Patent Publication Number: US-11653290-B2

Title: Method and apparatus for signaling of system information

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for signaling on a wireless network. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed a method and apparatus for signaling of system information on a wireless wide area network. 
     2. Introduction 
     Presently, 5th generation New Radio (NR) wireless systems, abbreviated 5G NR, offer improved wireless network technologies. 5G NR includes such technologies as millimeter wave bands, such as 26, 28, 38, and 60 GHz and can offer theoretical throughput as high as 20 gigabits per second, with median bandwidth being approximately 3.5 gigabits. 5G NR can utilize Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), for example 64-256 antennas, to provide up to ten times the performance of 4 th  generation (4G) networks. To achieve such higher throughput, 5G NR aims to reduce signaling overhead. One such reduction occurs during initial interaction between a wireless device and a network entity within a cell. In order to reduce the signaling overhead for the provisioning of System Information (SI), the concept of so-called “minimum System Information” has been introduced for NR. The minimum System Information (SI) can contain basic information for initial access to the cell. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to describe the manner in which advantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a description of the disclosure is rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope. The drawings may have been simplified for clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
         FIG.  1    is an example block diagram of a system, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    is an example scenario showing transmission of SI messages, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  3    is an example scenario showing toggling of a “Broadcast Now” Boolean Flag, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  4    is an example signaling structure for requesting SIBs, such as a SIB or SI request, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  5    is an example first option for a User Equipment (UE) to request its needed SIBs, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  6    is an example illustration of a second option for the UE to request its needed SIBs, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  7    is an example flowchart illustrating operation of an apparatus such as a wireless communication device, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  8    is an example flowchart illustrating operation of an apparatus such as a network entity, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  9    is an example flowchart illustrating another operation of the wireless communication device, for example as the UE, according to a possible embodiment; 
         FIG.  10    is another example flowchart illustrating another operation of the network entity, according to a possible embodiment; and 
         FIG.  11    is an example block diagram of an apparatus, according to a possible embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments provide a method and apparatus for signaling of system information. According to a possible embodiment, minimum system information including at least cell access information to establish access with a cell can be received, the minimum system information also including at least one indication indicating whether particular system information listed in scheduling information in the minimum system information is being broadcasted or not being broadcasted. A system information request message requesting transmission of non-minimum system information if the at least one indication indicates the non-minimum system information is not being broadcasted can be transmitted, where the non-minimum system information is not included in the minimum system information. The non-minimum system information either in response to the transmitting of the system information request message or in response to the at least one indication indicating whether particular system information is being broadcasted can be received. 
       FIG.  1    is an example block diagram of a system  100 , according to a possible embodiment. The system  100  can include a User Equipment (UE)  110 , at least one of network entities  120  and  125 , such as a base station, and a network  130 . The UE  110  can be a wireless wide area network device, a user device, wireless terminal, a portable wireless communication device, a smartphone, a cellular telephone, a flip phone, a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or any other user device that is capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. The at least one of network entities  120  and  125  can be wireless wide area network base stations, can be NodeBs, can be enhanced NodeBs (eNBs), can be New Radio NodeBs (gNBs), such as 5G NodeBs, can be unlicensed network base stations, can be access points, can be base station controllers, can be network controllers, can be Transmission/Reception Points (TRPs), can be different types of base stations from each other, and/or can be any other network entities that can provide wireless access between a UE and a network. 
     The network  130  can include any type of network that is capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the network  130  can include a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)-based network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-based network, a satellite communications network, a high altitude platform network, the Internet, and/or other communications networks. In a possible embodiment, the network entity  120  and the UE  110  can be included in a cell  135 , the network entity  125  can be included in another cell  155 , and the network entities  120  and  125  can be coupled via the network  130 . 
     In operation, the UE  110  can communicate with the network  130  via the network entity  120 . For example, the UE  110  can send and receive control signals on a control channel and user data signals on a data channel. 
