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed for signaling via a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET) ) for a physical control channel may be defined by a set of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) may be configured for a set of the UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to an amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs) ) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. Search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and UE-specific search space sets for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving coverage area 110. In some examples, different coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In some other examples, the overlapping coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communications system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the network entities 105 provide coverage for various coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide for automated communication between machines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication) . M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application program that uses the information or presents the information to humans interacting with the application program. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business charging. In an aspect, techniques disclosed herein may be applicable to MTC or IoT UEs. MTC or IoT UEs may include MTC/enhanced MTC (eMTC, also referred to as CAT-M, Cat M1) UEs, NB-IoT (also referred to as CAT NB1) UEs, as well as other types of UEs. eMTC and NB-IoT may refer to future technologies that may evolve from or may be based on these technologies. For example, eMTC may include FeMTC (further eMTC) , eFeMTC (enhanced further eMTC) , and mMTC (massive MTC) , and NB-IoT may include eNB-IoT (enhanced NB-IoT) , and FeNB-IoT (further enhanced NB-IoT) .

Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ operating modes that reduce power consumption, such as half-duplex communications (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception, but not transmission and reception concurrently) . In some examples, half-duplex communications may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power conservation techniques for the UEs 115 include entering a power saving deep sleep mode when not engaging in active communications, operating using a limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communications) , or a combination of these techniques. For example, some UEs 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type that is associated with a defined portion or range (e.g., set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs) ) within a carrier, within a guard-band of a carrier, or outside of a carrier.

The wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) . The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more services such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functions may include prioritization of services, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured to support communicating directly with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., in accordance with a peer-to-peer (P2P) , D2D, or sidelink protocol) . In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of a group that are performing D2D communications may be within the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) , which may support aspects of such D2D communications being configured by (e.g., scheduled by) the network entity 105. In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 or may be otherwise unable to or not configured to receive transmissions from a network entity 105. In some examples, groups of the UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications may support a one-to-many (1: M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to each of the other UEs 115 in the group. In some examples, a network entity 105 may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In some other examples, D2D communications may be carried out between the UEs 115 without an involvement of a network entity 105.

The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC) , which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) ) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) , a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UEs 115 served by the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140) associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP services 150 for one or more network operators. The IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, Intranet (s) , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) , or a Packet-Switched Streaming Service.

The wireless communications system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, which may be in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz) . Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, which may be referred to as clusters, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the UEs 115 located indoors. Communications using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to communications using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

The wireless communications system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA) , LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology using an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While operating using unlicensed RF spectrum bands, devices such as the network entities 105 and the UEs 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations using unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating using a licensed band (e.g., LAA) . Operations using unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

A network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) or a UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of a network entity 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a network entity 105 may be located at diverse geographic locations. A network entity 105 may include an antenna array with a set of rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entity 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, an antenna panel may support RF beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port.

Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a network entity 105, a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along particular orientations with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antenna elements may include a transmitting device or a receiving device applying amplitude offsets, phase offsets, or both to signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation) .

The wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or PDCP layer may be IP-based. An RLC layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate via logical channels. A MAC layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer also may implement error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, an RRC layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UE 115 and a network entity 105 or a core network 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. A PHY layer may map transport channels to physical channels.

The wireless communications system 100 may support UEs 115 that are associated with multiple levels of reduced capabilities, which may be associated with different communications standards. A first level may be referred to as reduced capability (e.g., RedCap) , and may be associated with a first communications standard. A second level may be referred to as enhanced reduced capability (e.g., eRedCap) , and may be associated with a second communications standard.

In some implementations, relative to a RedCap configuration, an eRedCap configuration may be associated with power savings enhancements, energy efficiency enhancements, or both. For example, an eRedCap configuration may implement an enhanced discontinuous reception (eDRX) configuration in an RRC_INACTIVE state, which may be associated with a longer DRX cycle than a RedCap configuration (e.g., greater than 10.24 seconds) .

Additionally, or alternatively, an eRedCap configuration may be associated with complexity reduction, cost reduction, or both relative to a RedCap configuration, which may include further reduced UE complexity in certain frequency ranges, such as FR1 (e.g., sub-6 GHz frequency bands) . In some implementations, an eRedCap configuration may be associated with a UE baseband (BB) bandwidth reduction. For example, a UE in an eRedCap configuration may support a 5 MHz BB bandwidth for PDSCH (e.g., for unicast communications, for broadcast communications, or both) and PUSCH, with a 20 MHz RF bandwidth for uplink and downlink. Other physical channels and signals may be allowed to use a BWP up to a 20 MHz maximum RF+BB bandwidth for a UE 115. Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, an eRedCap configuration may be associated with UE peak data rate reduction. For example, an eRedCap configuration may include a relaxation of a constraint for peak data rate reduction, such as a constraint of a product of a quantity of MIMO layers, modulation order, and scaling factor being greater than or equal to four (e.g., v_Layers·Q_m·f ≥ 4) . In some examples, such a constraint for an eRedCap configuration may be relaxed to a product of a quantity of MIMO layers, modulation order, and scaling factor being equal to 1 (e.g., v_Layers·Q_m·f = 4) . In some examples of an eRedCap configuration, both 15 kHz subcarrier spacing and 30 kHz subcarrier spacing may be supported.

In accordance with examples as disclosed herein, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support a UE 115 indicating a level of reduced capability that is associated with the UE 115, such as an indication of whether the UE is associated with (e.g., designed in accordance with, configured in accordance with, operating in accordance with) a RedCap configuration or an eRedCap configuration. For example, during a random access procedure associated with the UE 115 requesting communication resources (e.g., uplink resources, downlink resources, broadcast resources) , the UE 115 may transmit a random access message that includes an indication of whether the UE 115 is associated with a first level of reduced capability (e.g., a RedCap configuration) or a second degree of reduced capability (e.g., an eRedCap configuration) . In some implementations, such an indication may be included in a third message (e.g., Msg3) of a random access procedure, which may provide an early indication of reduced capability before other messages of the random access procedure (e.g., during initial access, before Msg5) .

The indication of the level of reduced capability may be associated with different aspects of the random access message, such as being signaled by a value of an LCID associated with the message or by a value of a field of the message, or some portion thereof. Different signaling techniques may be implemented at different protocol layers of a protocol stack for communications between the UE 115 and a network entity 105, which may support indications being handled (e.g., evaluated, forwarded) in different protocol entities, or in different physical entities of a disaggregated network architecture, or support relatively low-overhead indications, among other benefits.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a process flow 200 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flow 200 illustrates examples of signaling and operations that may be performed by a UE 115-a, a network entity 105-a, and a core network 130-a. In some implementations, the network entity 105-a may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture, and may include a CU 160-a and a DU 165-a. In some other implementations, the network entity 105-a may be implemented in an aggregated architecture, in which case the network entity 105-a may be an example of a base station 140. In some such examples, operations described with reference to the CU 160-a and the DU 165-a may be implemented at different protocol entities of such a base station 140.

At 205, the process flow 200 may include the UE 115-a transmitting a first random access (RA) message (e.g., Msg1) , which may be received by the network entity 105-a (e.g., by the DU 165-a) . In some examples, the first RA message of 205 may include or be referred to as a random access preamble. The first RA message of 205 may be associated with a request by the UE 115-a for communication, such as a request for communication resources (e.g., uplink resources, downlink resources, broadcast resources, or other communications resources) , or a request for a communication configuration (e.g., a connection establishment, connection maintenance or update, a mode configuration) . In some examples, the first RA message of 205, among other RA messages, may be communicated in a BWP (e.g., a reduced-capability-specific initial uplink (UL) BWP) that is configured for UEs 115 having reduced capabilities, which may be a BWP having a bandwidth that is no wider than a threshold bandwidth for reduced capability UEs 115, and which may be narrower than a bandwidth for RA messages for UEs 115 having a baseline capability.

