Disabling, using an explicit indication, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgments for packets for which acknowledgements are supported at a network or higher layer

1. A communications method comprising:

identifying, at a first wireless communications device including a transmitter, a first traffic flow that supports an end to end retransmission method in the event of a communications failure of data being communicated in said first traffic flow, said first traffic flow extending between a third device and a second wireless communications device and passing through the first wireless communications device, said third device being a first end point of said first traffic flow, said second wireless communications device being a second end point of said first traffic flow;

transmitting, from the first wireless communications device, an explicit indication in a downlink message to the second wireless communications device to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data, corresponding to the first traffic flow;

wherein said first traffic flow is one of a plurality of traffic flows passing through the first wireless communications device, some of said plurality of traffic flows not supporting an end to end retransmission method;

wherein said explicit indication to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data is a predetermined value in a predetermined field of a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling message; and

wherein said first traffic flow is a TCP/IP packet flow which supports end to end packet retransmission while HARQ suppression is applied to said first traffic flow.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said predetermined field is a ‘PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator’ field.

3. The communications method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, at said second wireless communications device, a downlink control information scheduling message;

decoding, at said second wireless communications device, said predetermined field of the DCI scheduling message; and

determining, at said second wireless communications device, whether or not the predetermined field of the DCI scheduling message communicates the predetermined value, which is the explicit indication to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

when the determination is that the predetermined field of the DCI scheduling message communicates the predetermined value, operating the second wireless communications device to refrain from including HARQ-ACK in uplink control information (UCI) for code block groups (CBGs) and Transport Blocks (TBs) scheduled in the DCI scheduling message.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

when the determination is that the predetermined field of the DCI scheduling message does not communicate the predetermined value, operating the second wireless communications device to include HARQ-ACK (HARQ ACK or HARQ NACK) in uplink control information (UCI) for code block groups (CBGs) and Transport Blocks (TBs) scheduled in the DCI scheduling message.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first traffic flow is a traffic flow with a lower latency requirement than a second traffic flow in said plurality of traffic flows to which HARQ suppression is not applied, said second traffic flow being another traffic flow which supports an end to end retransmission method in the event of a communications failure of data.

7. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein said first wireless communications device is a base station;

wherein said second wireless communications device is a user equipment device (UE);

wherein said third device is a server; and

wherein said first traffic flow is one of a plurality traffic flows passing through the first wireless communications device, some of said plurality of traffic flows not supporting an end to end retransmission.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

transmitting, from the first wireless communications device, data to the second wireless communications device with disabled HARQ feedback for the first traffic flow.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

identifying, at the first wireless communications device a second traffic flow, said second traffic flow being a traffic flow which does not support an end to end retransmission method; and

transmitting, from the first wireless communications device, data to the second wireless communications device without disabling HARQ feedback for the second traffic flow.

10. A communications method comprising:

identifying, at a first wireless communications device including a transmitter, a first traffic flow that supports an end to end retransmission method in the event of a communications failure of data being communicated in said first traffic flow, said first traffic flow extending between a third device and a second wireless communications device and passing through the first wireless communications device, said third device being a first end point of said first traffic flow, said second wireless communications device being a second end point of said first traffic flow;

transmitting, from the first wireless communications device, an explicit indication in a downlink message to the second wireless communications device to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data, corresponding to the first traffic flow;

wherein said first traffic flow is one of a plurality of traffic flows passing through the first wireless communications device, some of said plurality of traffic flows not supporting an end to end retransmission method;

wherein said explicit indication to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data is a predetermined value in a predetermined field of a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling message; and

wherein, the predetermined value is a value outside an expected range of values for a PDSCH-to-HARQ feedback timing indicator.