     The system  100  can reduce the signaling load for the provisioning of System Information, the concept of so-called “minimum System Information” which has been introduced for New Radio (NR). The minimum System Information (SI)  140  can contain basic information for initial access to the cell  135  and can include such information as Management Information Base (MIB) and can include SIB1 information, such as Subframe Number (SFN), list of Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), cell camping parameters, and Random Access Channel (RACH) parameters. The minimum SI  140  can be broadcast periodically in the cell  135 , whereas other “non-minimum” SI  150  does not necessarily need to be periodically broadcast, and the network  130  can decide whether such information is to be periodically broadcast. To obtain the non-minimum SI  150 , the UE  110  can transmit an SI request message  145  to the network  130 , via the network entity  120 , to request the non-minimum SI  150 . The network  130  can transmit, via the network entity  120 , the non-minimum SI  150  to the UE  110 . The non-minimum SI  150  can be provided on-demand to the UE  110 , that is the UE  110  can request the non-minimum SI  150  via the SI request message  145 . Delivery of the non-minimum SI  150  can also be done by broadcast or unicast manner. The minimum SI  140  can include system information scheduling information and can indicate whether a specific system information, such as an SI block (SIB) that can be periodically broadcasted or provided on-demand. The non-minimum SI  150  can include multiple SIBs. The particular system information (not SI) can be broadcast at least in a SIB and can also be broadcast in an SI message including at least one SIB. For example, one SI message can include one or more SIBs. The system information can be provided in a SIB or other system information message, such as a message that includes at least one SIB. 
     In order to obtain the one or more SIBs which are not periodically broadcasted and are provided on-demand, UE  110  can initiate an on-demand SI acquisition procedure. For SI required by the UE  110 , the UE  110  can know whether it is available in the cell  135  and whether the SI is broadcast or not before the UE  110  can send the SI request message  145 , that is the UE  110  can first acquire the minimum SI  140 . Scheduling information for other SI can be provided by the minimum SI  140 , such as in a SIB1, can include SIB type, validity information, periodicity, and an SI-window information. The UE  110  in idle and an inactive state can transmit the SI request message  145  requesting the non-minimum SI  150  without state transition using an MSG1 and/or MSG3-based approach. For a connected UE  110 , dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling can be used for the SI request message  145  and delivery of the non-minimum SI  150 . In an example, the UE  110  can transmit the SI request message  145  in physical layer Random Access Preamble (RAP), in a Medium Access Control (MAC), or in an RRC message, for example as an MSG1 and/or MSG3, such as when the UE  110  is in the idle state, or when the UE  110  is in the connected state. 
     MSG1 based signaling can rely on association between one or more reserved preambles and a corresponding set(s) of SIB(s). To request multiple SIB(s) belonging to a different set, the UE  110  can transmit/initiate corresponding MSG1 transmissions. 
     The system  100  can provide a signaling-structure for requesting SIBs using an MSG3 and dedicated signaling. A poorly designed signaling-structure can run a risk of misinterpretation if certain SIBs&#39; scheduling changes in-between the UE  110  transmission and the network  130  reception of the signaling-structure requesting the SIBs. This may not only delay the acquisition of certain SIB(s) in the UE  110  but also the network  130  can unnecessarily broadcast certain SIB(s) that were actually not even requested. Another fallout of a poorly designed signaling-structure could be that the signaling-structure itself is quite inefficient/big and thereby result in a reduction of chances of a quick and successful transmission. 
       FIG.  2    is an example scenario  200  showing transmission of SI messages, according to a possible embodiment. In LTE, system information except MIB and SIB1 can be transmitted in so called SI messages. The SI messages can be transmitted within periodically occurring time domain windows, which can be referred to as SI-windows, using dynamic scheduling. Each SI message can be associated with an SI-window and the SI-windows of different SI messages may not overlap. That is, within one SI-window only the corresponding SI can be transmitted. The length of the SI-window can be common for all SI messages and can be configurable. Within the SI-window, the corresponding SI message can be transmitted a number of times. The UE  110  can acquire detailed time-domain scheduling, and can acquire other information, e.g. frequency-domain scheduling, used transport format, from decoding SI-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). 
     Further, in NR the scheduling information for SI can be provided by the minimum SI  140 , such as in SIB1, and may include SIB type, validity information, periodicity, SI-window information and an indication whether the particular SIB-type is broadcasted or not. Though the embodiments reference a SIB, the actual network may provide them in SI-messages, such as in LTE. Two schemes can be available as follows: 
     Scheme-1: Only one indication, such as a Boolean Flag, can be used to indicate if a particular SIB is being broadcasted by the cell  135  “now” or not. By “now”, the UE  110  has some time/possibility to acquire the particular SIB after having received the Boolean Flag. If the UE  110  interested in the particular SIB sees from the Boolean Flag that the SIB is not broadcasted now, then the UE  110  can request, via the SI request message  145 , the particular SIB from the network  130 . 
     Scheme-2: This scheme can use two indications, such as two Boolean flags. The first of these two flags can indicate that the particular SIB is “regularly broadcasted” or provided “on-demand”. The second flag in the Scheme-2 can have the same meaning as the Boolean Flag in Scheme-1 but can be applicable only to the on-demand SIBs as indicated by the first Flag of Scheme-2. 
       FIG.  3    is an example scenario  300  showing toggling of a “Broadcast Now” Boolean Flag, according to a possible embodiment. The network  130  can toggle the “Broadcasted now” flag in any schemes, such as Scheme-1 and/or Scheme-2, upon receiving the SI request message  145  from the UE  110  to provide the SIB to indicate that the SIB is subsequently provided/broadcasted (e.g. Broadcasted Now=True). The network  130  can toggle the Boolean Flag back when the network  130  has provided/broadcasted the SIB for a sufficiently long time, for example until an end of a current modification period as described by 3GPP TS 36.331-e30 section 5.2.1.3, such as by resetting the Broadcasted Now flag to False. In a possible embodiment, an indication can be used to indicate if a SIB or SI message is being broadcasted now in the current modification period. If the indication indicates that a particular SIB/SI message is broadcasted now, the network shall broadcast that SIB/SI until the end of the current modification period and the UE  110  thereby can have opportunities until the end of current modification period to acquire the SIB/SI. In an example embodiment, one indicator in SIB1 can indicate whether an SI message is currently being broadcast or not. The indication shall be valid until an end of the current modification period. For example, the network  130  can guarantee to the UE  110  that when a particular non-minimum SI is indicated as being broadcasted, the particular non-minimum SI  150  can be broadcasted until an end of the current modification period in which it is indicated as being broadcasted. 
