Patent Publication Number: US-11388720-B2

Title: Methods and apparatus for user equipment capability exchange

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/882,558, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USER EQUIPMENT CAPABILITY EXCHANGE,” filed on Jan. 29, 2018, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/454,653, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USER EQUIPMENT CAPABILITY EXCHANGE,” filed on Feb. 3, 2017, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to user equipment capability exchange procedures. 
     Background 
     Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. One example of such a network is the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is the radio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Examples of multiple-access network formats include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks. 
     A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations or node Bs that can support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station. 
     A base station may transmit data and control information on the downlink to a UE and/or may receive data and control information on the uplink from the UE. On the downlink, a transmission from the base station may encounter interference due to transmissions from neighbor base stations or from other wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, a transmission from the UE may encounter interference from uplink transmissions of other UEs communicating with the neighbor base stations or from other wireless RF transmitters. This interference may degrade performance on both the downlink and uplink. 
     As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, the possibilities of interference and congested networks grows with more UEs accessing the long-range wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems being deployed in communities. Research and development continue to advance wireless technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications. 
     As LTE release and 5G release develop and add more features and carrier aggregation (CA)/band combinations, UE capability information has become one of the longest and most complicated radio access control messages. Therefore, enhancements to the UE capability change procedure may be helpful to address this issue. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an aspect of the disclosure, a method for wireless communication is disclosed. The method includes determining, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type, and transmitting, by the UE, the determined UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a method for wireless communication is disclosed. The method includes transmitting, by a base station, one or more enquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network, and receiving, by the base station, the associated UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a method for wireless communication is disclosed. The method includes utilizing, by a user equipment (UE), one or more identifiers to identify a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE, and transmitting, by the UE, a UE capability set and the one or more identifiers to a network. The UE capability set indicates UE capabilities for features. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform; 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a method for wireless communication is disclosed. The method includes receiving, by a base station, a user equipment (UE) capability set indicating UE capabilities for features and one or more identifiers identifying a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by a UE, and determining, by the base station, the portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE based on the received one or more identifiers and a capability database. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform; 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means for determining, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type, and means for transmitting, by the UE, the determined UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means for transmitting, by a base station, one or more enquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network, and means for receiving, by the base station, the associated UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means for utilizing, by a user equipment (UE), one or more identifiers to identify a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE, and means for transmitting, by the UE, a UE capability set. The UE capability set indicates UE capabilities for features and the one or more identifiers to a network. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means for receiving, by a base station, a user equipment (UE) capability set indicating UE capabilities for features and one or more identifiers identifying a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by a UE, and means for determining, by the base station, the portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE based on the received one or more identifiers and a capability database. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The program code further includes program code executable by a computer for causing the computer to determine, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type, and program code executable by the computer for causing the computer to transmit, by the UE, the determined UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The program code further includes program code executable by a computer for causing the computer to transmit, by a base station, one or more enquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network, and program code executable by the computer for causing the computer to receive, by the base station, the associated UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The program code further includes program code executable by a computer for causing the computer to utilize, by a user equipment (UE), one or more identifiers to identify a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE, and program code executable by the computer for causing the computer to transmit, by the UE, a UE capability set and the one or more identifiers to a network. The UE capability set indicates UE capabilities for features. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform, 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The program code further includes program code executable by a computer for causing the computer to receive, by a base station, a user equipment (UE) capability set indicating UE capabilities for features and one or more identifiers identifying a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by a UE, and program code executable by a computer for causing the computer to determine, by the base station, the portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE based on the received one or more identifiers and a capability database. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to determine, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type, and to transmit, by the UE, the determined UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to transmit, by a base station, one or more enquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network, and to receive, by the base station, the associated UE capabilities. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to utilize, by a user equipment (UE), one or more identifiers to identify a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE, and to transmit, by the UE, a UE capability set and the one or more identifiers to a network. The UE capability set indicates UE capabilities for features. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. 
     In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured for wireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to receive, by a base station, a user equipment (UE) capability set indicating UE capabilities for features and one or more identifiers identifying a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by a UE, and to determine, by the base station, the portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE based on the received one or more identifiers and a capability database. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform; 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings. In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating details of a wireless communication system. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a design of a base station and a UE configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a timing diagram for coordinated resource partitioning. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a call flow diagram including a UE capability exchange procedure. 
         FIG. 5A  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5B  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5C  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5D  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5E  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6A  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed to implement other aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6B  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed to implement other aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of a UE in a communication network according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a base station in a communication network according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a UE in a communication network according to further aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram of a base station in a communication network according to further aspects of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings and appendix, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Rather, the detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the inventive subject matter. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in every case and that, in some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form for clarity of presentation. 
     The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various possible configurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Rather, the detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the inventive subject matter. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in every case and that, in some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form for clarity of presentation. 
     This disclosure relates generally to providing or participating in authorized shared access between two or more wireless communications systems, also referred to as wireless communications networks. In various embodiments, the techniques and apparatus may be used for wireless communication networks such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, 5 th  Generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, as well as other communications networks. As described herein, the terms “networks” and “systems” may be used interchangeably. 
     An OFDMA network may implement a radio technology such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM and the like. UTRA, E-UTRA, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) are part of universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS). In particular, long term evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or are being developed. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations that aims to define a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project which was aimed at improving the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) mobile phone standard. The 3GPP may define specifications for the next generation of mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure is concerned with the evolution of wireless technologies from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and beyond with shared access to wireless spectrum between networks using a collection of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces. 
