WO2025065437A1

WO2025065437A1 - Cell activation

Info

Publication number: WO2025065437A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/122343
Authority: WO
Inventors: Parham KAZEMI; Lei Du; Lars Dalsgaard
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-09-27
Filing date: 2023-09-27
Publication date: 2025-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-27

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, and computer readable storage medium for cell activation. In a method, a first apparatus receives, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells. Then, the first apparatus transmits, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells. An activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on the number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells. The second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

Description

CELL ACTIVATION

FIELDS

Various example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular, to apparatuses, methods, and computer readable storage medium for cell activation.

BACKGROUND

In new radio (NR) -as in long term evolution (LTE) , a secondary cell (SCell) can be activated or deactivated. The transitions between activated and deactivated status may be based on Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) commands from a network e.g., an SCell activation or deactivation command. When user equipment (UE) activates a deactivated SCell, it takes time i.e., an activation delay to transition from deactivated to activated statuses. In Release 18 (R18) , the UE may send Layer 3 (L3) measurement reporting after an SCell activation command to reduce the activation delay. It is agreed the L3 reporting can be applied to multiple SCell activation. However, it is still open how to activate the multiple SCells if the UE sends the L3 report after the SCell activation command.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: receive, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and transmit, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, and the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to: transmit, to a first apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and receive, from the first apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and transmitting, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, and the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: transmitting, to a first apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and receiving, from the first apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, and the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and means for receiving, from the first apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect.

In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

It is to be understood that the Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling diagram for a cell activation process 200 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B illustrate example processes of cell activation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first apparatus according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second apparatus according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first, ” “second, ” …, etc. in front of noun (s) and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another and they do not limit the order of the noun (s) . For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or” , mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR) , Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) , the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In some example embodiments, radio access network (RAN) split architecture comprises a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node comprises a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part that behaves like a UE toward the parent node, and a DU part of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE) , a Subscriber Station (SS) , a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS) , or an Access Terminal (AT) . The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery) , an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node) . In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “communication device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

As used herein, the term “resource, ” “transmission resource, ” “resource block, ” “physical resource block” (PRB) , “uplink resource, ” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing a communication, for example, a communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a resource in time domain, a resource in frequency domain, a resource in space domain, a resource in code domain, or any other combination of the time, frequency, space and/or code domain resource enabling a communication, and the like. In the following, unless explicitly stated, a resource in both frequency domain and time domain will be used as an example of a transmission resource for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It is noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

As mentioned above, when a UE activates a deactivated SCell, it takes time i.e., activation delay T_{activation_time} to transition from deactivated to activated statuses. The delay requirements is defined within which the UE is able to activate a deactivated SCell, upon receiving the SCell activation command in slot n for more than one SCell, no later than in slotfor example, as specified in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standards such as 3GPP TS 38.133 section 8.3.2.

It is approved to reduce the SCell activation delay in frequency range 2 (FR2) . Moreover, it is agreed that the UE may assist reduction of the activation by sending a Layer 3 (L3) measurement result to the network after the SCell activation command. For example, the UE needs to report the L3 measurement result after SCell activation command. L3 measurement results may not be reported for unknown FR2 SCell activation enhancement. The L3 measurement report for unknown FR2 Scell activation after SCell activation command may be triggered by the SCell activation command.

A SCell may have known and unknown states. If a SCell is "known" , it may mean that the UE has sent a L3 measurement report within a certain time period prior to receiving the SCell activation command, and reported synchronization signal block (SSB) indexes remain detectable. Otherwise, it is considered as unknown.

It is further agreed the L3 report based solution can be applied to multiple SCell activation and the requirements need to be defined. For example, for enhancement for multiple FR2 unknown SCells' activation, requirements for multiple SCell activation (with and without physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) SCell) may be defined considering at least enhancement of L3 measurement reporting triggered by the SCell activation command when all to-be-activated SCells are in the same band.