       FIG.  4    is an example signaling structure  400  for requesting SIBs, such as a SIB or SI request, according to a possible embodiment. For a first solution, the UE  110  can request SIBs by listing each SIB-type separately, such as illustrated in signaling solution  400 . The system information can comprise a system information message, where the system information request message can comprise a list of one or more of a unique system information message for the requested non-minimum system information, such as the list illustrated in the signaling structure  400 . According to a possible embodiment, the SI request message  145  can include this signaling solution  400 . For example, if the maximum number of SIBs is 30, but even if the UE  110  is requesting only 10 SIBs, the UE  110  would need to use 10*5=50 Bits (2{circumflex over ( )}5=32). For example, the number of bits needed within the SI request message  145  for non-minimum SI  150  can be the number of requested SIBs multiplied by 5 due to the fact that 2{circumflex over ( )}5=32 bits that are necessary to indicate each of the maximum number of 30 SIBs. 
     According to another possible embodiment, another signaling structure that can be included within the SI request message  145  for non-minimum SI  150 , such as a SIB or SI request can include use of a BITMAP. The UE  110  can send the SI request message  145  that includes the BITMAP to the network  130 . 
     In an example embodiment, bits in the BITMAP can represent either SIBs or SI messages. In a possible implementation, the bits of the BITMAP can represent SI messages and these bits can be the SI messages indicated in the scheduling information in SIB1 of the current cell. The UE  110  can determine the SI message(s) based for the SIB(s) that it needs based on the corresponding scheduling information in SIB1. 
     In another example implementation, the bits of the BITMAP can represent SIBs, sequentially. In this example embodiment, no indication is required in a broadcast message to indicate whether the other/non-minimum SIBs are provided via periodic broadcast basis or only on-demand basis. In this case, bits in the BITMAP represent SIBs sequentially starting with a first bit for the first SIB that is carried in SI Messages, such as SIB2, a second bit for the second SIB that is carried next in the same or next SI messages, such as SIB3, and so on. 
     In another example implementation, the bits of the BITMAP can represent SIBs, sequentially, where the SIBs as numbered in the 3GPP specification 38.331 of future versions. As an example of this embodiment, if there are total 25 SIBs in NR, then BIT1 of the BITMAP can represent SIB2, BIT2 of the BITMAP can represent SIB3 . . . , BIT24 of the BITMAP can represent SIB25. 
     In a further example embodiment, bits in the BITMAP can represent SIBs sequentially starting with a first bit for a first SIB that can be indicated as being provided on on-demand basis in the current cell, then a second bit for a second SIB that can be indicated as being provided on on-demand basis in the cell  135 , and so on. A length of the BITMAP can be set to a maximum number of specified SIBs or to the number of SI messages broadcasted in the cell  135 . 
     For example, the BITMAP can be a same length as number of SIBs defined in NR, can be a same length as number of SIBs supported in the cell  135 , can be the number of SI messages broadcasted in the cell  135  or can be a longer value, such as 40 bits to account for future SIBs and/or SI messages. If the BITMAP is 40 bits but we only have a total of 25 SIBs in NR or 25 SI messages broadcasted in the cell, then BIT1 of the BITMAP represents SIB2/SI message1, BIT2 of the BITMAP represents SIB3/SI message2 . . . , BIT24 of the BITMAP represents SIB25/SI message24. The remaining bits, if any in the BITMAP, such as BIT25 to BIT40 in a 40-bit BITMAP, can be set to ‘0’ or ‘1’ by the UE  110  and can be ignored by the network entity  120  in any of the embodiments. 
     According to another possible embodiment, the network  130  may configure the length of the BITMAP based on the SIB-types the network  130  can broadcast. In addition to these, the BITMAP length may have provision for some additional bits for future use. One bit in the BITMAP can correspond to one SIB request. The BITMAP may be interpreted by the network  130  from the left to right, or right to left, such that the first bit in the BITMAP can correspond to the lowest SIB-type being requested, a next bit in the BITMAP can correspond to a next higher SIB-type being requested, and so on. In another possible embodiment, the BITMAP may be interpreted by the network  130  from the left to right, or right to left, such that the first bit in the BITMAP can correspond to the highest SIB-type being requested, a next bit in the BITMAP can correspond to a next lower SIB-type being requested, and so on. With these principles in mind, the following three sub-solutions can be implemented by the network  130 . 
     BITMAP-Solution A: One bit can be included within the BITMAP for each SI-message irrespective of if particular SI messages are “regularly” broadcasted or transmitted on-demand by the network  130 . 
     BITMAP-Solution B: One bit can be included within the BITMAP only for each of those SI-messages that are indicated as to be provided on-demand, for example statically, such as irrespective of if these SI-messages are being provided/broadcasted at a moment by the network  130 . 
     BITMAP-Solution C: One bit can be included within the BITMAP only for each of those SI-messages that are indicated as to be provided on-demand by the network  130  but are NOT being provided/broadcasted at the moment, such as dynamic toggling of bits, by the network  130 . 
     The following tables can be used for Scheme-1 and Scheme-2. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Scheme-1 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                   
                 First-Bit: Broadcasted  
                 First-Bit: Broadcasted  
               