     In particular, 5G networks contemplate diverse deployments, diverse spectrum, and diverse services and devices that may be implemented using an OFDM-based unified, air interface. In order to achieve these goals, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are considered in addition to development of the new radio technology for 5G NR networks. The 5G NR will be capable of scaling to provide coverage (1) to a massive Internet of things (IoTs) with an ultra-high density (e.g., ˜1 M nodes/km 2 ), ultra-low complexity (e.g., ˜10 s of bits/sec), ultra-low energy (e.g., ˜10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the capability to reach challenging locations; (2) including mission-critical control with strong security to safeguard sensitive personal, financial, or classified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., ˜99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., ˜1 ms), and users with wide ranges of mobility or lack thereof; and (3) with enhanced mobile broadband including extreme high capacity (e.g., ˜10 Tbps/km 2 ), extreme data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rate, 100+ Mbps user experienced rates), and deep awareness with advanced discovery and optimizations. 
     The 5G NR may be implemented to use optimized OFDM-based waveforms with scalable numerology and transmission time interval (TTI); having a common, flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and features with a dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD)/frequency division duplex (FDD) design; and with advanced wireless technologies, such as massive multiple input, multiple output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmissions, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. Scalability of the numerology in 5G NR, with scaling of subcarrier spacing, may efficiently address operating diverse services across diverse spectrum and diverse deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than 3 GHz FDD/TDD implementations, subcarrier spacing may occur with 15 kHz, for example over 1, 5, 10, 20 MHz, and the like bandwidth. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3 GHz, subcarrier spacing may occur with 30 kHz over 80/100 MHz bandwidth. For other various indoor wideband implementations, using a TDD over the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, the subcarrier spacing may occur with 60 kHz over a 160 MHz bandwidth. Finally, for various deployments transmitting with mmWave components at a TDD of 28 GHz, subcarrier spacing may occur with 120 kHz over a 500 MHz bandwidth. 
     The scalable numerology of the 5G NR facilitates scalable TTI for diverse latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTI may be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTI may be used for higher spectral efficiency. The efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs to allow transmissions to start on symbol boundaries. 5G NR also contemplates a self-contained integrated subframe design with uplink/downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgement in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive uplink/downlink that may be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet the current traffic needs. 
     Various other aspects and features of the disclosure are further described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative and not limiting. Based on the teachings herein one of an ordinary level of skill in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented or such a method may be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example, a method may be implemented as part of a system, device, apparatus, and/or as instructions stored on a computer readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. Furthermore, an aspect may comprise at least one element of a claim. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating 5G network  100  including various base stations and UEs configured according to aspects of the present disclosure. The 5G network  100  includes a number of base stations  105  and other network entities. A base station may be a station that communicates with the UEs and may also be referred to as an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, and the like. Each base station  105  may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to this particular geographic coverage area of a base station and/or a base station subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. 
     A base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell or a small cell, such as a pico cell or a femto cell, and/or other types of cell. A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell, such as a pico cell, would generally cover a relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell, such as a femto cell, would also generally cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access by UEs having an association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, and the like). A base station for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro base station. A base station for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell base station, a pico base station, a femto base station or a home base station. In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the base stations  105   d  and  105   e  are regular macro base stations, while base stations  105   a - 105   c  are macro base stations enabled with one of 3 dimension (3D), full dimension (FD), or massive MIMO. Base stations  105   a - 105   c  take advantage of their higher dimension MIMO capabilities to exploit 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. Base station  105   f  is a small cell base station which may be a home node or portable access point. A base station may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells. 
     The 5G network  100  may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations may not be aligned in time. 
     The UEs  115  are dispersed throughout the wireless network  100 , and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, or the like. A UE may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, or the like. UEs  115   a - 115   d  are examples of mobile smart phone-type devices accessing 5G network  100  A UE may also be a machine specifically configured for connected communication, including machine type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and the like. UEs  115   e - 115   k  are examples of various machines configured for communication that access 5G network  100 . A UE may be able to communicate with any type of the base stations, whether macro base station, small cell, or the like. In  FIG. 1 , a lightning bolt (e.g., communication links) indicates wireless transmissions between a UE and a serving base station, which is a base station designated to serve the UE on the downlink and/or uplink, or desired transmission between base stations, and backhaul transmissions between base stations. 
     In operation at 5G network  100 , base stations  105   a - 105   c  serve UEs  115   a  and  115   b  using 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity. Macro base station  105   d  performs backhaul communications with base stations  105   a - 105   c , as well as small cell, base station  105   f . Macro base station  105   d  also transmits multicast services which are subscribed to and received by UEs  115   c  and  115   d . Such multicast services may include mobile television or stream video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber alerts or gray alerts. 
     5G network  100  also support mission critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission critical devices, such UE  115   e , which is a drone. Redundant communication links with UE  115   e  include from macro base stations  105   d  and  105   e , as well as small cell base station  105   f . Other machine type devices, such as UE  115   f  (thermometer), UE  115   g  (smart meter), and UE  115   h  (wearable device) may communicate through 5G network  100  either directly with base stations, such as small cell base station  105   f , and macro base station  105   e , or in multi-hop configurations by communicating with another user device which relays its information to the network, such as UE  115   f  communicating temperature measurement information to the smart meter, UE  115   g , which is then reported to the network through small cell base station  105   f.  5G network  100  may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD/FDD communications, such as in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mesh network between UEs  115   i - 115   k  communicating with macro base station  105   e.    