In 3GPP TS 38.133, section 8.3.7, conditions for multiple SCell activation in the same frequency range 1 (FR1) band are defined. The assumption is that multiple SCells are being activated in a single MAC command per cell group (CG) . For each unknown SCell in FR1, cell search is assumed as part of an activation delay when the SCell is not contiguous to any of the active serving cells or to a known SCell being activated in the same band. Besides, a sequential cell search is assumed for activating all these unknown SCells, and hence consequently large activation delay is expected.

For instance, if the SCell is unknown and belongs to FR1, the activation delay will be extended by N1*T_rs where N1 is the number counting for parallel FR1 unknown to-be-activated SCell (s) as defined in TS38.133, section 8.3.7.

T_{activation_time_multiple_scells} may be defined as below.

Thus, the activation time is increasing linearly with the number of unknown SCells (e.g., N1) .

In R18, the UE may send L3 measurement reporting after an SCell activation command to reduce an activation delay. The legacy radio resource control (RRC) MeasurementReport message may be used for the L3 reporting after the SCell activation command. When multiple SCells are being activated, the difference from single SCell activation is that the measurement results on multiple SCells are expected. As RRC message is used, it may be effortless to include the measurement results of multiple or even all the serving cells to the L3 report. However, it is still open how to activate the multiple SCells if the UE sends the L3 report after the SCell activation command.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure propose an activation scheme for a plurality of cells. With this scheme, after an activation command associated with a plurality of cells (which may be a MAC command) , if a first apparatus (such as a UE) transmits, to a second apparatus (such as a gNB) , first measurement results (which may be L3 measurement results) for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, an activation delay for activation of the plurality of cells is subject to the number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells. The second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for the second set of cells is different from timing for the first set of cells. Herein, the first set of cells or the second set of cells may comprise one or more cells of the plurality of cells to be activated.

Thus, this scheme may reduce the activation delay when activating a plurality of cells in a single activation command, for example, in a 5G NR system.

It is to be noted that the proposed scheme herein may be applied in general for different frequency ranges including for example both FR1 and FR2 and may also be applied in general for any type of serving cells including both a SCell and a primary SCell (PSCell) . In the following, some example embodiments will be described using a SCell as an example while the example embodiments herein can be applied in general for a PSCell and other serving cells.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices, including a first apparatus 110 and a second apparatus 120, can communicate with each other.

In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described with the first apparatus 110 operating as a terminal device and the second apparatus 120 operating as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, operations described in connection with a terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other devices, and operations described in connection with a network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other devices.

In some example embodiments, if the first apparatus 110 is a terminal device and the second apparatus 120 is a network device, a link from the second apparatus 120 to the first apparatus 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL) , while a link from the first apparatus 110 to the second apparatus 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL) . In DL, the second apparatus 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or a transmitter) and the first apparatus 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or a receiver) . In UL, the first apparatus 110 is a TX device (or a transmitter) and the second apparatus 120 is a RX device (or a receiver) .

Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol (s) , comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1 G) , the second generation (2G) , the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , the fifth generation (5G) , the sixth generation (6G) , and the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and/or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) , Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) , Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) , Time Division Duplex (TDD) , Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) , Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM) , Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and/or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

In the environment 100, the first apparatus 110 may have access to a communication network via a plurality of cells 121, 122, 123 and 124 for carrier aggregation (CA) , for example. In some example embodiments, one of the cells may be a primary cell (PCell) and others of the cells may be SCells. Any or all cells may be provided by the second apparatus 120 or any other suitable devices which may employ the same or different radio access technology. Although fourth cells are shown in FIG. 1, less or more cells may be provided for the first apparatus 110.

It is to be understood that the numbers and types of devices and cells are only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable numbers and types of devices and cells adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the environment 100, a plurality of cells such as the cells 122, 123 and 124 may be activated in an activation command such as a MAC command. In some example embodiments, the cells to be activated may be on the same band in FR1. It is also possible that these cells are on the same band in FR1 or on different bands. The first apparatus 110 may send first measurement results of at least one of the cells to be activated after the activation command. In an example, the first measurement results may be the L3 measurement results included a L3 report. In various example embodiments, an activation delay is based on the number of cells that are not contiguous to or have different timing from the cell for which the first measurement results have been reported after the activation command.

