User equipment (UE), evolved node-B (ENB) and methods for a packet convergence and link control (PCLC) layer

1. An apparatus for a User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry; and

memory, wherein one or more processors of the processing circuitry are configured to:

reorder a group of packet convergence and link control (PCLC) protocol data units (PDUs) based at least partly on PCLC sequence numbers (SNs) of the PCLC PDUs;

after reordering the group of PCLC PDUs, decipher the reordered PCLC PDUs in accordance with decipher keys that are based at least partly on the PCLC SNs; and

generate, based on the reordered, deciphered PCLC PDUs, one or more PCLC service data units (SDUs) for usage by an application layer of the UE,

wherein the PCLC PDUs are received from a PCLC layer of the UE, the PCLC layer comprising a single layer having functionality of both a radio link control (RLC) layer and a Package Data Converge Protocol (PDCP) layer,

wherein the PCLC PDUs are based on medium access control (MAC) PDUs received from a Fifth Generation (5G) Evolved Node-B (eNB), and

wherein when a group of deciphered PCLC PDUs is based on a segmentation, at the 5G eNB, of an outbound PCLC SDU, the processing circuitry is further configured to reassemble the group of deciphered PCLC PDUs as part of the generation of the PCLC SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE, and

wherein the memory is configured to store the group of PCLC PPDUs.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when at least one of the deciphered PCLC PDUs is based on a concatenation, at the 5G eNB, of outbound PCLC SDUs, the processing circuitry is further configured to reassemble the deciphered PCLC PDU as part of the generation of the PCLC SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when at least one of the deciphered PCLC PDUs is based on a concatenation, at the 5G eNB, of a first group of outbound PCLC SDUs and further based on one or more segments of a second PCLC SDU, the processing circuitry is further configured to reassemble the deciphered PCLC PDU as part of the generation of the PCLC SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the UE receives MAC PDUs from a legacy eNB, the processing circuitry is further configured to:

reorder radio link control (RLC) PDUs that are based on the MAC PDUs from the legacy eNB, the RLC PDUs reordered based on RLC SNs of the RLC PDUs;

decipher packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) PDUs that are based on the reordered RLC PDUs, the PDCP PDUs deciphered based on PDCP SNs of the PDCP PDUs that are exclusive to the RLC SNs; and

generate, based on the deciphered PDCP PDUs, one or more PDCP SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the PCLC SDUs and the PDCP SDUs are based on internet protocol (IP) packets.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processing circuitry comprises a baseband processor.

7. An apparatus for a User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry; and memory, wherein one or more processors of the processing circuitry are configured to:

reorder a group of packet convergence and link control (PCLC) protocol data units (PDUs) based at least partly on PCLC sequence numbers (SNs) of the PCLC PDUs;

after reordering the group of PCLC PDUs, decipher the reordered PCLC PDUs in accordance with decipher keys that are based at least partly on the PCLC SNs; and

generate, based on the reordered, deciphered PCLC PDUs, one or more PCLC service data units (SDUs) for usage by an application layer of the UE,

wherein the PCLC PDUs are based on medium access control (MAC) PDUs received from a Fifth Generation (5G) Evolved Node-B (eNB), and

wherein the memory is configured to store the group of PCLC PPDUs,

wherein when the UE receives MAC PDUs from a legacy eNB, the processing circuitry is further configured to:

reorder radio link control (RLC) PDUs that are based on the MAC PDUs from the legacy eNB, the RLC PDUs reordered based on RLC SNs of the RLC PDUs,

decipher packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) PDUs that are based on the reordered RLC PDUs, the PDCP PDUs deciphered based on PDCP SNs of the PDCP PDUs that are exclusive to the RLC SNs, and

generate, based on the deciphered PDCP PDUs, one or more PDCP SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE,

wherein the PCLC SDUs and the PDCP SDUs are based on internet protocol (IP) packets,

wherein the processing circuitry comprises a baseband processor, and

wherein the UE further comprises a transceiver configured to be coupled to two or more antennas, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive the MAC PDUs from the transceiver.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for communication by a User Equipment (UE), the operations to configure the one or more processors to:

reorder a group of packet convergence and link control (PCLC) protocol data units (PDUs) based at least partly on PCLC sequence numbers (SNs) of the PCLC PDUs;

after reordering the group of PCLC PDUs, decipher the reordered PCLC PDUs in accordance with decipher keys that are based at least partly on the PCLC SNs; and

generate, based on the reordered, deciphered PCLC PDUs, one or more PCLC service data units (SDUs) for usage by an application layer of the UE,

wherein the PCLC PDUs are received from a PCLC layer of the UE, the PCLC layer comprising a single layer having functionality of both a radio link control (RLC) layer and a Package Data Converge Protocol (PDCP) layer,

wherein the PCLC PDUs are based on medium access control (MAC) PDUs received from a Fifth Generation (5G) Evolved Node-B (eNB), and

wherein when a group of deciphered PCLC PDUs is based on a segmentation, at the 5G eNB, of an outbound PCLC SDU, the processing circuitry is further configured to reassemble the group of deciphered PCLC PDUs as part of the generation of the PCLC SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8 , the operations to further configure the one or more processors to, when at least one of the deciphered PCLC PDUs is based on a concatenation, at the 5G eNB, of outbound PCLC SDUs:

reassemble the deciphered PCLC PDU as part of the generation of the PCLC SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8 , the operations to further configure the one or more processors to, when at least one of the deciphered PCLC PDUs is based on a concatenation, at the 5G eNB, of a first group of outbound PCLC SDUs and further based on one or more segments of a second PCLC SDU:

reassemble the deciphered PCLC PDU as part of the generation of the PCLC SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8 , the operations to further configure the one or more processors to:

when the UE receives MAC PDUs from a legacy eNB:

reorder radio link control (RLC) PDUs that are based on the MAC PDUs from the legacy eNB, the RLC PDUs reordered based on RLC SNs of the RLC PDUs;

decipher packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) PDUs that are based on the reordered RLC PDUs, the PDCP PDUs deciphered based on PDCP SNs of the PDCP PDUs that are exclusive to the RLC SNs; and

generate, based on the deciphered PDCP PDUs, one or more PDCP SDUs for usage by the application layer of the UE.

12. The non-transitory The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11 , wherein the PCLC SDUs and the PDCP SDUs are based on internet protocol (IP) packets.