               
                   
                   
                 Now: time-instant T1 
                 Now: time-instant T2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 SIB1 
                 Broadcasted Now 
                 Broadcasted Now 
               
               
                   
                 SIB2 
                 Not Broadcasted Now 
                 Broadcasted Now 
               
               
                   
                 SIB3 
                 Not Broadcasted Now 
                 Not Broadcasted Now 
               
               
                   
                 SIB4 
                 Broadcasted Now 
                 Not Broadcasted Now 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Scheme 1 Using only 1 bit: Broadcasted Now (Yes or No) 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 BITMAP- 
                 Can use 4 bits but not  
                 Interpretation at T2 is un- 
               
               
                 Solution A 
                 request the SIBs that are  
                 changed. If the UE could  
               
               
                   
                 broadcasted now 
                 not acquire SIB4 before the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 network stopped 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Broadcasting it, the UE  
               
               
                   
                   
                 can request again 
               
               
                 BITMAP- 
                 Not-applicable 
                 Not-applicable 
               
               
                 Solution B 
                   
                   
               
               
                 BITMAP- 
                 Can use 2 bits and request  
                 Interpretation at T2 can be 
               
               
                 Solution C 
                 the SIBs that this UE needs.  
                 changed 
               
               
                   
                 Bit 1 can represent SIB2,  
                   
               
               
                   
                 Bit 2 can represent SIB3 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Scheme-2 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                   
                 Second-Bit: @time- 
                 Second-Bit: @time- 
               
               
                   
                 First-Bit 
                 instant T1 
                 instant T2 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 SIB1 
                 Broadcasted 
                 — 
                 — 
               
               
                   
                 Regularly 
                   
                   
               
               
                 SIB2 
                 On-demand 
                 Not Broadcasted  
                 Broadcasted Now 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Now 
                   
               
               
                 SIB3 
                 On-demand 
                 Not Broadcasted  
                 Not Broadcasted 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Now 
                 Now 
               
               
                 SIB4 
                 On-demand 
                 Broadcasted Now 
                 Not Broadcasted 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Now 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
               
                   
               
               
                   
                 Scheme 2 using 2 bits 
               
               
                   
                 First-bit (Regularly Broadcasted or On-Demand) 
               
               
                   