Some example implementations will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 2 which shows a signaling diagram for a cell activation process 200 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second apparatus 120 transmits (210) , to the first apparatus 110, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells such as the cells 122, 123 and 124. In some example embodiments, the activation command may be carried in a MAC message such as a MAC CE. In some example embodiments, the cells to be activated may comprise SCells, and the activation command may be an SCell activation command.

After the first apparatus 110 receives (220) the activation command, the first apparatus 110 transmits (230) , to the second apparatus 120, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells. Corresponding, the second apparatus 120 receives (240) the first measurement results for the first set of cells. In some example embodiments, the first measurement results may include any valid (L3) measurement result (s) for one or more cells of the plurality of cells when the activation command is received. Based on the first measurement results for the first set of cells, the second apparatus 120 may transmit, to the first apparatus 110, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) activation command for the first set of cells. Thus, some regular L3 and L1 operations can be skipped for the activation of the first set of cells.

According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on the number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells. The second set of cells may satisfy a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells. For example, a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to any cell in the first set of cells. Alternatively, or in addition, the second set of cells may satisfy another condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells. For example, timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for any cell in the first set of cells.

In this case, the network may not be able to utilize the first measurement results for the first set of cells for the activation of the second set of cells. In some example embodiments, a cell in the second set of cells may be unknown and not contiguous to an active serving cell and/or a known cell of the plurality of cells. Thus, the activation of the second set of cells may not utilize the measurement results of an active serving cell and/or a known cell of the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, cell search may be performed by the first apparatus 110 for the second set of cells. Other operations for activating the second set of cells may also be needed. In this case, the activation delay may rely on the number of cells in the second set of cells. In some example embodiments, if a first cell of the second set of cells is contiguous to or having the same timing as a second cell of the second set of cells, the first apparatus 110 may perform cell search for one of the first and second cells to further reduce the activation delay.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may transmit, to the second apparatus, second measurement results for the plurality of cells to be activated. The second measurement results may comprise channel state information (CSI) measurement results which may be included in one or more CSI reports. The transmitting time of the second measurement results may be based on the activation delay.

In some example embodiments, the second set of cells excludes a further cell of the plurality of cells, and the further cell satisfies at least one of: a condition that the further cell is contiguous to at least one cell in the first set of cells; a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) position of the further cell is same as a SSB position of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells; a condition that the further cell has a receive time difference (RTD) with one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells, the RTD is smaller than or equal to a threshold RTD, and a reception power difference between the further cell and the one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells is smaller than or equal to a threshold; or a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) offset of the further cell is same as a SMTC offset of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells.

In some example embodiments, a cell in the second set of cells and at least one cell in the first set of cells are in a same band. It is also possible that a cell in the second set of cells is in a band different from a band where any cell in the first set of cells is located.

By way of example, the delay requirement may be specified as below.

In some example embodiments, a grouping scheme may be applied to the plurality of cells to be activated. In an example, the first apparatus 110 may group the plurality of cells into a plurality of groups of cells where a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells are contiguous or have the same timing. In this case, a cell in the second set of cells and the first set of cells belong to different groups of the plurality of groups of cells.

In an example, in the example embodiments where the cells to be activated comprise SCells, the first apparatus 110 may group the multiple SCells being activated and activates the SCells based on if any of the SCells in the group has been reported before or after SCell activation command. In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may if the SCells are associated with a cell group/cluster when multiple SCells are being activated in a single MAC command. The first apparatus 110 may group the to-be-activated Scells on the band based on criteria that carrier components (CCs) are contiguous, or if the SCells can share the same timing e.g. if RTD is within a threshold. For instance, if several of carriers are contiguous, they are assumed to be in one group.

In some example embodiments, if no measurement result for a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells has been transmitted by the first apparatus 110 to the second apparatus 120 after receiving the activation command, the first apparatus 110 may perform cell search for at least one cell in the group of cells. The activation delay may be based on the number of cells in the group of cells and/or the number of the at least one cell in the group of cells.