11. A communications method comprising:

identifying, at a first wireless communications device including a transmitter, a first traffic flow that supports an end to end retransmission method in the event of a communications failure of data being communicated in said first traffic flow, said first traffic flow extending between a third device and a second wireless communications device and passing through the first wireless communications device, said third device being a first end point of said first traffic flow, said second wireless communications device being a second end point of said first traffic flow;

transmitting, from the first wireless communications device, an explicit indication in a downlink message to the second wireless communications device to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data, corresponding to the first traffic flow;

wherein said first traffic flow is one of a plurality of traffic flows passing through the first wireless communications device, some of said plurality of traffic flows not supporting an end to end retransmission method;

wherein said explicit indication to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data is a predetermined value in a predetermined field of a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling message;

wherein said first traffic flow is a traffic flow with a lower latency requirement than a second traffic flow in said plurality of traffic flows to which HARQ suppression is not applied, said second traffic flow being another traffic flow which supports an end to end retransmission method in the event of a communications failure of data;

wherein said predetermined value is a specific value which is indicated via a higher layer parameter; and

wherein said higher layer parameter is a Slot-timing-value-K1 parameter.

12. A communications system comprising:

a first wireless communications device comprising:

a transmitter; and

a processor configured to:

identify, at the first wireless communications device, a first traffic flow that supports an end to end retransmission method in the event of a communications failure of data being communicated in said first traffic flow, said first traffic flow extending between a third device and a second wireless communications device and passing through the first wireless communications device, said third device being a first end point of said first traffic flow, said second wireless communications device being a second end point of said first traffic flow; and

operate said transmitter to transmit, from the first wireless communications device, an explicit indication in a downlink message to the second wireless communications device to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data, corresponding to the first traffic flow;

wherein said first traffic flow is one of a plurality of traffic flows passing through the first wireless communications device, some of said plurality of traffic flows not supporting an end to end retransmission method;

wherein said explicit indication to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data is a predetermined value in a predetermined field of a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling message; and

wherein said first traffic flow is a TCP/IP packet flow which supports end to end packet retransmission while HARQ suppression is applied to said first traffic flow.

13. The communications system of claim 12 , wherein said first wireless communications device is a base station.

14. The communications system of claim 13 , wherein said DCI scheduling message is one of a DCI format 1_0 or DCI format 1_1 scheduling message.

15. The communications system of claim 13 , wherein said predetermined field is a ‘PDSCH-to-HARQ_feedback timing indicator’ field.

16. The communications system of claim 13 , wherein said system further comprises:

said second wireless communications device, said second wireless communications device comprising:

a receiver; and

a second processor configured to:

operate said receiver to receive, at said second wireless communications device, a downlink control information scheduling message;

decode, at said second wireless communications device, said predetermined field of the DCI scheduling message; and

determine, at said second wireless communications device, whether or not the predetermined field of the DCI scheduling message communicates the predetermined value, which is the explicit indication to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data.

17. The communications system of claim 16 , wherein said second processor is further configured to:

operate the second wireless communications device to refrain from including HARQ-ACK in uplink control information (UCI) for code block groups (CBGs) and Transport Blocks (TBs) scheduled in the DCI scheduling message, when the determination is that the predetermined field of the DCI scheduling message communicates the predetermined value.

18. The communications system of claim 12 ,

wherein said first wireless communications device is a base station; and

wherein said second wireless communications device is a user equipment device.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a first wireless communications device cause the first wireless communications device to perform the steps of:

identifying, at said first wireless communications device including a transmitter, a first traffic flow that supports an end to end retransmission method in the event of a communications failure of data being communicated in said first traffic flow, said first traffic flow extending between a third device and a second wireless communications device and passing through the first wireless communications device, said third device being a first end point of said first traffic flow, said second wireless communications device being a second end point of said first traffic flow;

transmitting, from the first wireless communications device, an explicit indication in a downlink message to the second wireless communications device to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data, corresponding to the first traffic flow;

wherein said first traffic flow is one of a plurality of traffic flows passing through the first wireless communications device, some of said plurality of traffic flows not supporting an end to end retransmission method;

wherein said explicit indication to skip Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback for data is a predetermined value in a predetermined field of a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling message; and

wherein said first traffic flow is a TCP/IP packet flow which supports end to end packet retransmission while HARQ suppression is applied to said first traffic flow.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 ,

wherein said first wireless communications device is a base station; and

wherein said second wireless communications device is a user equipment device.