At 210, the process flow 200 may include the network entity 105-a (e.g., the DU 165-a) transmitting a second RA message (e.g., Msg2) , which may be received by the UE 115-a. The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the second RA message of 210 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the first RA message of 205. In some examples, the second RA message of 210 may include or be referred to as a random access response. In some examples, the second RA message of 210, among other RA messages, may be communicated in a BWP (e.g., a reduced-capability-specific initial downlink (DL) BWP) that is configured for UEs 115 having reduced capabilities, which may be a BWP having a bandwidth that is no wider than a threshold bandwidth for reduced capability UEs 115, and which may be narrower than a bandwidth for RA messages for UEs 115 having a baseline capability.

At 215, the process flow 200 may include the UE 115-a transmitting a third RA message (e.g., Msg3) , which may be received by the network entity 105-a (e.g., by the DU 165-a) . The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the third RA message of 215 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the second RA message of 210. The third RA message of 215 may include an indication of whether the UE 115-a is associated with a first level of reduced capability (e.g., a RedCap configuration, a relatively higher-capability configuration) or a second level of reduced capability (e.g., an eRedCap configuration, a relatively lower-capability configuration) . In various examples, the second level of reduced capability may be associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, among other reduced capabilities or combinations thereof.

In the example of process flow 200, the third RA message of 215 may include an RRC message that is associated with (e.g., assigned with) a logical channel identifier (LCID) , and a value of the LCID may include the indication of (e.g., may indicate) whether the UE 115-a is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. In some examples, an RRC message included in the third RA message of 215 may be or include a common control channel (CCCH) message or a downlink control channel (DCCH) message that is associated with (e.g., assigned with) an LCID, and a value of the LCID may include the indication of (e.g., may indicate) whether the UE 115-a is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. In some examples, such an LCID may be in a subheader of a CCCH message or a DCCH message, and not in the respective message itself, which may support decoding the indication from the subheader without decoding the contents of the message.

Table 1 provides an illustrative example of LCID values that may be associated with (e.g., assigned to) a UL CCCH/1 message that may be carried via the third RA message of 215, which may support early indication of a reduced capability configuration in Msg3 or PSGA PUSCH:

Table 1: LCID for UL CCCH/1 Message

As shown in the example of Table 1, different values of an LCID associated with (e.g., assigned to) a portion of the third message of 215 may be used indicate a capability configuration of the UE 115-a. For example, one or more first values (e.g., codepoint/index 0 or 52) may be associated with a CCCH for UEs 115 that are not associated with a reduced capability (e.g., non-RedCap UEs 115, UEs 115 configured in accordance with a baseline capability) , and one or more second values (e.g., codepoint/index 35 or 36) may be associated with a CCCH for UEs 115 that are associated with a first level of reduced capability (e.g., RedCap UEs 115) . In the example of process flow 200, one or more third values (e.g., any one or more of codepoint/index 37 through 42, which may be reserved or otherwise unassigned in accordance with some communications standards) may be associated with a CCCH for UEs 115 that are associated with a second level of reduced capability (e.g., eRedCap UEs 115) .

Thus, in the example of process flow 200, if the UE 115-a is associated with the first level of reduced capability (e.g., configured as a RedCap UE 115) , the UE 115-a may transmit the third RA message of 215 with an RRC message (e.g., a CCCH/1 message) associated with an LCID having a codepoint/index of 35 or 36. Alternatively, if the UE 115-a is associated with the second level of reduced capability (e.g., configured as an eRedCap UE 115) , the UE 115-a may transmit the third RA message of 215 with an RRC message associated with an LCID having a codepoint/index of a different corresponding value (e.g., one of codepoint/index 37 through 42) . In some implementations, if the UE 115-a or the network entity 105-a are associated with a coverage limited case, the UE 115-a and the network entity 105-a may be configured to use an LCID indication, such as in accordance with the example of Table 1 and, in at least some other cases, the UE 115-a and the network entity 105-a may be configured to use an enhanced LCID (eLCID) indication.

At 220, the process flow 200 may include the network entity 105-a (e.g., the DU 165-a) identifying a reduced capability level of the UE 115-a, which may be based on the indication of the third RA message of 215. In the example of process flow 200, the identification of the reduced capability level may be performed by a MAC protocol entity of the network entity 105-a, which may correspond to the DU 165-a, or MAC protocol entity of a base station 140 if the network entity 105-a is implemented in an aggregated architecture. In some examples, such an identification may be performed after the DU 165-a or other MAC entity parses an LCID associated with an RRC message (e.g., a CCCH msg) of the third RA message of 215 (e.g., from a subheader of the third RA message of 215) . Based on identifying the reduced capability level of the UE 115-a, the network entity 105-a (e.g., the DU 165-a) can allocate appropriate communications resources (e.g., physical resources) for communications with the UE 115-a (e.g., based on determining whether the UE 115-a is configured as a RedCap UE 115 or an eRedCap UE 115) .

At 225, the process flow 200 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-a (e.g., from the DU 165-a to the CU 160-a) . The message transfer of 225, or the contents of the message transferred at 225, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the identification of the reduced capability level of 220. For example, the message transfer of 225 may include an indication (e.g., to the CU 160-a) of the reduced capability level identified at 220 by the DU 165-a. In some examples, the message transfer of 225 may include or be referred to as an INITIAL UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) , and may carry an RRC message included in the third RA message of 215. In some examples, the message transferred at 225 may include an information element (IE) that indicates the reduced capability identified at 220, such as an eRedCap indication IE.

At 230, the process flow 200 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-a (e.g., from the CU 160-a to the DU 165-a) . The message transfer of 230, or the contents of the message transferred at 230, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the message transfer of 225. In some examples, the message transfer of 230 may include or be referred to as a DL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1AP.

At 235, the process flow 200 may include the network entity 105-a (e.g., the DU 165-a) determining a resource allocation for the UE 115-a, which may be based at least in part on the reduced capability level identified at 220. In some examples, determining the resource allocation for the UE 115-a may also be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the message transfer of 230.

The resource allocation of 235 may include an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability (e.g., included in the third RA message of 215) . For example, the allocation of resources at 235 may include an allocation in accordance with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is associated with the level of reduced capability identified at 220. In some examples, if the UE 115-a is determined to be associated with an eRedCap configuration, the allocation of 235 may include an allocation of a 5 MHz PDSCH (e.g., for a downlink allocation, for a broadcast allocation) , or a 5 MHz PUSCH (e.g., for an uplink allocation) . In some examples, the allocation of 235 may also include an allocation in accordance with an access restriction associated with the UE 115-a, which also may be based at least in part on the reduced capability level identified at 220.

At 240, the process flow 200 may include the network entity 105-a (e.g., the DU 165-a) transmitting a fourth RA message (e.g., Msg4) , which may be received by the UE 115-a. The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the fourth RA message of 245 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the third RA message of 240. In some examples, the fourth RA message of 245 include or be referred to as a contention resolution message. In some examples, the fourth RA message of 240 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 235 (e.g., communication resources selected based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 215, control signaling resources, RA resources, downlink resources) . Additionally, or alternatively, the fourth RA message of 240 may include an indication of a resource allocation determined at 235 (e.g., an allocation of communication resources for the UE 115-a, such as an allocation of uplink or downlink resources, that is based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 215) .

At 245, the process flow 200 may include the UE 115-a transmitting a fifth RA message (e.g., Msg5) , which may be received by the network entity 105-a (e.g., by the DU 165-a) . The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the fifth RA message of 245 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the fourth RA message of 240. In some examples, the fifth RA message of 245 include or be referred to as an RRC complete message. In some examples, the fifth RA message of 245 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 235 (e.g., communication resources indicated to the UE 115-a in or by the fourth RA message of 240, RA resources, uplink resources) .