For example, in the example embodiments where the cells to be activated comprise SCells, the first apparatus 110 may activate the multiple SCells based on how many groups have been reported before or after SCell activation. One group is considered as reported if measurement results of any of the SCells in the group has been reported. As a result, cell search is needed for one group only if none of the SCells has been reported. In other word, cell search is not needed if the measurement results of any of the SCells has been reported. The overall cell search time for activating the multiple SCells would be a factor of number of groups that has not been reported rather than the number of unknown SCells. In case the to-be-activated-SCell is contiguous to an active serving cell, cell search is not needed in the reported band.

For the group that has been reported, the measurement reporting may be transmitted before or after SCell activation command. If the group was reported (within a time period) before SCell activation command, the reported SCell is considered as known when the first apparatus 110 receives SCell activation command hence cell search is not needed for all the SCells in the group. Otherwise, the group may be reported after SCell activation command using R18 solution. The network can send TCI activation command based on the received report and cell search is not needed for all the SCells in the group. Optionally, the first apparatus 110 may send the L3 measurement reports for no more than one SCell in the group to minimize the signaling overhead. Based on the behaviour of the first apparatus 110, the SCell activation delay for activating the multiple SCells on one band is determined based on the number of reported groups, the status of SCells being activated.

Assuming SCell activation command indicates the measurement reporting of all serving cells (including to-be activated SCells) , the first apparatus 110 determines distinct active serving cells and their corresponding band. In other words, the first apparatus 110 groups cells on the band, based on their carrier components (CCs) . Groups are then formed for each set of CCs which are contiguous. Then, each group of cells can share the same searcher for cell search. The first apparatus 110 determines how many groups are in the band. The first apparatus 110 sends L3 report for the SCells with valid report on the band. The proposed scheme may be extended to cells that are to-be-activated on other bands. In an example, for each set of CCs that can form a contiguous group of CCs, one cell search can be considered.

Example processes of cell activation will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. In these examples, a UE 302 is an example implementation of the first apparatus 110. The UE 302 is configured with PCell 304, Cell1 306, Cell2 308 and Cell3 310 in a connected mode, and only PCell 304 is activated. Cell1 306, Cell2 308 and Cell3 310 may be SCells and may be also called SCell1 306, SCell2 308 and SCell3 310.

In a process 300 as shown in FIG. 3A, the SCells 306 and 308 are assumed to be unknown i.e., cell detection is needed. The UE 302 first sends (314) any valid L3 measurement reports to the network. In this example, the L3 reporting includes a measurement result for Cell1 306. Then, UE 302 determines (316) distinct cell groups based on contiguous CCs. As shown in FIG. 3A, Cell group 1 includes Cell1 306, and Cell group 2 includes Cell2 308.

The UE 302 may perform (318, 320) activation operations per group. The activation operations may include automatic gain control (AGC) , time and frequency synchronization (T/F sync) , cell search, L1-RSRP measurements, CSI measurements, and the like. The UE 302 may perform one cell search for each group which can be used for all the SCells in that group (if there is an unknown SCell in the group) . Cell search is not needed for the group 1 as Cell1 306 has been reported in the L3 report. However, cell search is needed for the group 2 as Cell 2 308 has not been reported in the L3 report.

The UE 302 then prioritizes (322) measurement reporting after cell detection based on the cell group status. Scells with known measurement results may be first reported. Accordingly, SCell activation is also performed based on the known/unknown status. As for the unknown Scells, measurement results are reported sequentially after the known Scells are reported.

In a process 324 as shown in FIG. 3B, SCell1 306 is assumed to be known but other SCells 308 and 310 are assumed to be unknown i.e. cell detection is needed. The UE 302 first sends (326) any valid L3 measurement reports to the network. In this example, the L3 reporting includes a measurement result for Cell3 310.

Then, the UE 302 determines (328) distinct cell groups based on contiguous CCs. SCell1 306 and SCell3 310 are assumed to have contiguous CCs and thus grouped into Cell group 1. Cell group 2 includes SCell2 308. The UE 302 may perform cell search for the group without any known Scells. The UE 302 then prioritizes (330) measurement reporting based on the cell group status. In this example, measurement results of Cell group1 are first reported to the network and then measurement results of Cell group2 are reported. Accordingly, as for SCell activation, Cell1 306 and Cell3 310 are prioritized over Cell2 308.

