Method and apparatus for wireless communications

1. A method for wireless communications, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a first multi-link device (MLD) to a second MLD, a management frame on at least one of two links associated with the first MLD and the second MLD in a multi-link operation, wherein the management frame is a cross-link link level management frame that includes information of a corresponding link of the two links associated with the first MLD and the second MLD in the multi-link operation and is transmitted on another link of the two links associated with the first MLD and the second MLD in the multi-link operation, and wherein support capability of the cross-link link level management frame is announced via an MLD Extremely High Throughput (EHT) capability or an MLD Capabilities element;

receiving, by the second MLD from the first MLD, the management frame on at least one of the two links;

operating the second MLD according to the management frame received on at least one of the two links;

wherein the method involves transmitting the management frame via a cross-link transmission; and

wherein transmitting the management frame via the cross-link transmission involves:

transmitting an updated on-channel tunnel (OCT) Request frame on a reporting link; and encapsulating a reported link management frame.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the management frame is an MLD level management frame.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the MLD level management frame includes MLD level information.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the MLD level management frame includes MLD level information and link level information.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the link level information includes at least one of a link ID, a Group Temporal Key (GTK), an Integrity GTK (IGTK), and a Beacon IGTK (BIGTK) of at least one of the two links.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the MLD level management frame that includes the MLD level information and the link level information is at least one of a Security Association (SA) Query Request frame, an SA Query Response frame, a Wireless Network Management (WNM) Request frame, and a WNM Response frame.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cross-link link level management frame includes a link ID that identifies the corresponding link for a frame body, and wherein the link ID is indicated in a Media Access Control (MAC) Header portion of the cross-link link level management frame.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cross-link link level management frame includes a link ID that identifies the corresponding link for a frame body, and wherein the link ID is indicated in the frame body of the cross-link link level management frame.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the cross-link link level management frame is transmitted on the corresponding link that uses a frame body, the link ID is not included in the frame body.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the cross-link link level management frame is transmitted on another link that is different from the corresponding link that uses a frame body, the link ID is included in the frame body.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the management frame is a link-specific link level management frame that includes information of a corresponding link and is transmitted on the corresponding link.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the link-specific link level management frame is not transmitted via a cross-link transmission.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the link-specific link level management frame is at least one of a Time Priority Management frame, a management frame with a Timestamp field, a Transmit Power Control (TPC) Request frame, a TPC Response frame, a Link Measurement Request frame, a Link Measurement Response frame, a Target Wake Time (TWT) Information frame, an Operating Mode Notification frame, and a Spatial Multiplexing (SM) Power Save frame.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the management frame transmitted via the cross-link transmission includes:

information of one of the two links; and

a link ID in a MAC Header portion of the management frame.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the management frame transmitted via the cross-link transmission includes:

information of more than one of the two links; and

a link ID in a frame body of the management frame.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first MLD and the second MLD operates in accordance with an 802.11be communications protocol.

17. A wireless communications system, the wireless communications system comprising:

a first multi-link device (MLD), wherein the first MLD includes a processor configured to:

transmit, to a second MLD, a management frame on at least one of two links associated with the first MLD and the second MLD in a multi-link operation, wherein the management frame is a cross-link link level management frame that includes information of a corresponding link of the two links associated with the first MLD and the second MLD in the multi-link operation and is transmitted on another link of the two links associated with the first MLD and the second MLD in the multi-link operation, and wherein support capability of the cross-link link level management frame is announced via an MLD Extremely High Throughput (EHT) capability or an MLD Capabilities element; and

a second MLD, wherein the second MLD includes another processor configured to:

receive, from the first MLD, the management frame on at least one of the two links;

operate according to the management frame received on at least one of the two links;

wherein the method involves transmitting the management frame via a cross-link transmission; and

wherein transmitting the management frame via the cross-link transmission involves:

transmitting an updated on-channel tunnel (OCT) Request frame on a reporting link; and encapsulating a reported link management frame.