At 250, the process flow 200 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-a (e.g., from the DU 165-a to the CU 160-a) . The message transfer of 250, or the contents of the message transferred at 250, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the fifth RA message of 245. In some examples, the message transfer of 230 may include or be referred to as a UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1AP.

In some examples, the process flow 200 may include additional operations (e.g., core network operations, such as the operations of 255 through 270, if the UE 115-a is in an RRC idle state) , which may include operations for authentication and initial context setup in the core network 130-a (e.g., after the communication of the fifth RA message of 245, in accordance with an Application Layer Protocol, such as an NG Application Protocol (NGAP) ) . For example, at 255, the process flow may include the network entity 105-a (e.g., the CU 160-a) transmitting an initial UE message, which may be received by the core network 130-a. In some examples, the communication of the initial UE message of 255 or the contents of the initial UE message of 255 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the message transfer of 250.

In some examples, at 260, the process flow 200 may include the core network 130-a transmitting an initial context setup request message, which may be received by the network entity 105-a (e.g., the CU 160-a) . In some examples, the communication of the initial context setup request message of 260 or the contents of the initial context setup request message of 260 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the initial UE message of 255.

In some examples, at 265, the process flow 200 may include the network entity 105-a transferring a UE context setup request message (e.g., from the CU 160-ato the DU 165-a) . In some examples, The transfer of the UE context setup request message 265, or the contents of the UE context setup request message, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the initial context setup request message of 260.

In some examples, at 270, the process flow 200 may include the network entity 105-a (e.g., the DU 165-a) transmitting a security mode command message, which may be received by the UE 115-a. In some examples, the communication of the security mode command message of 270 or the contents of the security mode command message of 270 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the UE context setup request message of 265. In some examples, the security mode command message of 270 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 235 (e.g., communication resources selected based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 215, control signaling resources, RA resources, downlink resources) .

In some other examples, the operations of 255 through 270 may be omitted (e.g., when the UE 115-b is not in an RRC Idle state) .

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow 300 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flow 300 illustrates examples of signaling and operations that may be performed by a UE 115-b, a network entity 105-b, and a core network 130-b. In some implementations, the network entity 105-b may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture, and may include a CU 160-b and a DU 165-b. In some other implementations, the network entity 105-b may be implemented in an aggregated architecture, in which case the network entity 105-b may be an example of a base station 140. In some such examples, operations described with reference to the CU 160-b and the DU 165-b may be implemented at different protocol entities of such a base station 140.

At 305, the process flow 300 may include the UE 115-b transmitting a first random access (RA) message (e.g., Msg1) , which may be received by the network entity 105-b (e.g., by the DU 165-b) . In some examples, the first RA message of 305 may include or be referred to as a random access preamble. The first RA message of 305 may be associated with a request by the UE 115-b for communication, such as a request for communication resources (e.g., uplink resources, downlink resources, broadcast resources, or other communications resources) , or a request for a communication configuration (e.g., a connection establishment, connection maintenance or update, a mode configuration) . In some examples, the first RA message of 305, among other RA messages, may be communicated in a BWP (e.g., a reduced-capability-specific initial uplink (UL) BWP) that is configured for UEs 115 having reduced capabilities, which may be a BWP having a bandwidth that is no wider than a threshold bandwidth for reduced capability UEs 115, and which may be narrower than a bandwidth for RA messages for UEs 115 having a baseline capability.

At 310, the process flow 300 may include the network entity 105-b (e.g., the DU 165-b) transmitting a second RA message (e.g., Msg2) , which may be received by the UE 115-b. The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the second RA message of 310 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the first RA message of 305. In some examples, the second RA message of 310 may include or be referred to as a random access response. In some examples, the second RA message of 310, among other RA messages, may be communicated in a BWP (e.g., a reduced-capability-specific initial downlink (DL) BWP) that is configured for UEs 115 having reduced capabilities, which may be a BWP having a bandwidth that is no wider than a threshold bandwidth for reduced capability UEs 115, and which may be narrower than a bandwidth for RA messages for UEs 115 having a baseline capability.

At 315, the process flow 300 may include the UE 115-b transmitting a third RA message (e.g., Msg3) , which may be received by the network entity 105-b (e.g., by the DU 165-b) . The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the third RA message of 315 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the second RA message of 310. The third RA message of 315 may include an indication of whether the UE 115-b is associated with a first level of reduced capability (e.g., a RedCap configuration, a relatively higher-capability configuration) or a second level of reduced capability (e.g., an eRedCap configuration, a relatively lower-capability configuration) . In various examples, the second level of reduced capability may be associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, among other reduced capabilities or combinations thereof.

In the example of process flow 300, the third RA message of 315 may include an RRC message (e.g., an UL RRC message) , and a value of the RRC message may include the indication of (e.g., may indicate) whether the UE 115-b is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. In some examples, an RRC message included in the third RA message of 315 may be or include a common control channel (CCCH) message or a downlink control channel (DCCH) , and a value of the CCCH message or DCCH message may include the indication of (e.g., may indicate) whether the UE 115-b is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. For example, the third RA message of 315 may include an RRCSetupRequest message, and one or more bits of the RRCSetupRequest message may indicate whether the UE 115-a is associated with a RedCap configuration or an eRedCap configuration (e.g., a bit may be set to a value of 1 indicate that the UE 115-b is an eRedCap UE 115, or set to a value of 0, which may indicate that the UE 115-b is a RedCap UE 115) . Similar techniques may additionally, or alternatively, be implemented in an RRCResumeRequest message, an RRCReestablishmentRequest message, or an RRCSystemInfoRequest message, among others. In some implementations, the UE 115-b may use an LCID of the RRC message that associated with (e.g., assigned to) a RedCap configuration, or more-generally to a reduced capability configuration, but such a bit of an RRC message itself may further distinguish the UE 115-b as being associated with an eRedCap configuration.

In some other examples, for other RRC messages (e.g., other UL CCCH messages) , including RRCResumeRequest, RRCReestablishmentRequest, and RRCSystemInfoRequest, the network entity 105-b may identify the reduced capability configuration of the UE 115-b based on a UE identity (e.g., C-RNTI, I-RNTI) . For example, if the UE 115-b is associated with an eRedCap configuration and in an RRC connected or inactive state, a UE identity of a UL CCCH message may be used to indicate the level of reduced capability associated with the UE 115-b.

Thus, in the example of process flow 300, if the UE 115-b is associated with the first level of reduced capability (e.g., configured as a RedCap UE 115) , the UE 115-b may transmit the third RA message of 315 with a first value of an RRC message (e.g., an RRCSetupRequest message or other RRC message, a CCCH message, a bit value of 0) or, if the UE 115-b is associated with the second level of reduced capability (e.g., configured as an eRedCap UE 115) , the UE 115-b may transmit the third RA message of 315 with a second value of the RRC message (e.g., a bit value of 1) .

At 320, the process flow 300 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-b (e.g., from the DU 165-b to the CU 160-b) . The message transfer of 320, or the contents of the message transferred at 320, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the third RA message of 315. For example, in the example of process flow 300, the DU 165-b, or other MAC protocol entity, may not decode contents of RRC messages, including those conveyed via the third RA message of 315. Thus, the DU 165-b, or other MAC protocol entity, may be unable to identify a level of reduced capability of the UE 115-b based on a value of an RRC message (e.g., because network entity 105-a may be configured to use a same LCID for multiple levels of reduced capability configurations) . Thus, the message transfer of 320 may be an example of communicating an RRC message, received from the UE 115-b via the third RA message of 315 and including an indication of a level of reduced capability of the UE 115-b, from a MAC layer entity (e.g., the DU 165-b) to an RRC layer entity (e.g., the CU 160-b) .