       FIG. 2  shows a block diagram of a design of a base station  105  and a UE  115 , which may be one of the base station and one of the UEs in  FIG. 1 . At the base station  105 , a transmit processor  220  may receive data from a data source  212  and control information from a controller/processor  240 . The control information may be for the PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, PDCCH, EPDCCH, MPDCCH etc. The data may be for the PDSCH, etc. The transmit processor  220  may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor  220  may also generate reference symbols, e.g., for the PSS, SSS, and cell-specific reference signal. A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor  230  may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide output symbol streams to the modulators (MODs)  232   a  through  232   t . Each modulator  232  may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator  232  may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. Downlink signals from modulators  232   a  through  232   t  may be transmitted via the antennas  234   a  through  234   t , respectively. 
     At the UE  115 , the antennas  252   a  through  252   r  may receive the downlink signals from the base station  105  and may provide received signals to the demodulators (DEMODs)  254   a  through  254   r , respectively. Each demodulator  254  may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator  254  may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector  256  may obtain received symbols from all the demodulators  254   a  through  254   r , perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor  258  may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the UE  115  to a data sink  260 , and provide decoded control information to a controller/processor  280 . 
     On the uplink, at the UE  115 , a transmit processor  264  may receive and process data (e.g., for the PUSCH) from a data source  262  and control information (e.g., for the PUCCH) from the controller/processor  280 . The transmit processor  264  may also generate reference symbols for a reference signal. The symbols from the transmit processor  264  may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor  266  if applicable, further processed by the modulators  254   a  through  254   r  (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station  105 . At the base station  105 , the uplink signals from the UE  115  may be received by the antennas  234 , processed by the demodulators  232 , detected by a MIMO detector  236  if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor  238  to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE  115 . The processor  238  may provide the decoded data to a data sink  239  and the decoded control information to the controller/processor  240 . 
     The controllers/processors  240  and  280  may direct the operation at the base station  105  and the UE  115 , respectively. The controller/processor  240  and/or other processors and modules at the base station  105  may perform or direct the execution of various processes for the techniques described herein. The controllers/processor  280  and/or other processors and modules at the UE  115  may also perform or direct the execution of the functional blocks illustrated in  FIGS. 5-6 , and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The memories  242  and  282  may store data and program codes for the base station  105  and the UE  115 , respectively. A scheduler  244  may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink. 
     Wireless communications systems operated by different network operating entities (e.g., network operators) may share spectrum. In some instances, a network operating entity may be configured to use an entirety of a designated shared spectrum for at least a period of time before another network operating entity uses the entirety of the designated shared spectrum for a different period of time. Thus, in order to allow network operating entities use of the full designated shared spectrum, and in order to mitigate interfering communications between the different network operating entities, certain resources (e.g., time) may be partitioned and allocated to the different network operating entities for certain types of communication. 
     For example, a network operating entity may be allocated certain time resources reserved for exclusive communication by the network operating entity using the entirety of the shared spectrum. The network operating entity may also be allocated other time resources where the entity is given priority over other network operating entities to communicate using the shared spectrum. These time resources, prioritized for use by the network operating entity, may be utilized by other network operating entities on an opportunistic basis if the prioritized network operating entity does not utilize the resources. Additional time resources may be allocated for any network operator to use on an opportunistic basis. 
     Access to the shared spectrum and the arbitration of time resources among different network operating entities may be centrally controlled by a separate entity, autonomously determined by a predefined arbitration scheme, or dynamically determined based on interactions between wireless nodes of the network operators. 
     In some cases, UE  115  and base station  105  may operate in a shared radio frequency spectrum band, which may include licensed or unlicensed (e.g., contention-based) frequency spectrum. In an unlicensed frequency portion of the shared radio frequency spectrum band, UEs  115  or base stations  105  may traditionally perform a medium-sensing procedure to contend for access to the frequency spectrum. For example, UE  115  or base station  105  may perform a listen before talk (LBT) procedure such as a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communicating in order to determine whether the shared channel is available. A CCA may include an energy detection procedure to determine whether there are any other active transmissions. For example, a device may infer that a change in a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a power meter indicates that a channel is occupied. Specifically, signal power that is concentrated in a certain bandwidth and exceeds a predetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter. A CCA also may include detection of specific sequences that indicate use of the channel. For example, another device may transmit a specific preamble prior to transmitting a data sequence. In some cases, an LBT procedure may include a wireless node adjusting its own backoff window based on the amount of energy detected on a channel and/or the acknowledge/negative-acknowledge (ACK/NACK) feedback for its own transmitted packets as a proxy for collisions. 