Example Methods

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1.

At block 410, the first apparatus 110 receives, from the second apparatus 120, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells. At block 420, the first apparatus 110 transmits, to the second apparatus 120, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells. An activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on the number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells. The second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In some example embodiments, a cell in the second set of cells is unknown and not contiguous to at least one of an active serving cell, or a known cell of the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, a cell in the second set of cells and at least one cell in the first set of cells are in a same band.

In some example embodiments, the activation command is carried in a medium access control (MAC) message.

In some example embodiments, the second set of cells excludes a further cell of the plurality of cells, and the further cell satisfies at least one of: a condition that the further cell is contiguous to at least one cell in the first set of cells, a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) position of the further cell is same as a SSB position of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells, a condition that the further cell has a receive time difference (RTD) with one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells, the RTD is smaller than or equal to a threshold RTD, and a reception power difference between the further cell and the one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells is smaller than or equal to a threshold, or a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) offset of the further cell is same as a SMTC offset of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may perform cell search on the second set of cells to activate the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may transmit, to the second apparatus 120, second measurement results for the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, based on a first cell of the second set of cells being contiguous to or having the same timing as a second cell of the second set of cells, the first apparatus 110 may perform cell search for one of the first and second cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may group the plurality of cells into a plurality of groups of cells, wherein a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells are contiguous or have the same timing, and wherein a cell in the second set of cells and the first set of cells belong to different groups of the plurality of groups of cells.

In some example embodiments, based on determining that no measurement result for a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells has been transmitted by the first apparatus to the second apparatus after receiving the activation command, the first apparatus 110 may perform cell search for at least one cell in the group of cells.

In some example embodiments, the activation delay is based on the number of cells in the group of cells and/or the number of the at least one cell in the group of cells.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1.

At block 510, the second apparatus 120 transmits, to the first apparatus 110, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells. At block 520, the second apparatus 120 receives, from the first apparatus 110, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells. An activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on the number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells. The second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus 120 may receive, from the first apparatus 110, second measurement report for the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, a cell in the second set of cells and at least one in the first set of cells are in a same band.

Example Apparatus, Device and Medium

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing the method 400 (for example, the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, and the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In some example embodiments, the second set of cells excludes a further cell of the plurality of cells, the further cell satisfying at least one of: a condition that the further cell is contiguous to at least one cell in the first set of cells, a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) position of the further cell is same as a SSB position of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells, a condition that the further cell has a receive time difference (RTD) with one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells, the RTD is smaller than or equal to a threshold RTD, and a reception power difference between the further cell and the one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells is smaller than or equal to a threshold, or a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) offset of the further cell is same as a SMTC offset of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for performing cell search on the second set of cells to activate the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, second measurement results for the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for based on a first cell of the second set of cells being contiguous to or having the same timing as a second cell of the second set of cells, performing cell search for one of the first and second cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for grouping the plurality of cells into a plurality of groups of cells, wherein a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells are contiguous or have the same timing, and wherein a cell in the second set of cells and the first set of cells belong to different groups of the plurality of groups of cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for based on determining that no measurement result for a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells has been transmitted by the first apparatus to the second apparatus after receiving the activation command, performing cell search for at least one cell in the group of cells.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 400 or the first apparatus 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the first apparatus.

In some example embodiments, a second apparatus capable of performing the method 500 (for example, the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and means for receiving, from the first apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells, wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, the second set of cells satisfies at least one of: a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the first apparatus, second measurement report for the plurality of cells.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 500 or the second apparatus 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the second apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the first apparatus 110 or the second apparatus 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processor 610.

The communication module 640 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

The processor 610 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 624, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 630 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. The instructions of the program 630 may include instructions for performing operations/acts of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 630 may be stored in the memory, e.g., the ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 630 so that the device 600 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may include any types of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. The term “non-transitory, ” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM) .