                 Second-Bit: Broadcasted Now (Y or No) 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 BITMAP- 
                 Can use 4 bits but the UE 
                 Interpretation at T2 is un- 
               
               
                 Solution A 
                 may not request the SIBs 
                 changed. If the UE could not 
               
               
                   
                 that are “Regularly 
                 acquire SIB4 before the network 
               
               
                   
                 Broadcasted” OR SIBs 
                 stopped Broadcasting it, the UE 
               
               
                   
                 that are “Broadcasted 
                 can request again 
               
               
                   
                 Now” 
                   
               
               
                 BITMAP- 
                 Can use 3 bits (for 3 On- 
                 Interpretation at T2 can be un- 
               
               
                 Solution B 
                 demand SIBs) but may 
                 changed. If the UE could not 
               
               
                   
                 only request SIB2 (Bit-1) 
                 acquire SIB4 before the network 
               
               
                   
                 and SIB3 (Bit-2) 
                 stopped Broadcasting it, the UE 
               
               
                   
                   
                 can request again 
               
               
                 BITMAP- 
                 Can use only 2 bits  
                 Interpretation at T2 can be 
               
               
                 Solution C 
                 (Bit-1 = SIB2;  
                 changed 
               
               
                   
                 Bit-2 = SIB3) 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     As can be seen from the above tables, the BITMAP-Solution A can avoid misinterpretation due to a time lag between initial transmission by the UE  110  and actual reception time at the network  130  after possibly more than 1 Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request. (HARQ) (re)transmissions and also can need only 1 Broadcast bit, for example, Scheme-1 is sufficient. 
     For example, 3GPP can specify SIB1 to SIB10. SIB2-SIB10 can be provided by the network  130  in SI messages from the 3GPP perspective. Out of these 9 SIBs, the cell  135  may only provide/support SIBs 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. This means that SIBs 3, 5, 7, 9 may not be provided/supported by the cell  135 . Therefore, in the scheduling info in SIB1 only SIBs 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are listed. Out of these, for example SIBs 2, 4 and 6 can be indicated as being broadcasted or guaranteed to be broadcasted until the current modification period boundary and SIBs 8 and 10 can be indicated as not being broadcasted, such as when the flag-indication for both these is FALSE. The UE  110  may only request SIB 8 and SIB 10. The UE  110  may not be allowed/supposed to request any of SIBs 3, 5, 7, 9. 
     For the network behavior associated with BITMAP-Solution A, the network  130  can regularly broadcast certain SIBs and the SI request message  145  can show these SIBs as “required”. Then the SI request message  145  for such SIBs can be ignored by the network  130  since the network  130  may continue to regularly broadcast these SIBs. The on-demand SIBs including the non-minimum SI  150  that are not broadcasted can now be broadcasted subsequently. 
     For UE behavior associated with BITMAP-Solution A, the UE  110  can use a first ‘N’ bits in the BITMAP where N is the number of SIBs (or in practice the SI-message) indicated in the scheduling information. For SIBs that are indicated as “Broadcasted Now=true”, the UE  110  can acquire the ones it needs. For other SIBs indicated as “Broadcasted Now=false”, the UE  110  can determine which of these SIBs it needs and then set these bits to a predefined value, such as a true meaning requested, to indicate to the network  130  that these SIBs are requested. Upon confirmation/feedback from the network  130  that these SIBs are provided, the UE  110  can acquire them. 
     As an additional enhancement for the MSG1 based SI request message  145 , if in a particular cell/network, SIBs A to H are provided on an on-demand basis and the network  130  configures four preambles to request the SIBs as follows: 
     Preamble 1=SIBs A, B 
     Preamble 2=SIBs C, D 
     Preamble 3=SIBs E, F 
     Preamble 4=SIBs G, H, 
     then the UE  110  can determine that it needs SIBs A, B and H and can perform one of the following two options to request its needed SIBs: 
       FIG.  5    is an example first option  500  for a UE  110  to request its needed SIBs, according to a possible embodiment. The first option  500  includes transmission of one SI request message  145  at a time from the UE  110 . The UE  110  can then look to receive a feedback message, such as a Random Access Response (RAR), to its request for non-minimum SI  150 . One preamble can be used by the UE  110  for a group of SIBs, with no further optimization of the non-minimum SI  150 . 
       FIG.  6    is an example illustration of a second option  600  for a UE  110  to request its needed SIBs, according to a possible embodiment. In the second option  600  the feedback message, such as the RAR, is scheduled on one single common RNTI, such as a Random Access (RA)-RNTI, and carries a list of received preambles to indicate the corresponding SIBs that the network  130  is going to provide in response to possibly more than one requesting UE  110 . 
     In the second option  600 , the UE  110  need not send separate SI-requests/Preambles to request SI-messages grouped separately, saving uplink (UL) transmission/battery and optimizing UL interference/collisions. Moreover, the network  130  need not send a feedback/response to each of the requests, saving downlink (DL) transmission/resources. Furthermore, the second option  600  saves RNTIs space and further, RA-RNTI calculation may not be required. Also, compared against the MAC RAR, none of the fields in MAC RAR payload are required, that is none of timing advance command, UL grant, or temporary Cell (C)-RNTI. The system  100  can eliminate transmission of the MAC RAR and allows for DL signaling reduction. 
