Transmitting and receiving a data unit

1. A method, performed by a wireless device, for transmitting a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU), the method comprising:

selecting one or both of a first path and a second path for transmitting the PDU to a destination based on a comparison of a first delay on the first path and a second delay on the second path, wherein the first delay includes an estimate of delay on the first path due to Radio Link Control (RLC) or Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) retransmission on the first path, and/or the second delay includes an estimate of delay on the second path due to RLC or HARQ retransmission on the second path;

determining the estimate of the first delay on a first path based on an average number of retransmissions for PDUs on the first path during a first time period;

determining the estimate of the second delay on the second path based on an average number of retransmissions for PDUs on the second path during a second time period; and

if both the first path and the second path are selected, using Carrier Aggregation (CA) or Dual Connectivity (DC) to send the PDU to the destination on the first path using a first carrier and a duplicate of the PDU to the destination on the second path using a second carrier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the first path and the second path use different physical layers and/or the first path and the second path use different carriers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first delay comprises a transmission delay of the PDCP PDU from a point where it becomes available at a PDCP layer until it is delivered by a lower layer via the first path; and

the second delay comprises a transmission delay of the PDCP PDU from a point where it becomes available at the PDCP layer until it is delivered by the lower layer via the second path.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first path includes a first physical layer to a first eNB or gNB; and

the second path includes a second physical layer to the first eNB or gNB.

5. The method of claim 1 :

wherein the wireless device uses DC to send the PDU using the first carrier and send the duplicate of the PDU using the second carrier;

further comprising, if one but not both of the first path and the second path are selected, selecting a third path and/or the selected one of the first path and the second path for transmitting the PDU to the destination based on a comparison of a third delay on the third path and a selected path delay on the selected one of the first path and the second path.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the method comprises:

selecting both the third path and the selected one of the first path and the second path if a difference between the third delay and the selected path delay is less than a further predetermined time difference or a further predetermined threshold; and

selecting one of the third path and the selected one of the first path and the second path if the difference between the third delay and the selected path delay is greater than the further predetermined time difference or the further predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein selecting one of the third path and the selected one of the first path and the second path comprises selecting the third path if the third delay is less than the selected path delay, and selecting the selected one of the first path and the second path if the third delay is greater than the selected path delay.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the method comprises, if both the third path and the selected one of the first path and the second path are selected, sending the PDU to the destination using the selected one of the first path and the second path, and sending the duplicate of the PDU to the destination using the third path.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the method comprises, if one but not both of the third path and the selected one of the first path and the second path are selected, sending the PDU to the destination using the selected path.

10. The method of claim 5 :

wherein the selected path delay is the first delay if the selected one of the first path and the second path is the first path; and

wherein the selected path delay is the second delay if the selected one of the first path and the second path is the second path.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:

selecting both the first path and the second path if a difference between the first delay and the second delay is less than a predetermined time difference or a predetermined threshold;

selecting one of the first path and the second path if the difference between the first delay and the second delay is greater than the predetermined time difference or the predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selecting one of the first path and the second path comprises selecting the first path if the first delay is less than the second delay, and selecting the second path if the first delay is greater than the second delay.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises determining the first delay and the second delay based on an average number of retransmissions for PDUs on the first path and the second path during a first time period.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first delay includes an estimate of a midhaul delay on the first path, and/or the second delay includes an estimate of a midhaul delay on the second path.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises determining the first delay and the second delay based on feedback from the destination and/or one or more intermediate nodes between the wireless device and the destination.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:

estimating a first Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), and/or Block Error Rate (BLER) for the first path;

estimating a second SNR, SINR, and/or BLER for the second path;

if one of the first path and the second path is selected:

if the first path is selected, sending the duplicate of the PDU on the second path if the first SNR and/or SINR is lower than the second SNR and/or SINR, and/or the first BLER is higher than the second BLER; and

if the second path is selected, sending the duplicate of the PDU on the first path if the first SNR and/or SINR is higher than the second SNR and/or SINR, and/or the first BLER is lower than the second BLER.

17. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a computer program product for controlling a wireless device for transmitting a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU), the computer program product comprising program instructions which, when run on processing circuitry of the wireless device, causes the wireless device to:

select a first path and/or a second path for transmitting the PDU to a destination based on a comparison of a first delay on the first path and a second delay on the second path, wherein the first delay includes an estimate of delay on the first path due to Radio Link Control (RLC) or Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) retransmission on the first path, and/or the second delay includes an estimate of delay on the second path due to RLC or HARQ retransmission on the second path; and

determine the estimate of the first delay on a first path based on an average number of retransmissions for PDUs on the first path during a first time period;

determine the estimate of the second delay on the second path based on an average number of retransmissions for PDUs on the second path during a second time period; and

if both the first path and the second path are selected, use Carrier Aggregation (CA) or Dual Connectivity (DC) to send the PDU to the destination on the first path using a first carrier and a duplicate of the PDU to the destination on the second path using a second carrier.

18. A wireless device for transmitting a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol data unit (PDU), the wireless device comprising:

processing circuitry;

memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the wireless device is operative to:

select one or both of a first path and a second path for transmitting the PDU to a destination based on a comparison of a first delay on the first path and a second delay on the second path, wherein the first delay includes an estimate of delay on the first path due to Radio Link Control (RLC) or Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) retransmission on the first path, and/or the second delay includes an estimate of delay on the second path due to RLC or HARQ retransmission on the second path

determining the estimate of the first delay on a first path based on an average number of retransmissions for PDUs on the first path during a first time period;

determining the estimate of the second delay on the second path based on an average number of retransmissions for PDUs on the second path during a second time period; and

if both the first path and the second path are selected, use Carrier Aggregation (CA) or Dual Connectivity (DC) to send the PDU to the destination on the first path using a first carrier and a duplicate of the PDU to the destination on the second path using a second carrier.