FIG. 7 shows an example of the computer readable medium 700 which may be in form of CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 700 has the program 630 stored thereon.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. Although various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, although several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated, certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A first apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to:

receive, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and

transmit, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells,

wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, and the second set of cells satisfies at least one of:

a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or

a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.
The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein a cell in the second set of cells is unknown and not contiguous to at least one of an active serving cell or a known cell of the plurality of cells.
The first apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein a cell in the second set of cells and at least one cell in the first set of cells are in a same band.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the activation command is carried in a medium access control (MAC) message.
The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second set of cells excludes a further cell of the plurality of cells, the further cell satisfying at least one of:

a condition that the further cell is contiguous to at least one cell in the first set of cells,

a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) position of the further cell is same as a SSB position of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells,

a condition that the further cell has a receive time difference (RTD) with one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells, the RTD is smaller than or equal to a threshold RTD, and a reception power difference between the further cell and the one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells is smaller than or equal to a threshold, or

a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) offset of the further cell is same as a SMTC offset of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the first apparatus to:

perform cell search on the second set of cells to activate the plurality of cells.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-6, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the first apparatus to:

transmit, to the second apparatus, second measurement results for the plurality of cells.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the first apparatus to:

based on a first cell of the second set of cells being contiguous to or having the same timing as a second cell of the second set of cells, perform cell search for one of the first and second cells.
The first apparatus of any of claims 1-8, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the first apparatus to:

group the plurality of cells into a plurality of groups of cells,

wherein a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells are contiguous or have the same timing, and

wherein a cell in the second set of cells and the first set of cells belong to different groups of the plurality of groups of cells.
The first apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the first apparatus to:

based on determining that no measurement result for a group of cells among the plurality of groups of cells has been transmitted by the first apparatus to the second apparatus after receiving the activation command, perform cell search for at least one cell in the group of cells.
The first apparatus of claim 10, wherein the activation delay is based on the number of cells in the group of cells and/or the number of the at least one cell in the group of cells.
A second apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to:

transmit, to a first apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and

receive, from the first apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells,

wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, the second set of cells satisfies at least one of:

a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or

a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.
The second apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the second apparatus to:

receive, from the first apparatus, second measurement report for the plurality of cells.
The second apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein a cell in the second set of cells is unknown and not contiguous to at least one of an active serving cell or a known cell of the plurality of cells.
The second apparatus of any of claims 12-14, wherein a cell in the second set of cells and at least one cell in the first set of cells are in a same band.
The second apparatus of any of claims 12-15, wherein the activation command is carried in a medium access control (MAC) message.
The second apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second set of cells excludes a further cell of the plurality of cells, the further cell satisfying at least one of:

a condition that the further cell is contiguous to at least one cell in the first set of cells,

a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) position of the further cell is same as a SSB position of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells,

a condition that the further cell has a receive time difference (RTD) with one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells, the RTD is smaller than or equal to a threshold RTD, and a reception power difference between the further cell and the one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells is smaller than or equal to a threshold, or

a condition that a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC) offset of the further cell is same as a SMTC offset of one of the contiguous at least one cell in the first set of cells.
A method comprising:

receiving, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and

transmitting, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells,

wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, and the second set of cells satisfies at least one of:

a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or

a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.
A method comprising:

transmitting, to a first apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and

receiving, from the first apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells,

wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, the second set of cells satisfies at least one of:

a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or

a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.
A first apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, from a second apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and

means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells,

wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, and the second set of cells satisfies at least one of:

a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or

a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.
A second apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, an activation command for activating a plurality of cells; and

means for receiving, from the first apparatus, first measurement results for a first set of cells among the plurality of cells,

wherein an activation delay for activating the plurality of cells is based on a number of cells in a different second set of cells among the plurality of cells, the second set of cells satisfies at least one of:

a condition that a cell in the second set of cells is not contiguous to a cell in the first set of cells, or

a condition that timing for a cell in the second set of cells is different from timing for a cell in the first set of cells.
A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus at least to perform the method of claim 18 or the method of claim 19.