At 325, the process flow 300 may include the network entity 105-b (e.g., the CU 160-b) identifying a reduced capability level of the UE 115-b, which may be based on the message transferred at 320. In the example of process flow 300, the identification of the reduced capability level may be performed by an RRC protocol entity of the network entity 105-b, which may correspond to the CU 160-b, or an RRC protocol entity of a base station 140 if the network entity 105-b is implemented in an aggregated architecture. In some examples, such an identification may be performed after the CU 160-b or other RRC entity processes the contents of the message (e.g., the RRC message, the CCCH message) of the third RA message of 315. Based on identifying the reduced capability level of the UE 115-b, the network entity 105-b can allocate appropriate communications resources (e.g., physical resources) for communications with the UE 115-b (e.g., based on determining whether the UE 115-b is configured as a RedCap UE 115 or an eRedCap UE 115) .

At 330, the process flow 300 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-b (e.g., from the CU 160-b to the DU 165-b) . The message transfer of 330, or the contents of the message transferred at 330, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the message transfer of 320 and, in some examples, based on the identification of the reduced capability level at 325. In some examples, the message transfer of 330 may include or be referred to as a DL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1AP.

In the example of process flow 300, the message transfer of 330 may support the CU 160-b indicating the reduced capability level of the UE 115-b, as determined at 325, to the DU 165-b. For example, the message transferred at 330 may include an information element (IE) that indicates the reduced capability identified at 325, such as an eRedCap indication IE.

At 335, the process flow 300 may include the network entity 105-b (e.g., the DU 165-b) determining a resource allocation for the UE 115-b, which may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the reduced capability level indicated in the message transfer of 330.

The resource allocation of 335 may include an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability (e.g., included in the third RA message of 315) . For example, the allocation of resources at 335 may include an allocation in accordance with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is associated with the level of reduced capability identified at 325. In some examples, if the UE 115-b is determined to be associated with an eRedCap configuration, the allocation of 335 may include an allocation of a 5 MHz PDSCH (e.g., for a downlink allocation, for a broadcast allocation) , or a 5 MHz PUSCH (e.g., for an uplink allocation) . In some examples, the allocation of 335 may also include an allocation in accordance with an access restriction associated with the UE 115-b, which also may be based at least in part on the reduced capability level identified at 325.

At 340, the process flow 300 may include the network entity 105-b (e.g., the DU 165-b) transmitting a fourth RA message (e.g., Msg4) , which may be received by the UE 115-b. The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the fourth RA message of 345 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the third RA message of 340. In some examples, the fourth RA message of 345 include or be referred to as a contention resolution message. In some examples, the fourth RA message of 340 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 335 (e.g., communication resources selected based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 315, control signaling resources, RA resources, downlink resources) . Additionally, or alternatively, the fourth RA message of 340 may include an indication of a resource allocation determined at 335 (e.g., an allocation of communication resources for the UE 115-a, such as an allocation of uplink or downlink resources, that is based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 315) .

At 345, the process flow 300 may include the UE 115-b transmitting a fifth RA message (e.g., Msg5) , which may be received by the network entity 105-b (e.g., by the DU 165-b) . The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the fifth RA message of 345 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the fourth RA message of 340. In some examples, the fifth RA message of 345 include or be referred to as an RRC complete message. In some examples, the fifth RA message of 345 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 335 (e.g., communication resources indicated to the UE 115-a in or by the fourth RA message of 340, RA resources, uplink resources) .

At 350, the process flow 300 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-b (e.g., from the DU 165-b to the CU 160-b) . The message transfer of 350, or the contents of the message transferred at 350, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the fifth RA message of 345. In some examples, the message transfer of 330 may include or be referred to as a UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1AP.

In some examples, the process flow 300 may include additional operations (e.g., core network operations, such as the operations of 355 through 370, if the UE 115-b is in an RRC idle state) , which may include operations for authentication and initial context setup in the core network 130-b (e.g., after the communication of the fifth RA message of 345, in accordance with an Application Layer Protocol, such as an NG Application Protocol (NGAP) ) . For example, at 355, the process flow may include the network entity 105-b (e.g., the CU 160-b) transmitting an initial UE message, which may be received by the core network 130-b. In some examples, the communication of the initial UE message of 355 or the contents of the initial UE message of 355 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the message transfer of 350.

In some examples, at 360, the process flow 300 may include the core network 130-b transmitting an initial context setup request message, which may be received by the network entity 105-b (e.g., the CU 160-b) . In some examples, the communication of the initial context setup request message of 360 or the contents of the initial context setup request message of 360 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the initial UE message of 355.

In some examples, at 365, the process flow 300 may include the network entity 105-b transferring a UE context setup request message (e.g., from the CU 160-b to the DU 165-b) . In some examples, The transfer of the UE context setup request message 365, or the contents of the UE context setup request message, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the initial context setup request message of 360.

In some examples, at 230, the process flow 300 may include the network entity 105-b (e.g., the DU 165-b) transmitting a security mode command message, which may be received by the UE 115-b. In some examples, the communication of the security mode command message of 370 or the contents of the security mode command message of 370 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the UE context setup request message of 365. In some examples, the security mode command message of 370 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 335 (e.g., communication resources selected based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 315, control signaling resources, RA resources, downlink resources) .

In some other examples, the operations of 355 through 370 may be omitted (e.g., when the UE 115-b is not in an RRC Idle state) .

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flow 400 illustrates examples of signaling and operations that may be performed by a UE 115-c and a network entity 105-c. In some implementations, the network entity 105-c may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture, and may include a CU 160-c and a DU 165-c. In some other implementations, the network entity 105-c may be implemented in an aggregated architecture, in which case the network entity 105-c may be an example of a base station 140. In some such examples, operations described with reference to the CU 160-c and the DU 165-c may be implemented at different protocol entities of such a base station 140.

At 405, the process flow 400 may include the UE 115-c transmitting a first random access (RA) message (e.g., Msg1) , which may be received by the network entity 105-c (e.g., by the DU 165-c) . In some examples, the first RA message of 405 may include or be referred to as a random access preamble. The first RA message of 405 may be associated with a request by the UE 115-c for communication, such as a request for communication resources (e.g., uplink resources, downlink resources, broadcast resources, or other communications resources) , or a request for a communication configuration (e.g., a connection establishment, connection maintenance or update, a mode configuration) . In some examples, the first RA message of 405, among other RA messages, may be communicated in a BWP (e.g., a reduced-capability-specific initial uplink (UL) BWP) that is configured for UEs 115 having reduced capabilities, which may be a BWP having a bandwidth that is no wider than a threshold bandwidth for reduced capability UEs 115, and which may be narrower than a bandwidth for RA messages for UEs 115 having a baseline capability.

At 410, the process flow 400 may include the network entity 105-c (e.g., the DU 165-c) transmitting a second RA message (e.g., Msg2) , which may be received by the UE 115-c. The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the second RA message of 410 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the first RA message of 405. In some examples, the second RA message of 410 may include or be referred to as a random access response. In some examples, the second RA message of 410, among other RA messages, may be communicated in a BWP (e.g., a reduced-capability- specific initial downlink (DL) BWP) that is configured for UEs 115 having reduced capabilities, which may be a BWP having a bandwidth that is no wider than a threshold bandwidth for reduced capability UEs 115, and which may be narrower than a bandwidth for RA messages for UEs 115 having a baseline capability.

