Method for enabling new radio (NR) integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes to operate in non-standalone (NSA) cells
A method for enabling operations for a relay node comprises receiving, at a first network node, a system information block including a first indication and a second indication, wherein the first indication indicates that a first cell is a non-standalone cell and is barred for standalone user equipments (UEs), and the second indication indicates that the first network node is able to access the first cell. The method further comprises identifying, at the first network node, whether the first network node is able to access the first cell based on the second indication in the system information block. The method may improve a performance in the network by enabling a relay node to operate in a non-standalone cell, such that both access and backhaul in E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) are supported.
1. A method for enabling operations for a relay node comprising:
receiving, at a first network node, a system information block including a first indication and a second indication, wherein the first indication indicates that a first cell is a non-standalone cell and whether standalone user equipments (UEs) are barred from accessing the first cell, and the second indication indicates whether a type of the first network node is able to access the first cell; and
identifying, at the first network node, whether the type of the first network node is able to access the first cell based on the second indication in the system information block.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication indicates that the first cell is reserved but is not reserved for the type of the first network node.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication indicates that the first cell is reserved but set to allow the type of the first network node.
4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first indication is reservedNR-Cell which is configured or present, and the second indication is ReservedNR-CellExeptions.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication comprises a cell access list indicating that the type of the first network node is able to access the first cell.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the first indication is reservedNR-Cell which is configured or present, and the cell access list is included in cellAccessRelatedInfoList.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication does not comprise a barring value for the type of the first network node.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the system information block further comprises a third indication which indicates that a user equipment of the standalone UEs is able to access the first cell.
9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising receiving, at the first network node, a second system information block, wherein the second system information block is used for standalone operations and is only read by the type of the first network node when the first cell is allowed to be accessed by the type of the first network node.
10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising performing, at the first network node, a random access procedure to access the first cell via standalone operations, in response to identifying that the type of the first network node is able to access the first cell based on the second indication in the system information block.
11. A network node for enabling operations for a relay node comprising:
at least one processing circuitry; and
at least one storage that stores processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, causes a network node to:
receive a system information block including a first indication and the second indication, wherein the first indication indicates that a first cell is a non-standalone cell and whether standalone user equipments (UEs) are barred from accessing the first cell, and the second indication indicates whether a type of the network node is able to access the first cell; and
identify whether the type of the network node is able to access the first cell based on the second indication in the system information block.
12. The network node according to claim 11 , wherein the network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication indicates that the first cell is reserved but is not reserved for the type of the network node.
13. The network node according to claim 11 , wherein the network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication indicates that the first cell is reserved but set to allow the type of the network node.
14. The network node according to claim 12 , wherein the first indication is reservedNR-Cell which is configured or present, and the second indication is ReservedNR-CellExeptions.
15. The network node according to claim 11 , wherein the network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication comprises a cell access list indicating that the type of the network node is able to access the first cell.
16. The network node according to claim 15 , wherein the first indication is reservedNR-Cell which is configured or present, and the cell access list is included in cellAccessRelatedInfoList.
17. The network node according to claim 11 , wherein the network node is able to access the first cell when the second indication does not comprise a barring value for the type of the network node.
18. The network node according to claim 11 , wherein the system information block further comprises a third indication which indicates that a user equipment of the standalone UEs is able to access the first cell.
19. The network node according to claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the network node to receive a second system information block, wherein the second system information block is used for standalone operations and is only read by the network node when the first cell is allowed to be accessed by the network node.
20. The network node according to claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the network node to, in response to identifying that the type of the network node is able to access the first cell based on the second indication in the system information block, perform a random access procedure to access the first cell via standalone operations.
21. A network node for enabling operations for a relay node comprising:
at least one processing circuitry; and
at least one storage that stores processor-executable instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, causes a network node to:
broadcast, to relay nodes and user equipments (UEs) in a first cell, a system information block including a first indication and the second indication, wherein the first indication indicates that the first cell is a non-standalone cell and whether standalone UEs are barred from accessing the first cell, and the second indication indicates whether the relay nodes are able to access the first cell.
22. A communication system for enabling operations for a relay node comprising at least two network nodes:
a first network node comprising at least one processing circuitry configured to:
broadcast, to relay nodes and user equipments (UEs) in a first cell, a system information block including a first indication and the second indication, wherein the first indication indicates that a first cell is a non-standalone cell and whether standalone UEs are barred from accessing the first cell, and the second indication indicates whether the relay nodes are able to access the first cell; and
a second network node of the relay nodes comprising at least one processing circuitry configured to:
receive, from the first network node, the system information block including the first indication and the second indication;
identify whether the first cell is allowed to be accessed by the relay nodes based on the second indication in the system information block.