Determining coverage availability estimates of mobile non-terrestrial access node

1. A wireless device comprising:

circuitry configured to determine, at the wireless device, an availability of a connection to a mobile non-terrestrial access node of a wireless communication system;

circuitry configured to determine, at the wireless device, coverage availability estimates associated with geographical locations of the mobile non-terrestrial access node, wherein the coverage availability estimates are determined based, at least partially, on one or more measurements, made with the wireless device, of at least one of: signal strength, or a signal quality, of the mobile non-terrestrial access node;

circuitry configured to determine, at the wireless device, whether the determined coverage availability estimates indicate a periodic coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node; and

circuitry configured, in response to determining whether the determined coverage availability estimates indicate the periodic coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node, to cause the wireless device to one of:

enter a power save mode, or

control one or more connection attempts to the mobile non-terrestrial access node,

on the basis of a time period according to a periodicity of the determined coverage availability estimates.

2. The wireless device according to claim 1 , comprising:

circuitry configured to enter, with the wireless device, the power save mode for a time period that is less than an estimated periodicity of the determined coverage availability estimates in response to a determination that the determined coverage availability estimates fail to indicate the periodic coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node.

3. The wireless device according to claim 1 , comprising:

circuitry configured to enter, with the wireless device, the power save mode for a time period according to the periodicity of the determined coverage availability estimates in response to a determination that the wireless device has been out of coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node for a time period that exceeds a threshold value.

4. The wireless device according to claim 1 , comprising:

circuitry configured to determine, in response to detecting a movement of the wireless device, at least one coverage availability estimate.

5. The wireless device according to claim 1 , comprising:

circuitry configured to determine, at the wireless device, whether the wireless device is within a coverage area of the mobile non-terrestrial access node;

circuitry configured to determine, at the wireless device, a coverage availability estimate to indicate an availability of a coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node in response to a determination that the wireless device is within the coverage area; and

circuitry configured to determine, at the wireless device, a coverage availability estimate to indicate an unavailability of the coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node in response to a determination that the wireless device is not within the coverage area.

6. The wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein the coverage availability estimates indicate at least one of an availability, an unavailability or a likelihood of coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node at the geographical locations of the mobile non-terrestrial access node.

7. The wireless device according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry configured to determine the coverage availability estimates further comprise:

circuitry configured to transmit, with the wireless device, a request for stored coverage availability estimates of one or more mobile non-terrestrial access nodes to a network accessible service entity; and

circuitry configured to receive, at the wireless device, the stored coverage availability estimates of at least one of the one or more mobile non-terrestrial access nodes associated with a current geographical location of the wireless device from the network accessible service entity.

8. The wireless device according to claim 1 , comprising:

circuitry configured to receive, at the wireless device, ephemeris data for the mobile non-terrestrial access node;

circuitry configured to determine, at the wireless device, a geographical location of the mobile non-terrestrial access node on the basis of the received ephemeris data; and

circuitry configured to store the determined coverage availability estimates in association with at least part of the received ephemeris data and the determined geographical location of the mobile non-terrestrial access node.

9. A method comprising:

determining, at a wireless device, an availability of a connection to a mobile non-terrestrial access node of a wireless communication system;

determining, at the wireless device, coverage availability estimates associated with geographical locations of the mobile non-terrestrial access node, wherein the coverage availability estimates are determined based, at least partially, on one or more measurements, made with the wireless device, of at least one of: signal strength, or a signal quality, of the mobile non-terrestrial access node;

determining, at the wireless device, whether the determined coverage availability estimates indicate a periodic coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node; and

in response to determining whether the determined coverage availability estimates indicate the periodic coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node, causing the wireless device to one of:

enter a power save mode, or

control one or more connection attempts to the mobile non-terrestrial access node,

on the basis of a time period according to a periodicity of the determined coverage availability estimates.

10. The method according to claim 9 , comprising:

entering, with the wireless device, the power save mode for a time period that is less than an estimated periodicity of the determined coverage availability estimates in response to a determination that the determined coverage availability estimates fail to indicate the periodic coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node.

11. The method according to claim 9 , comprising:

entering, with the wireless device, the power save mode for a time period according to the periodicity of the determined coverage availability estimates in response to a determination that the wireless device has been out of coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node for a time period that exceeds a threshold value.

12. The method according to claim 9 , comprising:

determining, in response to detecting a movement of the wireless device, at least one coverage availability estimate.

13. The method according to claim 9 , comprising:

determining, at the wireless device, whether the wireless device is within a coverage area of the mobile non-terrestrial access node; and

determining, at the wireless device, a coverage availability estimate to indicate an availability of a coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node in response to a determination that the wireless device is within the coverage area; and

determining, at the wireless device, a coverage availability estimate to indicate an unavailability of the coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node in response to a determination that the wireless device is not within the coverage area.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the coverage availability estimates indicate at least one of an availability, an unavailability or a likelihood of coverage of the mobile non-terrestrial access node at the geographical locations of the mobile non-terrestrial access node.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the determining of the coverage availability estimates further comprises:

transmitting, with the wireless device, a request for stored coverage availability estimates of one or more mobile non-terrestrial access nodes to a network accessible service entity; and

receiving, at the wireless device, the stored coverage availability estimates of at least one of the one or more mobile non-terrestrial access nodes associated with a current geographical location of the wireless device from the network accessible service entity.

16. The method according to claim 9 , comprising:

receiving, at the wireless device, ephemeris data for the mobile non-terrestrial access node;

determining, at the wireless device, a geographical location of the mobile non-terrestrial access node on the basis of the received ephemeris data; and

storing the determined coverage availability estimates in association with at least part of the received ephemeris data and the determined geographical location of the mobile non-terrestrial access node.