At 415, the process flow 400 may include the UE 115-c transmitting a third RA message (e.g., Msg3) , which may be received by the network entity 105-c (e.g., by the DU 165-c) . The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the third RA message of 415 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the second RA message of 410. The third RA message of 415 may include an indication of whether the UE 115-c is associated with a first level of reduced capability (e.g., a RedCap configuration, a relatively higher-capability configuration) or a second level of reduced capability (e.g., an eRedCap configuration, a relatively lower-capability configuration) . In various examples, the second level of reduced capability may be associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, among other reduced capabilities or combinations thereof.

In the example of process flow 400, the third RA message of 415 may include a MAC signaling that is associated with the indication of the reduced capability level of the UE 115-c. For example, (e.g., if the UE 115-c is associated with the second level of reduced capability) the third RA message of 415 may include a reduced capability indication MAC control element (CE) (e.g., an eRedCap indication MAC CE) which, in some examples, may have a fixed size of zero bits. In some examples, a single LCID may be assigned to such a MAC CE, which may save UL LCID space. In some examples, the zero bit payload of such a MAC CE may be beneficial for a Msg3 with a small UL grant size. The MAC CE may be associated with one byte of overhead in the MAC subheader, and may be applied to various purposes of a random access procedure.

Additionally, or alternatively, the third RA message of 415 may implement values of an enhanced LCID (eLCID) in an eLCID MAC subheader of an RRC message (e.g., a CCCH message, an UL CCCH/1 message) for indicating a level of reduced capability of the UE 115-c (e.g., in Msg3 or MSGA PUSCH) . For example, if the UE 115-c is associated with an eRedCap configuration, one or more values of an eLCID may be associated with indicating an eRedCap configuration. In some examples, one or more values of an eLCID may be associated with indicating a RedCap configuration, or an absence of an eLCID may be associated with indicating a RedCap configuration, among other capability indications. Such techniques may also be associated with a one-byte overhead, and may be implemented in accordance with Diagram 1.

Diagram 1 –Reduced capability indication MAC CE

Thus, in the example of process flow 400, if the UE 115-c is associated with the second level of reduced capability (e.g., configured as an eRedCap UE 115) , the UE 115-c may transmit the third RA message of 415 with a MAC CE that indicates the second level of reduced capability (e.g., by a presence of the MAC CE, by a value of the MAC CE, by a value of an LCID associated with the MAC CE) , or may transmit an eLCID in an eLCID MAC subheader for an RRC message (e.g., a CCCH message, a CCCH/1 message) associated with (e.g., assigned with) a value corresponding to the second level of reduced capability (e.g., the eRedCap configuration) . If the UE 115-c is associated with the first level of reduced capability (e.g., configured as a RedCap UE 115) , the UE 115-c may transmit the third RA message of 415 without a MAC CE that indicates the second level of reduced capability (e.g., indicating the first level of reduced capability by an absence of the MAC CE or by a presence of a different MAC CE) , or may transmit the third RA message of 415 without an eLCID in an eLCID MAC subheader, including such an eLCID for an RRC message (e.g., a CCCH message) associated with (e.g., assigned with) the first value (e.g., indicating the first level of reduced capability by an absence of the eLCID) , such as if the UE 115-c is not configured to use an eLCID because it is associated with the first level of reduced capability) .

At 420, the process flow 400 may include the network entity 105-c (e.g., the DU 165-c) identifying a reduced capability level of the UE 115-c, which may be based on the indication of the third RA message of 415. In the example of process flow 400, the identification of the reduced capability level may be performed by a MAC protocol entity of the network entity 105-c, which may correspond to the DU 165-c, or MAC protocol entity of a base station 140 if the network entity 105-c is implemented in an aggregated architecture. In some examples, such an identification may be performed after the DU 165-c or other MAC entity parses a MAC CE, such as an eRedCap MAC CE. In some other examples, such an identification may be performed after the DU 165-a or other MAC entity parses an eLCID from an eLCID MAC subheader associated with an RRC message (e.g., a CCCH msg) of the third RA message of 215 (e.g., from a MAC subheader of the third RA message of 215) .

Based on identifying the reduced capability level of the UE 115-c, the network entity 105-c (e.g., the DU 165-c) can allocate appropriate communications resources (e.g., physical resources) for communications with the UE 115-c (e.g., based on determining whether the UE 115-c is configured as a RedCap UE 115 or an eRedCap UE 115) .

At 425, the process flow 400 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-c (e.g., from the DU 165-c to the CU 160-c) . The message transfer of 425, or the contents of the message transferred at 425, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the identification of the reduced capability level of 420. For example, the message transfer of 425 may include an indication (e.g., to the CU 160-c) of the reduced capability level identified at 420 by the DU 165-c. In some examples, the message transfer of 425 may include or be referred to as an INITIAL UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) , and may carry an RRC message included in the third RA message of 415. In some examples, the message transferred at 425 may include an information element (IE) that indicates the reduced capability identified at 420, such as an eRedCap indication IE.

At 430, the process flow 400 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-c (e.g., from the CU 160-c to the DU 165-c) . The message transfer of 430, or the contents of the message transferred at 430, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the message transfer of 425. In some examples, the message transfer of 430 may include or be referred to as a DL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1AP.

At 435, the process flow 400 may include the network entity 105-c (e.g., the DU 165-c) determining a resource allocation for the UE 115-c, which may be based at least in part on the reduced capability level identified at 420. In some examples, determining the resource allocation for the UE 115-c may also be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the message transfer of 430.

The resource allocation of 435 may include an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability (e.g., included in the third RA message of 415) . For example, the allocation of resources at 435 may include an allocation in accordance with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is associated with the level of reduced capability identified at 420. In some examples, if the UE 115-c is determined to be associated with an eRedCap configuration, the allocation of 435 may include an allocation of a 5 MHz PDSCH (e.g., for a downlink allocation, for a broadcast allocation) , or a 5 MHz PUSCH (e.g., for an uplink allocation) . In some examples, the allocation of 435 may also include an allocation in accordance with an access restriction associated with the UE 115-c, which also may be based at least in part on the reduced capability level identified at 420.

At 440, the process flow 400 may include the network entity 105-c (e.g., the DU 165-c) transmitting a fourth RA message (e.g., Msg4) , which may be received by the UE 115-c. The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the fourth RA message of 445 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the third RA message of 440. In some examples, the fourth RA message of 445 include or be referred to as a contention resolution message. In some examples, the fourth RA message of 440 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 435 (e.g., communication resources selected based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 215, control signaling resources, RA resources, downlink resources) . Additionally, or alternatively, the fourth RA message of 440 may include an indication of a resource allocation determined at 435 (e.g., an allocation of communication resources for the UE 115-a, such as an allocation of uplink or downlink resources, that is based at least in part on the reduced capability indication included in the third RA message of 415) .

At 445, the process flow 400 may include the UE 115-c transmitting a fifth RA message (e.g., Msg5) , which may be received by the network entity 105-c (e.g., by the DU 165-c) . The transmission of, contents of, or reception of the fifth RA message of 445 may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the fourth RA message of 440. In some examples, the fifth RA message of 445 include or be referred to as an RRC complete message. In some examples, the fifth RA message of 445 may be transmitted via communication resources that are determined at 435 (e.g., communication resources indicated to the UE 115-a in or by the fourth RA message of 440, RA resources, uplink resources) .

At 450, the process flow 400 may include a message transfer at the network entity 105-c (e.g., from the DU 165-c to the CU 160-c) . The message transfer of 450, or the contents of the message transferred at 450, may be based at least in part on (e.g., responsive to) the fifth RA message of 445. In some examples, the message transfer of 430 may include or be referred to as a UL RRC MESSAGE TRANSFER in accordance with an F1AP.