     Use of a medium-sensing procedure to contend for access to an unlicensed shared spectrum may result in communication inefficiencies. This may be particularly evident when multiple network operating entities (e.g., network operators) are attempting to access a shared resource. In 5G network  100 , base stations  105  and UEs  115  may be operated by the same or different network operating entities. In some examples, an individual base station  105  or UE  115  may be operated by more than one network operating entity. In other examples, each base station  105  and UE  115  may be operated by a single network operating entity. Requiring each base station  105  and UE  115  of different network operating entities to contend for shared resources may result in increased signaling overhead and communication latency. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a timing diagram  300  for coordinated resource partitioning. The timing diagram  300  includes a superframe  305 , which may represent a fixed duration of time (e.g., 20 ms). Superframe  305  may be repeated for a given communication session and may be used by a wireless system such as 5G network  100  described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The superframe  305  may be divided into intervals such as an acquisition interval (A-INT)  310  and an arbitration interval  315 . As described in more detail below, the A-INT  310  and arbitration interval  315  may be subdivided into sub-intervals, designated for certain resource types, and allocated to different network operating entities to facilitate coordinated communications between the different network operating entities. For example, the arbitration interval  315  may be divided into a plurality of sub-intervals  320 . Also, the superframe  305  may be further divided into a plurality of subframes  325  with a fixed duration (e.g., 1 ms). While timing diagram  300  illustrates three different network operating entities (e.g., Operator A, Operator B, Operator C), the number of network operating entities using the superframe  305  for coordinated communications may be greater than or fewer than the number illustrated in timing diagram  300 . 
     The A-INT  310  may be a dedicated interval of the superframe  305  that is reserved for exclusive communications by the network operating entities. In some examples, each network operating entity may be allocated certain resources within the A-INT  310  for exclusive communications. For example, resources  330 - a  may be reserved for exclusive communications by Operator A, such as through base station  105   a , resources  330 - b  may be reserved for exclusive communications by Operator B, such as through base station  105   b , and resources  330 - c  may be reserved for exclusive communications by Operator C, such as through base station  105   c . Since the resources  330 - a  are reserved for exclusive communications by Operator A, neither Operator B nor Operator C can communicate during resources  330 - a , even if Operator A chooses not to communicate during those resources. That is, access to exclusive resources is limited to the designated network operator. Similar restrictions apply to resources  330 - b  for Operator B and resources  330 - c  for Operator C. The wireless nodes of Operator A (e.g, UEs  115  or base stations  105 ) may communicate any information desired during their exclusive resources  330 - a , such as control information or data. 
     When communicating over an exclusive resource, a network operating entity does not need to perform any medium sensing procedures (e.g., listen-before-talk (LBT) or clear channel assessment (CCA)) because the network operating entity knows that the resources are reserved. Because only the designated network operating entity may communicate over exclusive resources, there may be a reduced likelihood of interfering communications as compared to relying on medium sensing techniques alone (e.g., no hidden node problem). In some examples, the A-INT  310  is used to transmit control information, such as synchronization signals (e.g., SYNC signals), system information (e.g., system information blocks (SIBs)), paging information (e.g., physical broadcast channel (PBCH) messages), or random access information (e.g., random access channel (RACH) signals). In some examples, all of the wireless nodes associated with a network operating entity may transmit at the same time during their exclusive resources. 
     In some examples, resources may be classified as prioritized for certain network operating entities. Resources that are assigned with priority for a certain network operating entity may be referred to as a guaranteed interval (G-INT) for that network operating entity. The interval of resources used by the network operating entity during the G-INT may be referred to as a prioritized sub-interval. For example, resources  335 - a  may be prioritized for use by Operator A and may therefore be referred to as a G-INT for Operator A (e.g., G-INT-OpA). Similarly, resources  335 - b  may be prioritized for Operator B, resources  335 - c  may be prioritized for Operator C, resources  335 - d  may be prioritized for Operator A, resources  335 - e  may be prioritized for Operator B, and resources  335 - f  may be prioritized for operator C. 
     The various G-INT resources illustrated in  FIG. 3  appear to be staggered to illustrate their association with their respective network operating entities, but these resources may all be on the same frequency bandwidth. Thus, if viewed along a time-frequency grid, the G-INT resources may appear as a contiguous line within the superframe  305 . This partitioning of data may be an example of time division multiplexing (TDM). Also, when resources appear in the same sub-interval (e.g., resources  340 - a  and resources  335 - b ), these resources represent the same time resources with respect to the superframe  305  (e.g., the resources occupy the same sub-interval  320 ), but the resources are separately designated to illustrate that the same time resources can be classified differently for different operators. 
     When resources are assigned with priority for a certain network operating entity (e.g., a G-INT), that network operating entity may communicate using those resources without having to wait or perform any medium sensing procedures (e.g., LBT or CCA). For example, the wireless nodes of Operator A are free to communicate any data or control information during resources  335 - a  without interference from the wireless nodes of Operator B or Operator C. 
     A network operating entity may additionally signal to another operator that it intends to use a particular G-INT. For example, referring to resources  335 - a , Operator A may signal to Operator B and Operator C that it intends to use resources  335 - a . Such signaling may be referred to as an activity indication. Moreover, since Operator A has priority over resources  335 - a , Operator A may be considered as a higher priority operator than both Operator B and Operator C. However, as discussed above, Operator A does not have to send signaling to the other network operating entities to ensure interference-free transmission during resources  335 - a  because the resources  335 - a  are assigned with priority to Operator A. 