     The MSG2, that is feedback from MSG1, can consist of only Extension (E)/Type (T)/Random Access Preamble IDentitfier (RAPID) MAC sub-header and some of reserved Preambles, such as RAPIDs, that are configured by the network  130  to be associated with a corresponding MAC RAR. In one example, Preamble 4 (=SIBs G, H) can be configured by the network  130  to be associated with a corresponding MAC RAR and when the MAC sub-header has RAPID=Premable 4, then the UE  110  can further receive a MAC RAR, such as a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). This MAC RAR can contain part or whole of either/both SIBs G, H. The “part” could correspond to the new changes in that SIB compared to a previous transmitted version. 
     Additionally, instead of configuring some of the reserved Preamble for a MAC RAR reception, an explicit indication in the MAC sub-header itself can be used, such as a one-bit Boolean flag. This Boolean flag indicating if a MAC RAR is transmitted, signals the UE  110  to receive a corresponding MAC RAR, such as a PDSCH transmission. This MAC RAR can contain part or whole of the any one or more SIBs A to SIB H. 
       FIG.  7    is an example flowchart  700  illustrating operation of an apparatus such as a wireless communication device, for example the UE  110 , according to a possible embodiment. At  710 , the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with a cell can be received. The minimum SI  140  can also include at least one indication indicating whether particular system information listed in scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted or not being broadcasted. According to a possible embodiment, the at least one indication can be a Boolean flag. According to a possible embodiment, the at least one indication can include a first indication, where the minimum system information can further include a second indication indicating whether the particular system information listed in the scheduling information in the minimum system information is regularly broadcast or provided to the user equipment on-demand. Transmitting the system information request message can include transmitting the system information request message in response to the second indication indicating that the particular on-demand system information not being currently broadcast and the second indication indicating the particular system information is provided on-demand. According to a possible embodiment, the system information can include a system information message, where the system information request message can include a list of one or more of a unique system information message for the requested non-minimum system information. 
     In a possible embodiment, the SI request message  145  can include a BITMAP, where each bit in the BITMAP can each correspond to a unique system information message for the requested non-minimum system information. In a possible embodiment, each bit of the BITMAP can indicate a different system information message or a different system information block. In a possible embodiment, a leftmost bit of the BITMAP can correspond to a lowest valued unique system information message type requested, a rightmost bit of the BITMAP can correspond to a highest valued unique system information message type requested, and bits ordered from the leftmost bit to the rightmost bit can be ordered in accordance with increased valued minimum information requested. In a possible embodiment, each bit in the BITMAP can correspond to particular system information irrespective of if the particular system information is regularly broadcasted or on-demand. In a possible embodiment, each bit in the BITMAP can correspond to only particular system information that is indicated as being provided on-demand. In a possible embodiment, each bit in the BITMAP can correspond to only particular system information that is indicated as being provided on-demand and not being currently provided to the user equipment. In a possible embodiment, only selected bits of the BITMAP, where the selected bits indicate system information that is not being broadcast and required by the user equipment, can be set by the UE  110 . 
     At  720 , the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of the non-minimum SI  150  can be transmitted. According to a possible embodiment, this transmission can occur if the at least one indication indicates the non-minimum SI  150  is not being broadcasted, where the non-minimum SI  150  is not included in the minimum SI  140 . At  730 , the non-minimum SI  150  can be received either in response to the transmission of the SI request message  145  at  720  or in response to the at least one indication indicating whether particular SI is being broadcasted. 
       FIG.  8    is an example flowchart  800  illustrating operation of an apparatus such as a network entity, for example the network entity  120 , according to a possible embodiment. At  810 , the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with a cell can be transmitted. The minimum SI  140  can also include at least one indication indicating whether particular SI listed in the scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted or not being broadcasted. According to a possible embodiment, the at least one indication can be a Boolean flag as described above and in  710 . In a possible embodiment, the SI request message  145  can comprise a BITMAP, as described above and in element  710  above. 
     At  820 , the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of the non-minimum SI  150  can be received. According to a possible implementation, this reception by the network entity  120  can occur if the at least one indication indicates the non-minimum SI  150  is not being broadcasted, where the non-minimum SI  150  is not included in the minimum SI  140 . 