In some examples, the process flow 400 may include additional operations (e.g., core network operations, such as the operations of 255 through 270 as described with reference to process flow 200, if the UE 115-c is in an RRC idle state) , which may include operations for authentication and initial context setup in the core network 130 (e.g., not shown, after the communication of the fifth RA message of 445, in accordance with an Application Layer Protocol, such as an NG Application Protocol (NGAP) ) . In some other examples, such operations may be omitted (e.g., when the UE 115-b is not in an RRC Idle state) .

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram 500 of a device 505 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 505 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510, a transmitter 515, and a communications manager 520. The device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The receiver 510 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to reduced capability indications for random access) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The transmitter 515 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 505. For example, the transmitter 515 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to reduced capability indications for random access) . In some examples, the transmitter 515 may be co-located with a receiver 510 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 515 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein. For example, the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

In some examples, the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , a central processing unit (CPU) , a graphics processing unit (GPU) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and memory coupled with the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing, by the processor, instructions stored in the memory) .

Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software) executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 520, the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a GPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure) .

In some examples, the communications manager 520 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or both. For example, the communications manager 520 may receive information from the receiver 510, send information to the transmitter 515, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

The communications manager 520 may support wireless communication at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 520 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication. The communications manager 520 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The communications manager 520 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The communications manager 520 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

By including or configuring the communications manager 520 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 505 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 510, the transmitter 515, the communications manager 520, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for indicating to a network entity 105 one of multiple levels of reduced capability that is associated with the device 705. Such techniques may support the network entity 105 allocating resources to the device 705 with an improved alignment with the capabilities of the device 705 (e.g., avoiding an over-allocation of resources that may not be fully utilized by the device 705) , while also supporting coexistence of devices (e.g., UEs 115) associated with different levels of reduced capability, thereby supporting a more efficient utilization of communication resources and a greater diversity of device capabilities than if such indications were not implemented.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 of a device 605 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of aspects of a device 505 or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communications manager 620. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The receiver 610 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to reduced capability indications for random access) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The transmitter 615 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to reduced capability indications for random access) . In some examples, the transmitter 615 may be co-located with a receiver 610 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The device 605, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein. For example, the communications manager 620 may include a random access message generation component 625 a random access message processing component 630, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 620 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 520 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 620, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communications manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, send information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

The communications manager 620 may support wireless communication at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The random access message generation component 625 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication. The random access message processing component 630 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The random access message generation component 625 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The random access message processing component 630 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram 700 of a communications manager 720 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 720 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 520, a communications manager 620, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 720, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein. For example, the communications manager 720 may include a random access message generation component 725, a random access message processing component730, an RRC component 735, a MAC component 740, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The communications manager 720 may support wireless communication at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The random access message generation component 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication. The random access message processing component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The random access message generation component 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The random access message processing component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, to support transmitting the third random access message, the RRC component 735 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, via the third random access message, an RRC message associated with an LCID, and a value of the LCID may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, to support transmitting the third random access message, the RRC component 735 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, via the third random access message, an RRC message, and a value of the RRC message may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, to support transmitting the third random access message, the MAC component 740 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, via the third random access message, a MAC CE associated with an LCID, and a value of the LCID of the MAC CE may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. In some examples, the MAC CE may be associated with a payload of zero bits.

In some examples, to support transmitting the third random access message, the MAC Component 740 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, via the third random access message, a MAC subheader associated with an eLCID, and a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, the allocation of resources may be associated with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, the second level of reduced capability may be associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram of a system 800 including a device 805 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 805 may be an example of or include the components of a device 505, a device 605, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 805 may communicate (e.g., wirelessly) with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof. The device 805 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 820, an input/output (I/O) controller 810, a transceiver 815, an antenna 825, a memory 830, code 835, and a processor 840. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 845) .

The I/O controller 810 may manage input and output signals for the device 805. The I/O controller 810 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device 805. In some cases, the I/O controller 810 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controller 810 may utilize an operating system such as or another known operating system. Additionally, or alternatively, the I/O controller 810 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. In some cases, the I/O controller 810 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 840. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 805 via the I/O controller 810 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 810.

In some cases, the device 805 may include a single antenna 825. However, in some other cases, the device 805 may have more than one antenna 825, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 815 may communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 825, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 815 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 815 may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 825 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 825. The transceiver 815, or the transceiver 815 and one or more antennas 825, may be an example of a transmitter 515, a transmitter 615, a receiver 510, a receiver 610, or any combination thereof or component thereof, as described herein.

The memory 830 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) . The memory 830 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 835 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 840, cause the device 805 to perform various functions described herein. The code 835 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 835 may not be directly executable by the processor 840 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 830 may contain, among other things, a basic I/O system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The processor 840 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a GPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some cases, the processor 840 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 840. The processor 840 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 830) to cause the device 805 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting reduced capability indications for random access) . For example, the device 805 or a component of the device 805 may include a processor 840 and memory 830 coupled with or to the processor 840, the processor 840 and memory 830 configured to perform various functions described herein.

The communications manager 820 may support wireless communication at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 820 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication. The communications manager 820 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The communications manager 820 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The communications manager 820 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

By including or configuring the communications manager 820 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 805 may support techniques for indicating to a network entity 105 one of multiple levels of reduced capability that is associated with the device 705, improving coordination of resources between the device 1005 and the network entity 105. For example, such techniques may support the network entity 105 allocating resources to the device 705 with an improved alignment with the capabilities of the device 705 (e.g., avoiding an over-allocation of resources that may not be fully utilized by the device 705) , while also supporting coexistence of devices (e.g., UEs 115) associated with different levels of reduced capability, thereby supporting a more efficient utilization of communication resources and a greater diversity of device capabilities than if such indications were not implemented.

In some examples, the communications manager 820 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 815, the one or more antennas 825, or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 820 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 820 may be supported by or performed by the processor 840, the memory 830, the code 835, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 835 may include instructions executable by the processor 840 (e.g., directly, indirectly, after pre-processing or compiling, without pre-processing or compiling) to cause the device 805 to perform various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein, or the processor 840 and the memory 830 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram 900 of a device 905 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of aspects of a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 905 may include a receiver 910, a transmitter 915, and a communications manager 920. The device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The receiver 910 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 905. In some examples, the receiver 910 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 910 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

The transmitter 915 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 905. For example, the transmitter 915 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . In some examples, the transmitter 915 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 915 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 915 and the receiver 910 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.

The communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein. For example, the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

In some examples, the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a DSP, a CPU, a GPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and memory coupled with the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing, by the processor, instructions stored in the memory) .

Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software) executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 920, the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a GPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure) .

In some examples, the communications manager 920 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or both. For example, the communications manager 920 may receive information from the receiver 910, send information to the transmitter 915, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

The communications manager 920 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication from a UE. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

By including or configuring the communications manager 920 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 905 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 910, the transmitter 915, the communications manager 920, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for obtaining one of multiple levels of reduced capability that is associated with a UE 115. Such techniques may support the device 1105 allocating resources to the UE 115 with an improved alignment with the capabilities of the UE 115 (e.g., avoiding an over-allocation of resources that may not be fully utilized by the UE 115) , while also supporting coexistence of devices (e.g., UEs 115) associated with different levels of reduced capability, thereby supporting a more efficient utilization of communication resources and a greater diversity of device capabilities than if such indications were not implemented.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of aspects of a device 905 or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a transmitter 1015, and a communications manager 1020. The device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The receiver 1010 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1005. In some examples, the receiver 1010 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1010 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

The transmitter 1015 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1005. For example, the transmitter 1015 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . In some examples, the transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1015 and the receiver 1010 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.