     Similarly, a network operating entity may signal to another network operating entity that it intends not to use a particular G-INT. This signaling may also be referred to as an activity indication. For example, referring to resources  335 - b , Operator B may signal to Operator A and Operator C that it intends not to use the resources  335 - b  for communication, even though the resources are assigned with priority to Operator B. With reference to resources  335 - b , Operator B may be considered a higher priority network operating entity than Operator A and Operator C. In such cases, Operators A and C may attempt to use resources of sub-interval  320  on an opportunistic basis. Thus, from the perspective of Operator A, the sub-interval  320  that contains resources  335 - b  may be considered an opportunistic interval (O-INT) for Operator A (e.g., O-INT-OpA). For illustrative purposes, resources  340 - a  may represent the O-INT for Operator A. Also, from the perspective of Operator C, the same sub-interval  320  may represent an O-INT for Operator C with corresponding resources  340 - b . Resources  340 - a ,  335 - b , and  340 - b  all represent the same time resources (e.g., a particular sub-interval  320 ), but are identified separately to signify that the same resources may be considered as a G-INT for some network operating entities and yet as an O-INT for others. 
     To utilize resources on an opportunistic basis, Operator A and Operator C may perform medium-sensing procedures to check for communications on a particular channel before transmitting data. For example, if Operator B decides not to use resources  335 - b  (e.g., G-INT-OpB), then Operator A may use those same resources (e.g., represented by resources  340 - a ) by first checking the channel for interference (e.g., LBT) and then transmitting data if the channel was determined to be clear. Similarly, if Operator C wanted to access resources on an opportunistic basis during sub-interval  320  (e.g., use an O-INT represented by resources  340 - b ) in response to an indication that Operator B was not going to use its G-INT, Operator C may perform a medium sensing procedure and access the resources if available. In some cases, two operators (e.g., Operator A and Operator C) may attempt to access the same resources, in which case the operators may employ contention-based procedures to avoid interfering communications. The operators may also have sub-priorities assigned to them designed to determine which operator may gain access to resources if more than operator is attempting access simultaneously. 
     In some examples, a network operating entity may intend not to use a particular G-INT assigned to it, but may not send out an activity indication that conveys the intent not to use the resources. In such cases, for a particular sub-interval  320 , lower priority operating entities may be configured to monitor the channel to determine whether a higher priority operating entity is using the resources. If a lower priority operating entity determines through LBT or similar method that a higher priority operating entity is not going to use its G-INT resources, then the lower priority operating entities may attempt to access the resources on an opportunistic basis as described above. 
     In some examples, access to a G-INT or O-INT may be preceded by a reservation signal (e.g., request-to-send (RTS)/clear-to-send (CTS)), and the contention window (CW) may be randomly chosen between one and the total number of operating entities. 
     In some examples, an operating entity may employ or be compatible with coordinated multipoint (CoMP) communications. For example an operating entity may employ CoMP and dynamic time division duplex (TDD) in a G-INT and opportunistic CoMP in an O-INT as needed. 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG. 3 , each sub-interval  320  includes a G-INT for one of Operator A, B, or C. However, in some cases, one or more sub-intervals  320  may include resources that are neither reserved for exclusive use nor reserved for prioritized use (e.g., unassigned resources). Such unassigned resources may be considered an O-INT for any network operating entity, and may be accessed on an opportunistic basis as described above. 
     In some examples, each subframe  325  may contain 14 symbols (e.g., 250 μs for 60 kHz tone spacing). These subframes  325  may be standalone, self-contained Interval-Cs (ITCs) or the subframes  325  may be a part of a long ITC. An ITC may be a self-contained transmission starting with a downlink transmission and ending with a uplink transmission. In some embodiments, an ITC may contain one or more subframes  325  operating contiguously upon medium occupation. In some cases, there may be a maximum of eight network operators in an A-INT  310  (e.g., with duration of 2 ms) assuming a 250-μs transmission opportunity. 
     Although three operators are illustrated in  FIG. 3 , it should be understood that fewer or more network operating entities may be configured to operate in a coordinated manner as described above. In some cases, the location of the G-INT, O-INT, or A-INT within superframe  305  for each operator is determined autonomously based on the number of network operating entities active in a system. For example, if there is only one network operating entity, each sub-interval  320  may be occupied by a G-INT for that single network operating entity, or the sub-intervals  320  may alternate between G-INTs for that network operating entity and O-INTs to allow other network operating entities to enter. If there are two network operating entities, the sub-intervals  320  may alternate between G-INTs for the first network operating entity and G-INTs for the second network operating entity. If there are three network operating entities, the G-INT and O-INTs for each network operating entity may be designed as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . If there are four network operating entities, the first four sub-intervals  320  may include consecutive G-INTs for the four network operating entities and the remaining two sub-intervals  320  may contain 0-INTs. Similarly, if there are five network operating entities, the first five sub-intervals  320  may contain consecutive G-INTs for the five network operating entities and the remaining sub-interval  320  may contain an O-INT. If there are six network operating entities, all six sub-intervals  320  may include consecutive G-INTs for each network operating entity. It should be understood that these examples are for illustrative purposes only and that other autonomously determined interval allocations may be used. 
     It should be understood that the coordination framework described with reference to  FIG. 3  is for illustration purposes only. For example, the duration of superframe  305  may be more or less than 20 ms. Also, the number, duration, and location of sub-intervals  320  and subframes  325  may differ from the configuration illustrated. Also, the types of resource designations (e.g., exclusive, prioritized, unassigned) may differ or include more or less sub-designations. 
