Apparatuses and methods for system information (SI) request through a contention-based random access procedure

1. A User Equipment (UE), comprising:

a wireless transceiver, configured to perform wireless transmission and reception to and from a service network; and

a controller, configured to perform, during a contention-based random access procedure:

transmitting a first message comprising a System Information (SI) request to the service network via the wireless transceiver;

receiving a second message for a contention resolution from the service network via the wireless transceiver in response to transmitting the first message;

determining whether the contention resolution is successful according to the second message;

indicating a reception of an acknowledgement for the SI request to an upper layer of a Media Access Control (MAC) layer so that the upper layer considers the SI request being successfully received by the service network, in response to determining that the contention resolution is successful; and

receiving on-demand SI that was requested by the SI request from the service network subsequent to the upper layer of the MAC layer determining that the SI request is successfully received by the service network,

wherein after the upper layer of the MAC layer determines that the SI request is successfully received by the service network and before receiving the on-demand SI, the controller is further configured to monitor an SI window indicated in a minimum SI to receive the on-demand SI from the service network, which is a 5G New Radio (NR) network.

2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein, during the contention-based random access procedure, the controller is further configured to determine that the contention resolution is successful in response to a UE contention resolution identity in the second message matching the SI request.

3. The UE of claim 2 , wherein the second message is a MAC Control Element (CE), and the first message comprises a Common Control Channel (CCCH) Service Data Unit (SDU) comprising the SI request.

4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to perform the following during the contention-based random access procedure:

determining whether the contention-based random access procedure was initiated for the SI request in response to determining that the contention resolution is successful;

determining that the contention-based random access procedure was initiated for the SI request in response to the first message comprising the SI request; and

indicating the reception of the acknowledgement for the SI request to the upper layer of the MAC layer in response to determining that the contention-based random access procedure was initiated for the SI request.

5. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the first message does not comprise a UE contention resolution identity.

6. The UE of claim 1 , wherein, after the contention-based random access procedure, the controller is further configured to receive the on-demand SI that was requested by the SI request from the service network via the wireless transceiver.

7. A method for System Information (SI) request through a contention-based random access procedure, executed by a UE wirelessly connected to a service network, comprising:

transmitting a first message comprising an SI request to the service network;

receiving a second message for a contention resolution from the service network in response to transmitting the first message;

determining whether the contention resolution is successful according to the second message;

indicating a reception of an acknowledgement for the SI request to an upper layer of a Media Access Control (MAC) layer so that the upper layer considers the SI request being successfully received by the service network, in response to determining that the contention resolution is successful; and

receiving on-demand SI that was requested by the SI request from the service network subsequent to the upper layer of the MAC layer determining that the SI request is successfully received by the service network,

wherein after the upper layer of the MAC layer determines that the SI request is successfully received by the service network and before receiving the on-demand SI, the controller is further configured to monitor an SI window indicated in a minimum SI to receive the on-demand SI from the service network, which is a 5G New Radio (NR) network.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

determining that the contention resolution is successful in response to a UE contention resolution identity in the second message matching the SI request.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second message is a MAC Control Element (CE), and the first message comprises a Common Control Channel (CCCH) Service Data Unit (SDU) comprising the SI request.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

determining whether the contention-based random access procedure was initiated for the SI request in response to determining that the contention resolution is successful;

determining that the contention-based random access procedure was initiated for the SI request in response to the first message comprising the SI request; and

indicating the reception of the acknowledgement for the SI request to the upper layer of the MAC layer in response to determining that the contention-based random access procedure was initiated for the SI request.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first message does not comprise a UE contention resolution identity.