     At  830 , the non-minimum SI  150  can be transmitted either in response to the receiving of the SI request message  145  at  820  or in response to the at least one indication indicating whether particular SI listed in the scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted. 
       FIG.  9    is an example flowchart  900  illustrating another operation of the wireless communication device, for example the UE  110 , according to a possible embodiment. At  910 , the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with a cell can be received. 
     At  920 , the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of the non-minimum SI  150  can be transmitted, where the SI request message  145  can include a BITMAP. According to a possible implementation, each bit in the BITMAP can correspond to a unique SI message for the requested non-minimum SI  150 , where the non-minimum SI  150  is not included in the minimum SI  140 . In a possible embodiment, the BITMAP can include the features described above and in  710 . 
     At  930 , the non-minimum SI  150  can be received in response to the transmission of the SI request message including the BITMAP at  920 . 
       FIG.  10    is another example flowchart  1000  illustrating another operation of a network entity, for example the network entity  120 , according to a possible embodiment. At  1010 , the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with the cell  135  can be transmitted. According to a possible implementation, the minimum SI  140  can also include at least one indication indicating whether particular SI listed in scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted or not being broadcasted. 
     At  1020 , the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of the non-minimum SI  150  can be received. According to a possible implementation, the SI request message  145  can include a BITMAP where each bit in the BITMAP corresponds to a unique SI message for the requested non-minimum SI  150 , where the non-minimum SI  150  is not included in the minimum SI  140 . In a possible embodiment, the BITMAP can include the features described above and in  710 . 
     At  1030 , the non-minimum SI  150  can be transmitted in response to the receiving of the SI request message  145  including the BITMAP at  1020 . 
     It should be understood that, notwithstanding the particular steps as shown in the figures, a variety of additional or different steps can be performed depending upon the embodiment, and one or more of the particular steps can be rearranged, repeated or eliminated entirely depending upon the embodiment. Also, some of the steps performed can be repeated on an ongoing or continuous basis simultaneously while other steps are performed. Furthermore, different steps can be performed by different elements or in a single element of the disclosed embodiments. 
       FIG.  11    is an example block diagram of an apparatus  1100 , such as the UE  110 , the network entity  120 , the network entity  125 , any of the entities within the network  130 , and/or any other wireless or non-wireless communication device disclosed herein, according to a possible embodiment. The apparatus  1100  can include a housing  1110 , a controller  1120  coupled to the housing  1110 , audio input and output circuitry  1130  coupled to the controller  1120 , a display  1140  coupled to the controller  1120 , a transceiver  1170  coupled to the controller  1120 , at least one antenna  1115  coupled to the transceiver  1170 , a user interface  1160  coupled to the controller  1120 , a memory  1150  coupled to the controller  1120 , and a network interface  1180  coupled to the controller  1120 . The apparatus  1100  may not necessarily include all of the illustrated elements for different embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus  1100  can perform the methods described in all the embodiments. 
     The display  1140  can be a viewfinder, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display, a plasma display, a projection display, a touch screen, or any other device that displays information. The transceiver  1170  can be one or more transceivers that can include a transmitter and/or a receiver. The audio input and output circuitry  1130  can include a microphone, a speaker, a transducer, or any other audio input and output circuitry. The user interface  1160  can include a keypad, a keyboard, buttons, a touch pad, a joystick, a touch screen display, another additional display, or any other device useful for providing an interface between a user and an electronic device. The network interface  1180  can be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an Ethernet port, an infrared transmitter/receiver, an IEEE 1394 port, a wireless transceiver, a WLAN transceiver, or any other interface that can connect an apparatus to a network, device, and/or computer and that can transmit and receive data communication signals. The memory  1150  can include a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read Only Memory (RON), an optical memory, a solid state memory, a flash memory, a removable memory, a hard drive, a cache, or any other memory that can be coupled to an apparatus. 
     The apparatus  1100  or the controller  1120  may implement any operating system, such as Microsoft Windows®, UNIX®, or LINUX®, Android™, or any other operating system. Apparatus operation software may be written in any programming language, such as C, C++, Java or Visual Basic, for example. Apparatus software may also run on an application framework, such as, for example, a Java® framework, a .NET® framework, or any other application framework. The software and/or the operating system may be stored in the memory  1150  or elsewhere on the apparatus  1100 . The apparatus  1100  or the controller  1120  may also use hardware to implement disclosed operations. For example, the controller  1120  may be any programmable processor. Disclosed embodiments may also be implemented on a general-purpose or a special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microprocessor, peripheral integrated circuit elements, an application-specific integrated circuit or other integrated circuits, hardware/electronic logic circuits, such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, such as a programmable logic array, field programmable gate-array, or the like. In general, the controller  1120  may be any controller or processor device or devices capable of operating an apparatus and implementing the disclosed embodiments. Some or all of the additional elements of the apparatus  1100  can also perform some or all of the operations of the disclosed embodiments. 