     UE capability information is a radio resource control (RRC) message that a UE provides to a network. It includes the details of UE capabilities. As LTE release and 5G release develop and add more features, such as MIMO, network-assisted interference cancellation and suppression (NAICS), dual connectivity, uplink carrier aggregation, number of CSI processes, etc., and carrier aggregation (CA)/band combinations, such as 5G plus LTE band combinations, 5G plus wireless local access network (WLAN) band combinations, etc., UE capability information has become one of the longest and most complicated RRC messages. Due to the increase in the message size of UE capability information, network operating entities may be unable to adequately process the received UE capability information, eventually leading to a failure of the LTE or 5G attach procedure. However, the existing UE capability exchange procedure cannot resolve this issue because it only randomly limits the UE capability information to be transmitted in regards to certain bands or number of carriers. As a result, a network operating entity may fail to obtain necessary UE capability information. 
     Various aspects of the present disclosure provide enhancements for UE capability exchange procedures to reduce the message size of UE capability information. Accordingly, network loading on the uplink may be reduced. Also, the time for transmitting UE capability information and the failure rate of LTE or 5G attach procedure may be reduced. Further, power saving on the UE may be significant. 
     In one aspect of the present disclosure, a UE may report a basic UE capability set to a network in order to quickly establish communication connections, and then utilize an indexing system to report to the network an index or an identifier identifying more extensive UE capabilities, instead of transmitting the more extensive UE capability information itself. In response, the network may determine the identified UE capabilities based on the received index or identifier and a capability database. In further aspects of the present disclosure, a UE may determine UE capabilities to be transmitted based on various resources or enquiries. In response, the network may receive such UE capabilities with reduced size. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a call flow diagram  400  including a UE capability exchange procedure. Call flow diagram  400  illustrates a communication procedure among UE  402 , base station (BS)  404 , and mobility management entity (MME)  406 . UE  402  and BS  404  may have the same or similar configuration as the configuration of UE  115  and BS  105 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . At  408  and  410 , UE  402  may submit an attach request to MME  406  and an RRC connection request to BS  404 . At  412  and  414 , RRC connection may be set up between UE  402  and BS  404 . After RRC connection setup, UE  402  may be authenticated by the network (not illustrated in  FIG. 4 ). At  416 , BS  404  may transmit a first UE capability enquiry to UE  402 . In response, at  418  and  420 , UE  402  may transmit first UE capability information to BS  404 , and be accepted by MME  406  to attach to the network. After attaching to the network, at  422 , BS  404  may transmit a second UE capability enquiry to UE  402 . In response, at  424 , UE  402  may transmit second UE capability information to BS  404 . The transmissions of enquires may be through a Boolean or any other indication in the UE capability exchange procedure or over-the-air from BS  404  to UE  402 . 
     In operation according to embodiments herein, the first UE capability information may be a basic UE capability set that includes basic UE capabilities for features required to establish connection with a network. The first UE capability information may not include all the details of UE capabilities. For example, the basic UE capability set may indicate UE capabilities in regards to MIMO support ability, IP address, UE location, UE power level, or other administration requirements for establishing a call. Since only basic UE capabilities are transmitted, the message size of the first UE capability information would not be too long or complicated. Therefore, the connection can be quickly established. 
     In some aspects of the present disclosure, UE  402  may provide a tag indicating its association with the basic UE capability set, and transmit this tag along with the basic UE capability set. This “tagged” basic UE capability set may be exchanged among BS  404  and other base stations in the same network. Therefore, upon a handover, a target base station, which UE  402  is going to handover to from BS  404 , may not need to send UE  402  an enquiry for the basic UE capability set of UE  402 . Accordingly, the uplink resources and UE power can be saved. 
     The second UE capability information may be one or more identifiers that are used to index the more extensive UE capabilities according to embodiments herein. For example, the more extensive UE capabilities are beyond the basic UE capabilities required to attach to a network. The more extensive UE capabilities may include inter-band, UL/DL carrier aggregation, and band combinations supportability, etc. In operation according to embodiments, UE  402  may transmit to BS  404  the identifiers identifying the more extensive UE capabilities, instead of transmitting the more extensive UE capabilities themselves. In response, BS  404  may process the received identifiers by referring to a capability database. The capability database may include a plurality of identifiers identifying a plurality of sets of two or more UE capabilities. The plurality of identifiers and their corresponding sets of UE capabilities may, for example, be agreed upon by both UE  402  and BS  404  and determined based on one or more of: pre-defined 3GPP Standards, a definition provided by a network operator, or a database provided by a UE vendor. For example, the network operator of BS  404  may index a set of UE capabilities previously received from a UE with one or more identifiers as part of a UE profile. As a further example, UE  402  may provide BS  404  with a uniform resource locator (URL) linking to an identifier database established by the UE vendor. 
     The identifiers may include one or more indices indicating band combinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or a feature specific identifier. For example, an index value may identify a set of bands supported by a UE. A release identifier may identify a set of UE capabilities deployed under a certain 3GPP release. A device type identifier may identify a set of UE capabilities provided by a certain device type. A feature specific identifier may identify a set of UE capabilities associated with a specific feature as deployment of a specific feature may impact a number of UE capabilities. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the basic UE capabilities may be also indexed with one or more identifiers. In this case, UE  402  may only transmit to BS  404  one or more identifiers to identify both basic UE capabilities and more extensive UE capabilities. 