The device 1005, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1020 may include a random access message processing component 1025 a random access message generation component 1030, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 1020 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 920 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 1020, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both. For example, the communications manager 1020 may receive information from the receiver 1010, send information to the transmitter 1015, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

The communications manager 1020 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The random access message processing component 1025 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication from a UE. The random access message generation component 1030 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The random access message processing component 1025 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The random access message generation component 1030 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram 1100 of a communications manager 1120 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 1120 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 920, a communications manager 1020, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 1120, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1120 may include a random access message processing component 1125, a random access message generation component 1130, an RRC component 1135, a MAC component 1140, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) which may include communications within a protocol layer of a protocol stack, communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack, within a device, component, or virtualized component associated with a network entity 105, between devices, components, or virtualized components associated with a network entity 105) , or any combination thereof.

The communications manager 1120 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The random access message processing component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication from a UE. The random access message generation component 1130 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The random access message processing component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The random access message generation component 1130 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, to support obtaining the third random access message, the RRC component 1135 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, via the third random access message, an RRC message associated with an LCID, and a value of the LCID may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, to support obtaining the third random access message, the RRC component 1135 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, via the third random access message, an RRC message, and a value of the RRC message may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, the MAC component 1140 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating the RRC message from a MAC layer entity to an RRC layer entity. In some examples, the RRC Component 1135 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for decoding the value of the RRC message at the RRC layer entity.

In some examples, to support communicating the RRC message, the MAC component 1140 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating the RRC message from a DU of a network entity to a CU of the network entity.

In some examples, the RRC component 1135 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for indicating, from the CU of the network entity to the DU of the network entity, whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, to support obtaining the third random access message, the MAC component 1140 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, via the third random access message, a MAC CE associated with an LCID, and a value of the LCID of the MAC CE may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. In some examples, the MAC CE is associated with a payload of zero bits.

In some examples, to support obtaining the third random access message, the MAC component 1140 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, via the third random access message, a MAC subheader associated with an eLCID, and a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader may include the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

In some examples, the MAC component 1140 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for indicating, from a DU of a network entity to a CU of the network entity, whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

FIG. 12 illustrates a diagram of a system 1200 including a device 1205 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1205 may be an example of or include the components of a device 905, a device 1005, or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1205 may communicate with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof, which may include communications over one or more wired interfaces, over one or more wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. The device 1205 may include components that support outputting and obtaining communications, such as a communications manager 1220, a transceiver 1210, an antenna 1215, a memory 1225, code 1230, and a processor 1235. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 1240) .

The transceiver 1210 may support bi-directional communications via wired links, wireless links, or both as described herein. In some examples, the transceiver 1210 may include a wired transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the transceiver 1210 may include a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, the device 1205 may include one or more antennas 1215, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., concurrently) . The transceiver 1210 may also include a modem to modulate signals, to provide the modulated signals for transmission (e.g., by one or more antennas 1215, by a wired transmitter) , to receive modulated signals (e.g., from one or more antennas 1215, from a wired receiver) , and to demodulate signals. In some implementations, the transceiver 1210 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1215 that are configured to support various receiving or obtaining operations, or one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1215 that are configured to support various transmitting or outputting operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1210 may include or be configured for coupling with one or more processors or memory components that are operable to perform or support operations based at least in part on received or obtained information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other outputting, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1210, or the transceiver 1210 and the one or more antennas 1215, or the transceiver 1210 and the one or more antennas 1215 and one or more processors or memory components (for example, the processor 1235, or the memory 1225, or both) , may be included in a chip or chip assembly that is installed in the device 1205. In some examples, the transceiver may be operable to support communications via one or more communications links (e.g., a communication link 125, a backhaul communication link 120, a midhaul communication link 162, a fronthaul communication link 168) .

The memory 1225 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1225 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1230 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1235, cause the device 1205 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1230 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1230 may not be directly executable by the processor 1235 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1225 may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The processor 1235 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, a GPU, an FPGA, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some cases, the processor 1235 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1235. The processor 1235 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1225) to cause the device 1205 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting reduced capability indications for random access) . For example, the device 1205 or a component of the device 1205 may include a processor 1235 and memory 1225 coupled with the processor 1235, the processor 1235 and memory 1225 configured to perform various functions described herein. The processor 1235 may be an example of a cloud-computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as operating systems, virtual machines, or container instances) that may host the functions (e.g., by executing code 1230) to perform the functions of the device 1205. The processor 1235 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the device 1205 (such as within the memory 1225) . In some implementations, the processor 1235 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system may generally refer to a system or series of machines or components that receives inputs and processes the inputs to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of, for example, the device 1205) . For example, a processing system of the device 1205 may refer to a system including the various other components or subcomponents of the device 1205, such as the processor 1235, or the transceiver 1210, or the communications manager 1220, or other components or combinations of components of the device 1205. The processing system of the device 1205 may interface with other components of the device 1205, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) or output information to other components. For example, a chip or modem of the device 1205 may include a processing system and one or more interfaces to output information, or to obtain information, or both. The one or more interfaces may be implemented as or otherwise include a first interface configured to output information and a second interface configured to obtain information, or a same interface configured to output information and to obtain information, among other implementations. In some implementations, the one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, such that the device 1205 may transmit information output from the chip or modem. Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, the one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, such that the device 1205 may obtain information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system. A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that a first interface also may obtain information or signal inputs, and a second interface also may output information or signal outputs.

In some examples, a bus 1240 may support communications of (e.g., within) a protocol layer of a protocol stack. In some examples, a bus 1240 may support communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack) , which may include communications performed within a component of the device 1205, or between different components of the device 1205 that may be co-located or located in different locations (e.g., where the device 1205 may refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager 1220, the transceiver 1210, the memory 1225, the code 1230, and the processor 1235 may be located in one of the different components or divided between different components) .

In some examples, the communications manager 1220 may manage aspects of communications with a core network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links) . For example, the communications manager 1220 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 1220 may manage communications with other network entities 105, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other network entities 105. In some examples, the communications manager 1220 may support an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.

The communications manager 1220 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication from a UE. The communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability. The communications manager 1220 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

By including or configuring the communications manager 1220 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1205 may support techniques for obtaining an indication of one of multiple levels of reduced capability that is associated with a UE 115, improving coordination of resources between the UE 115 and the device 1405. For example, such techniques may support the device 1405 allocating resources to the UE 115 with an improved alignment with the capabilities of the UE 115 (e.g., avoiding an over-allocation of resources that may not be fully utilized by the UE 115) , while also supporting coexistence of devices (e.g., UEs 115) associated with different levels of reduced capability, thereby supporting a more efficient utilization of communication resources and a greater diversity of device capabilities than if such indications were not implemented.

In some examples, the communications manager 1220 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 1210, the one or more antennas 1215 (e.g., where applicable) , or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1220 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 1220 may be supported by or performed by the transceiver 1210, the processor 1235, the memory 1225, the code 1230, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 1230 may include instructions executable by the processor 1235 (e.g., directly, indirectly, after pre-processing or compiling, without pre-processing or compiling) to cause the device 1205 to perform various aspects of reduced capability indications for random access as described herein, or the processor 1235 and the memory 1225 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1300 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1300 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 8. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1305, the method may include transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication. The operations of 1305 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1305 may be performed by a random access message generation component 725 as described with reference to FIG. 7.

At 1310, the method may include receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The operations of 1310 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed by a random access message processing component730 as described with reference to FIG. 7.

At 1315, the method may include transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability (e.g., RedCap or eRedCap) . The operations of 1315 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1315 may be performed by a random access message generation component 725 as described with reference to FIG. 7.

At 1320, the method may include receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of communication resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. The operations of 1320 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1320 may be performed by a random access message processing component730 as described with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1400 that supports reduced capability indications for random access in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be performed by a network entity as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 4 and 9 through 12. In some examples, a network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1405, the method may include obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication from a UE. The operations of 1405 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by a random access message processing component 1125 as described with reference to FIG. 11.