     In operation as a UE  110 , the transceiver  1170  can transmit and receive the various signals described above. In a possible embodiment, for example the transceiver  1170  can receive the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with the cell  135 . The minimum SI can also include at least one indication indicating whether particular SI listed in scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted or not being broadcasted. 
     The transceiver  1170  can transmit the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of non-minimum SI  150  to the UE  110  if the at least one indication indicates the non-minimum SI  150  is not being broadcasted. The transceiver  1170  can either in response to the transmission of the SI request message  145  or in response to the at least one indication indicating whether particular SI is being broadcasted receive the requested non-minimum SI  150 . 
     In operation as a network entity, the transceiver  1170  can transmit and receive the various signals described above. In a possible embodiment, for example the transceiver  1170  can transmit the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with a cell of the network entity  120 . The minimum SI  140  can also include at least one indication indicating whether particular SI listed in the scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted or not being broadcasted. 
     The transceiver  1170  can receive the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of the non-minimum SI  150  to the UE  110 . According to a possible implementation, this reception by the network entity  120  can occur if the at least one indication indicates the non-minimum SI  150  is not being broadcasted, where the non-minimum SI  150  is not included in the minimum SI  140 . 
     The transceiver  1170  can transmit the non-minimum SI  150  either in response to the receiving of the SI request message  145  or in response to the at least one indication indicating whether particular SI listed in the scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted. 
     In another operation as a UE, the transceiver  1170  can receive the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with a cell of the network entity. The transceiver  1170  can transmit the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of the non-minimum SI  150  to the UE  110  can be transmitted by the UE  110 , the SI request message  145  including a BITMAP. According to a possible implementation, each bit in the BITMAP can correspond to a unique SI message for the requested non-minimum SI  150 , where the non-minimum SI  150  is not included in the minimum SI  140 . The transceiver  1170  can receive the non-minimum SI  150  in response to the transmission of the SI request message including the BITMAP at  920 . 
     In another operation as a network entity, the transceiver  1170  can transmit the minimum SI  140  including at least cell access information to establish access with the cell  135  of the network entity  120 . According to a possible implementation, the minimum SI  140  can also include at least one indication indicating whether particular SI listed in scheduling information in the minimum SI  140  is being broadcasted or not being broadcasted. 
     The transceiver  1170  can receive the SI request message  145  requesting transmission of non-minimum SI  150  to the UE  110 . According to a possible implementation, the SI request message  145  including a BITMAP where each bit in the BITMAP corresponds to a unique SI message for the requested non-minimum SI  150 , where the non-minimum SI  150  is not included in the minimum SI  140 . 
     The transceiver  1170  can transmit the non-minimum SI  150  in response to the receiving of the SI request message  145  including the BITMAP at  1020 . 
     The method of this disclosure can be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controllers, flowcharts, and modules may also be implemented on a general purpose or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device on which resides a finite state machine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processor functions of this disclosure. 
     While this disclosure has been described with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in the other embodiments. Also, all of the elements of each figure are not necessary for operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments would be enabled to make and use the teachings of the disclosure by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, embodiments of the disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. 
     In this document, relational terms such as “first,” “second,” and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The phrase “at least one of,” “at least one selected from the group of,” or “at least one selected from” followed by a list is defined to mean one, some, or all, but not necessarily all of, the elements in the list. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “a,” “an,” or the like does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. Also, the term “another” is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including,” “having,” and the like, as used herein, are defined as “comprising.” Furthermore, the background section is written as the inventor&#39;s own understanding of the context of some embodiments at the time of filing and includes the inventor&#39;s own recognition of any problems with existing technologies and/or problems experienced in the inventor&#39;s own work.