     Each of the identifiers may correspond to a set of modes of operation that UE  402  is capable to perform. An identifier may correspond to multiple modes of operation. For example, a release identifier “I” may correspond to Mode A regarding UL/DL carrier aggregation ability, Mode B regarding dual connectivity, Mode C regarding multi-carrier supportability, etc. As a further example, a device type identifier “II” may correspond to Mode D regarding multiple SIM (MSIM), Mode E regarding single SIM (SSIM), etc. 
     When UE capabilities change, the mode of operation may also change. For example, UE  402  identified by the device type identifier “II” may initially operate under Mode D, but later change from Mode D to Mode E when the battery power becomes drained. Accordingly, UE  402  may report lower preferred capabilities in Mode E (SSIM mode). In some aspects of the present disclosure, UE  402  may indicate such change of mode of operation to BS  404 . 
     In other aspects of the present disclosure, upon a change of UE capabilities, a UE may not be able to support all of the UE capabilities that are previously indexed and reported to a network. In other words, the UE may not be able to adapt its capabilities over time. For example, the UE may share resources between a wireless wide area network (WWAN) and a WLAN. WWAN loading may increase as WLAN may decrease over time. As a result, the UE may not be able to attach to a WLAN access point eventually. This situation may occur daily. To address this issue, the UE may update its capabilities to the network when the UE is unable to support the previously reported UE capabilities. The UE may update its capabilities during idle, inactive, or connected states. Alternatively, the UE may inform the network of a change of UE capabilities for the network to change the UE configuration of capabilities. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the UE may indicate a change of mode of operation, update UE capabilities, or inform the network of a change of UE capabilities during a UE capability exchange procedure or any other states. 
       FIG. 5A  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed by a UE to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by UE  115 , UE  402 , or UE  700 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 7 . At block  500 , the UE may transmit a basic UE capability set to establish connection with a network. The basic UE capability set may indicate basic UE capabilities for features required for the connection establishment. At block  502 , the UE may utilize one or more identifiers to identify more extensive UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE. Each of the one or more identifiers may correspond to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. At block  504 , the UE may transmit the one or more identifiers to the network after establishing the connection with the network. 
       FIG. 5B  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed by a base station to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station  105 , BS  404 , or BS  800 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8 . At block  506 , the base station may receive a basic UE capability set to establish connection. The basic UE capability set may indicate basic UE capabilities for features required for the connection establishment. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station may receive a tag transmitted along with the basic UE capability set. The tag may indicate an association between the basic UE capability set and the UE that transmits such basic UE capability set. The base station may transmit the received basic UE capability set to other base stations within the same network. Therefore, upon a handover, a target base station that already receives the tagged basic UE capability set from the base station may not need to enquire the UE for the basic UE capability set again. At block  508 , the base station may receive one or more identifiers after the connection being established. The one or more identifiers may identify more extensive UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by a UE. Each of the one or more identifiers may correspond to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. In some aspects of the present disclosure, one or more enquiries for the basic UE capability set, the more extensive UE capabilities, or both may be transmitted through a Boolean or any other indication in the UE capability exchange procedure or over-the-air from the base station to the UE. 
       FIG. 5C  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed by a base station to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station  105 , BS  404 , or BS  800 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8 . At block  512 , the base station may receive a basic UE capability set from another base station within a same network. The basic UE capability set may indicate basic UE capabilities for features required for the connection establishment. At block  514 , the base station may receive one or more identifiers from a UE after the connection being established. The one or more identifiers may identify more extensive UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE. Each of the one or more identifiers may correspond to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. At block  516 , the base station may determine the more extensive UE capabilities based on the received one or more identifiers and a capability database. 
       FIG. 5D  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed by a base station to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station  105 , BS  404 , or BS  800 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8 . At block  550 , the base station may receive a user equipment (UE) capability set indicating UE capabilities for features and one or more identifiers identifying a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by a UE. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. It is envisioned that the UE capabilities may be received for connection establishment. Alternatively or additionally, it is envisioned that the one or more identifiers may be received after connection establishment. It is further envisioned that the one or more identifiers may include one or more of: an index indicating the band combinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or a feature specific identifier. At block  552 , the base station may determine the portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE based on the received one or more identifiers and a capability database. 
       FIG. 5E  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed by a UE to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by UE  115 , UE  402 , or UE  700 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 7 . At block  560 , the UE may utilize one or more identifiers to identify a portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform. At block  562 , the UE may transmit, by the UE, a UE capability set. The UE capability set indicates UE capabilities for features and the one or more identifiers to a network. It is envisioned that the UE capabilities may be received for connection establishment. Alternatively or additionally, it is envisioned that the one or more identifiers may be received after connection establishment. It is further envisioned that the one or more identifiers may include one or more of: an index indicating the band combinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or a feature specific identifier. 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram of a UE  700  in a communication network according to one aspect of the present disclosure. UE  700  may have the same or similar configuration as the configuration of UE  115  and UE  402 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 . UE  700  may include controller/processor  280  to perform or direct the execution of various processes or program codes stored in memory  282 . UE  700  may further include wireless radios  701  to process uplink or downlink signals received from antennas  252   a - r . Memory  282  may store capability database  702  and program codes for execution of UE capability identifying module  704 , UE capability transmitting module  706 , or other modules/applications. Capability database  702  may store one or more identifiers, indices, or modes of operation to identify band combinations or features supported by UE  700 . Capability database  702  may also store a plurality of sets of UE capabilities corresponding to the identifiers, indices, or modes of operation. Capability database  702  may further store a basic UE capability set. Capability database  702  may be established based on pre-defined 3GPP Standards, definitions of identifiers or indices provided by a network operator or a UE vendor. The one or more identifiers or indices may be understood and assumed by both UE  700  and a base station exchanging UE capabilities with UE  700 . UE capability identifying module  704  may be used to access capability database  702  and utilize one or more identifiers, indices, and/or modes of operation in capability database  702  to identify more extensive UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by UE  700 . UE capability transmitting module  706  may be used to transmit the basic UE capability set and the one or more identifiers, indices, or modes of operation to the network after establishing the connection with the network. 
       FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a base station  800  in a communication network according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Base station  800  may have the same or similar configuration as the configuration of base station  105  and BS  404 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  4 . Base station  800  may include controller/processor  240  to perform or direct the execution of various processes or program codes stored in memory  242 . Base station  800  may further include wireless radios  801  to process uplink or downlink signals received from antennas  234   a - t . Memory  242  may store capability database  802  and program codes for execution of UE capability receiving module  804 , UE capability determining module  806 , or other modules/applications. Capability database  802  may store one or more identifiers, indices, modes of operation, a set of UE capabilities corresponding to the identifiers, indices, or modes of operation. Such data in capability database  802  may fully or partially overlap with data stored in capability database  702  in UE  700 . In some aspects of the present disclosure, capability database  702  or  802  may be physically remote from UE  700  or base station  800 . UE capability receiving module  804  may be used to receive a basic UE capability set indicating basic UE capabilities for features required to establish connection between UE  700  and base station  800  and one or more identifiers, indices, and modes of operation. UE capability determining module  806  may be used to determine the more extensive UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE based on the received one or more identifiers, indices, or modes of operation and data stored in capability database  802 . 
       FIG. 6A  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed by a UE to implement further aspects of the present disclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by UE  115 , UE  402 , or UE  700 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 7 . The UE may reduce the message size of UE capability information by filtering out part of the UE capability information. At block  600 , the UE may determine UE capabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type. The one or more enquiries from the network may be used to request for UE capabilities associated with specific bands, UE capabilities associated with the network&#39;s support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations, or UE capabilities associated with a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network. For example, in response to the enquiries, the UE may only transmit UE capabilities for the bands identified by the network. As a further example, the UE may allow to avoid transmitting UE capabilities for the skipped fall back band combinations as such skipped fall back band combinations are assumed by the network. The system information or home operator policy may be received and utilized by the UE. For example, a home operator may instruct the UE not to report all the capability information when roaming as another home operator may not be trustworthy. The configuration may be stored with the UE in a UE profile and indicate PLMN information for one or more networks. The UE may report lower capabilities based on a user preference or high demand services. At block  602 , the UE may transmit the determined UE capabilities to the network. 
       FIG. 6B  is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocks executed by a base station to implement further aspects of the present disclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station  105 , BS  404 , or BS  800 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8 . At block  604 , the base station may transmit one or more enquiries for UE capabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network. At block  606 , the base station may receive the associated UE capabilities. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the base station may receive UE capabilities determined based on one or more of: system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated with PLMN information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type. 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a UE  900  in a communication network according to further aspects of the present disclosure. UE  900  may have the same or similar configuration as the configuration of UE  115  and UE  402 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 . UE  900  may include controller/processor  280  to perform or direct the execution of various processes or program codes stored in memory  282 . UE  900  may further include wireless radios  901  to process uplink or downlink signals received from antennas  252   a - r . Memory  282  may store program codes for execution of UE capability determiner  902 , UE capability transmitter  904 , or other modules/applications. UE capability determiner  902  may be used to determine UE capabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated PLMN information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type. UE capability transmitter  904  may be used to transmit the determined UE capabilities. 
       FIG. 10  is a block diagram of a base station  1000  in a communication network according to further aspects of the present disclosure. Base station  800  may have the same or similar configuration as the configuration of base station  105  and BS  404 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 . Base station  1000  may include controller/processor  240  to perform or direct the execution of various processes or program codes stored in memory  242 . Base station  1000  may further include wireless radios  1001  to process uplink or downlink signals received from antennas  234   a - t . Memory  242  may store UE capability enquirer  1002 , UE capability receiver  1004 , or other modules/applications. UE capability enquirer  1002  may be used to transmit one or more enquiries for UE capabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network. UE capability receiver  1004  may be used to receive the associated UE capabilities. 
     Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. 
     The functional blocks and modules in  FIGS. 5-10  may comprise or be executed by processors, electronics devices, hardware devices, electronics components, logical circuits, memories, software codes, firmware codes, etc., or any combination thereof. 
     Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Skilled artisans will also readily recognize that the order or combination of components, methods, or interactions that are described herein are merely examples and that the components, methods, or interactions of the various aspects of the present disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than those illustrated and described herein. 
     The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. 
     The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the disclosure herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal. 
     In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Computer-readable storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, a connection may be properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL), then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or DSL, are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. 
     As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items prefaced by “at least one of” indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) or any of these in any combination thereof. 
     The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.