At 1410, the method may include outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message. The operations of 1410 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a random access message generation component 1130 as described with reference to FIG. 11.

At 1415, the method may include obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message including an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability (e.g., RedCap or eRedCap) . The operations of 1415 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by a random access message processing component 1125 as described with reference to FIG. 11.

At 1420, the method may include outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message, the fourth random access message including an allocation of resources that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability. The operations of 1420 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed by a random access message generation component 1130 as described with reference to FIG. 11.

The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:

Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at a UE, comprising: transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources; receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message; transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message comprising an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability; and receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises: transmitting, via the third random access message, an RRC message associated with an LCID, wherein a value of the LCID comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 3: The method of any of aspects 1 through 2, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises: transmitting, via the third random access message, an RRC message, wherein a value of the RRC message comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises: transmitting, via the third random access message, a MAC CE associated with an LCID, wherein a value of the LCID of the MAC CE comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 5: The method of aspect 4, wherein the MAC CE is associated with a payload of zero bits.

Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1 through 5, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises: transmitting, via the third random access message, a MAC subheader associated with an eLCID, wherein a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1 through 6, wherein the communication resources are associated with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1 through 7, wherein the second level of reduced capability is associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, or a combination thereof.

Aspect 9: A method for wireless communication, comprising: obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication resources from a UE; outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message; obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message comprising an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability; and outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 10: The method of aspect 9, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises: obtaining, via the third random access message, an RRC message associated with an LCID, wherein a value of the LCID comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 11: The method of any of aspects 9 through 10, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises: obtaining, via the third random access message, an RRC message, wherein a value of the RRC message comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 12: The method of aspect 11, further comprising: communicating the RRC message from a MAC layer entity to an RRC layer entity; and decoding the value of the RRC message at the RRC layer entity.

Aspect 13: The method of aspect 12, wherein communicating the RRC message comprises: communicating the RRC message from a DU of a network entity to a CU of the network entity.

Aspect 14: The method of aspect 13, further comprising: indicating, from the CU of the network entity to the DU of the network entity, whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 15: The method of any of aspects 9 through 14, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises: obtaining, via the third random access message, a MAC CE associated with an LCID, wherein a value of the LCID of the MAC CE comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 16: The method of aspect 15, wherein the MAC CE is associated with a payload of zero bits.

Aspect 17: The method of any of aspects 9 through 16, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises: obtaining, via the third random access message, a MAC subheader associated with an eLCID, wherein a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 18: The method of any of aspects 9 through 17, further comprising: indicating, from a DU of a network entity to a CU of the network entity, whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 19: The method of any of aspects 9 through 18, wherein the communication resources are associated with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.

Aspect 20: The method of any of aspects 9 through 19, wherein the second level of reduced capability is associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, or a combination thereof.

Aspect 21: An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising at least one processor and memory coupled with the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 8.

Aspect 22: An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 1 through 8.

Aspect 23: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a UE, the code comprising instructions executable by at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after pre-processing, without pre-processing) to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 8.

Aspect 24: An apparatus for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising at least one processor and memory coupled with the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to perform a method of any of aspects 9 through 20.

Aspect 25: An apparatus for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 9 through 20.

Aspect 26: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a network entity, the code comprising instructions executable by at least one processor (e.g., directly, indirectly, after pre-processing, without pre-processing) to perform a method of any of aspects 9 through 20.

It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) , Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, as well as other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies, not explicitly mentioned herein.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, a GPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor but, in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration) .

The functions described herein may be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, or any combination thereof. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, or functions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. If implemented using software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as or transmitted using one or more instructions or code of a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, phase change memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) , or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk and Blu-ray disc. Disks may reproduce data magnetically, and discs may reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., including a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means, e.g., A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) . Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. ” As used herein, the term “and/or, ” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.

The term “determine” or “determining” or “identify” or “identifying” encompasses a variety of actions and, therefore, “determining” or “identifying” can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (such as via looking up in a table, a database or another data structure) , ascertaining and the like. Also, “determining” or “identifying” can include receiving (such as receiving information or signaling, e.g., receiving information or signaling for determining, receiving information or signaling for identifying) , accessing (such as accessing data in a memory, or accessing information) and the like. Also, “determining” or “identifying” can include resolving, obtaining, selecting, choosing, establishing and other such similar actions.

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “example” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration, ” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples. ” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory coupled with the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to:

transmit a first random access message associated with a request for communication;

receive a second random access message responsive to the first random access message;

transmit a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message comprising an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability; and

receive a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to transmit the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to:

transmit, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to transmit the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to:

transmit, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein a value of the RRC message comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to transmit the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to:

transmit, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID of the MAC CE comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the MAC CE is associated with a payload of zero bits.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to transmit the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the UE to:

transmit, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) subheader associated with an enhanced logical channel identifier (eLCID) , wherein a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication resources are associated with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second level of reduced capability is associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, or a combination thereof.
An apparatus for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory coupled with the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

obtain a first random access message associated with a request for communication from a UE;

output a second random access message responsive to the first random access message;

obtain a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message comprising an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability; and

output a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions to obtain the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

obtain, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions to obtain the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

obtain, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein a value of the RRC message comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

communicate the RRC message from a medium access control (MAC) layer entity to an RRC layer entity; and

decode the value of the RRC message at the RRC layer entity.
The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions to communicate the RRC message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

communicate the RRC message from a distributed unit (DU) of a network entity to a central unit (CU) of the network entity.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

indicate, from the CU of the network entity to the DU of the network entity, whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions to obtain the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

obtain, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID of the MAC CE comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the MAC CE is associated with a payload of zero bits.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions to obtain the third random access message are executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

obtain, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) subheader associated with an enhanced logical channel identifier (eLCID) , wherein a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the network entity to:

indicate, from a distributed unit (DU) of a network entity to a central unit (CU) of the network entity, whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the communication resources are associated with a baseband bandwidth or a data rate that is based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second level of reduced capability is associated with a lower baseband bandwidth than the first level of reduced capability, a lower data rate than the first level of reduced capability, or a longer discontinuous reception cycle than the first level of reduced capability, or a combination thereof.
A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

transmitting a first random access message associated with a request for communication;

receiving a second random access message responsive to the first random access message;

transmitting a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message comprising an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability; and

receiving a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises:

transmitting, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises:

transmitting, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein a value of the RRC message comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises:

transmitting, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID of the MAC CE comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the third random access message comprises:

transmitting, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) subheader associated with an enhanced logical channel identifier (eLCID) , wherein a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
A method for wireless communication, comprising:

obtaining a first random access message associated with a request for communication from a user equipment (UE) ;

outputting a second random access message responsive to the first random access message;

obtaining a third random access message responsive to the second random access message, the third random access message comprising an indication of whether the UE is associated with a first level of reduced capability or a second level of reduced capability; and

outputting a fourth random access message responsive to the third random access message via communication resources that are based at least in part on the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 26, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises:

obtaining, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 26, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises:

obtaining, via the third random access message, a radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein a value of the RRC message comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 26, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises:

obtaining, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) associated with a logical channel identifier (LCID) , wherein a value of the LCID of the MAC CE comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.
The method of claim 26, wherein obtaining the third random access message comprises:

obtaining, via the third random access message, a medium access control (MAC) subheader associated with an enhanced logical channel identifier (eLCID) , wherein a value of the eLCID associated with the MAC subheader comprises the indication of whether the UE is associated with the first level of reduced capability or the second level of reduced capability.