Soft physical cell identifier (PCI) change

1. A method of wireless communication at a scheduling entity, comprising:

communicating with a set of one or more scheduled entities utilizing a first physical cell identifier (PCI) of a first cell served by the scheduling entity;

receiving from a centralized network node a first message comprising a soft PCI change indication to change from utilizing the first PCI of the first cell to utilizing a second PCI of a second cell served by the scheduling entity over a transition period, wherein the first cell and the second cell are co- located;

transferring at least one scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities to the second cell during the transition period; and

discontinuing communication with the set of one or more scheduled entities in the first cell after the transition period.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a first synchronization signal block (SSB) in the first cell and a second SSB in the second cell during the transition period, wherein the first SSB and the second SSB are separated in at least one of a time domain, a frequency domain, or a code domain.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

allocating orthogonal resources between the first cell and the second cell for communication with the set of one or more scheduled entities during the transition period.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

utilizing a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration of the first cell in the second cell during the transition period; and

discontinuing monitoring the PRACH in the first cell upon entering the transition period.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

utilizing a first power level for communicating in the first cell and a second power level for communicating in the second cell during the transition period, wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a second message comprising a soft PCI change request to the centralized network node.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scheduling entity comprises an integrated-access-backhaul (IAB) node and the centralized network node comprises an IAB donor node central unit, a network entity configured for PCI management, or a base station comprising a first coverage area greater than a second coverage area of the scheduling entity.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transferring the at least one scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities further comprises:

performing a handover of a radio resource control (RRC)-connected scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities from the first cell to the second cell during the transition period.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the performing the handover further comprises:

configuring one or more cell measurements for the RRC-connected scheduled entity of the second cell.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the configuring the one or more cell measurements further comprises:

including the second cell in a list of cells to be measured; and

providing the list of cells to be measured to the RRC-connected scheduled entity.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

allocating resources for transmission of a reference signal in the second cell, wherein the resources comprise a beam direction corresponding to a latest serving beam direction utilized in the first cell for the RRC-connected scheduled entity;

transmitting the reference signal in the second cell; and

receiving a handover report from the RRC-connected scheduled entity based on the reference signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the handover report comprises the second PCI of the second cell, an index of the reference signal, and a measurement value associated with the reference signal.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the performing the handover further comprises:

transmitting a handover command to the RRC-scheduled entity without at least one of configuration of handover measurements or receipt of a handover report.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the handover command comprises dedicated physical random access channel (PRACH) resources for the RRC-connected scheduled entity to utilize in performing a RACH procedure with the second cell, wherein the PRACH resources comprise a beam direction corresponding to a latest serving beam direction utilized in the first cell for communication with the RRC-connected scheduled entity.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transferring the at least one scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities further comprises:

updating system information with a cell bar indication for the first cell;

paging a camped scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities camped onto the first cell to notify the camped scheduled entity of a change in the system information; and

transmitting the system information to the camped scheduled entity to enable the camped scheduled entity to select and camp onto the second cell.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transition period comprises a predetermined duration of time or a variable duration of time within which the at least one scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities is transferred from the first cell to the second cell.

17. A scheduling entity within a wireless communication network, comprising:

a transceiver;

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the processor and the memory configured to:

communicate with a set of one or more scheduled entities utilizing a first physical cell identifier (PCI) of a first cell served by the scheduling entity via the transceiver;

receive from a centralized network node a first message comprising a soft PCI change indication to change from utilizing the first PCI of the first cell to utilizing a second PCI of a second cell served by the scheduling entity over a transition period, wherein the first cell and the second cell are co-located;

transfer the set of one or more scheduled entities to the second cell during the transition period; and

discontinue communication with the set of one or more scheduled entities in the first cell after the transition period.

18. The scheduling entity of claim 17 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:

transmit a first synchronization signal block (SSB) in the first cell and a second SSB in the second cell during the transition period, wherein the first SSB and the second SSB are separated in at least one of a time domain, a frequency domain, or a code domain.

19. The scheduling entity of claim 17 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:

allocate orthogonal resources between the first cell and the second cell for communication with the set of one or more scheduled entities during the transition period;

utilize a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration of the first cell in the second cell during the transition period; and

discontinue monitoring the PRACH in the first cell upon entering the transition period.

20. The scheduling entity of claim 19 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:

utilize a first power level for communicating in the first cell and a second power level for communicating in the second cell during the transition period, wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level.

21. The scheduling entity of claim 17 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:

transmit a second message comprising a soft PCI change request to the centralized network node.

22. The scheduling entity of claim 17 , wherein the scheduling entity comprises an integrated-access-backhaul (IAB) node and the centralized network node comprises an IAB donor node central unit, a network entity configured for PCI management, or a base station comprising a first coverage area greater than a second coverage area of the scheduling entity.

23. The scheduling entity of claim 17 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:

perform a handover of a radio resource control (RRC)-connected scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities from the first cell to the second cell during the transition period.

24. The scheduling entity of claim 23 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:

allocate resources for transmission of a reference signal in the second cell, wherein the resources comprise a beam direction corresponding to a latest serving beam direction utilized in the first cell for the RRC-connected scheduled entity;

transmit the reference signal in the second cell; and

receive a handover report from the RRC-connected scheduled entity based on the reference signal.

25. The scheduling entity of claim 17 , wherein the processor and the memory are further configured to:

update system information with a cell bar indication for the first cell;

page a camped scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities camped onto the first cell to notify the camped scheduled entity of a change in the system information; and

transmit the system information to the camped scheduled entity to enable the camped scheduled entity to select and camp onto the second cell.

26. A scheduling entity within a wireless communication network, comprising:

means for communicating with a set of one or more scheduled entities utilizing a first physical cell identifier (PCI) of a first cell served by the scheduling entity;

means for receiving from a centralized network node a first message comprising a soft PCI change indication to change from utilizing the first PCI of the first cell to utilizing a second PCI of a second cell served by the scheduling entity over a transition period, wherein the first cell and the second cell are co-located;

means for transferring at least one scheduled entity of the set of one or more scheduled entities to the second cell during the transition period; and

means for discontinuing communication with the set of one or more scheduled entities in the first cell after the transition period.

27. The scheduling entity of claim 26 , further comprising:

means for transmitting a first synchronization signal block (SSB) in the first cell and a second SSB in the second cell during the transition period, wherein the first SSB and the second SSB are separated in at least one of a time domain, a frequency domain, or a code domain.

28. The scheduling entity of claim 26 , further comprising:

means for allocating orthogonal resources between the first cell and the second cell for communication with the set of one or more scheduled entities during the transition period;

means for utilizing a physical random access channel (PRACH) configuration of the first cell in the second cell during the transition period; and

means for discontinuing monitoring the PRACH in the first cell upon entering the transition period.