Patent Publication Number: US-2022217608-A1

Title: Timing-based user equipment mobility for transparent satellites

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/842,334, filed May 2, 2019. The entire content of the above-referenced application is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Various communication systems may benefit from improved time-based measurement configurations. 
     BACKGROUND 
     3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) new radio (NR) may use non-terrestrial networks to provide services to users in remote and disaster areas, as well as to improve reliability. Low-earth orbit or geostationary earth orbit satellites may provide NR service. For example, a NR base station may be on-board a satellite, referred to as regenerative, or may be terrestrial, referred to as transparent. Specifically, satellites may be equipped with an amplify-and-forward feature, which may receive ground base station signalling from another ground base station, and then forward the signalling to the user equipment on Earth. The satellite-ground station link may defined as a feeder link, fl, while the satellite-user link may be defined as a service link, sl. In some cases, these links may operate on different frequencies, requiring the satellite to perform frequency conversion. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a method may include transmitting, by a first network entity, at least one time-based measurement configuration to a user equipment. The method may further include receiving, by the first network entity, at least one measurement result from the user equipment. The method may further include determining, by the first network entity, whether at least one handover should be performed. 
     In accordance with certain embodiments, an apparatus may include means for transmitting at least one time-based measurement configuration to a user equipment. The apparatus may further include means for receiving at least one measurement result from the user equipment. The apparatus may further include means for determining whether at least one handover should be performed. 
     In accordance with various embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code can be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least transmit at least one time-based measurement configuration to a user equipment. The at least one memory and the computer program code can be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least receive at least one measurement result from the user equipment. The at least one memory and the computer program code can be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least determine whether at least one handover should be performed. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium can be encoded with instructions that may, when executed in hardware, perform a method. The method may include transmitting at least one time-based measurement configuration to a user equipment. The method may further include receiving at least one measurement result from the user equipment. The method may further include determining whether at least one handover should be performed. 
     In accordance with certain embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include transmitting at least one time-based measurement configuration to a user equipment. The method may further include receiving at least one measurement result from the user equipment. The method may further include determining whether at least one handover should be performed. 
     In accordance with various embodiments, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to transmit at least one time-based measurement configuration to a user equipment. The circuitry may further be configured to receive at least one measurement result from the user equipment. The circuitry may further be configured to determine whether at least one handover should be performed. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a method may include receiving, by a user equipment, at least one time-based measurement configuration. The method may further include performing, by the user equipment, at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one system frame number. The method may further include detecting, by the user equipment, at least one trigger event associated with the at least one time-based measurement configuration associated with transmitting at least one measurement result. The method may further include transmitting, by the user equipment, at least one measurement result to a first network entity in response to the at least one detected trigger event. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least a first indication and at least a second indication. 
     In accordance with certain embodiments, an apparatus may include means for receiving at least one time-based measurement configuration. The apparatus may further include means for performing at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one system frame number. The apparatus may further include means for detecting at least one trigger event associated with the at least one time-based measurement configuration associated with transmitting at least one measurement result. The apparatus may further include means for transmitting at least one measurement result to a first network entity in response to the at least one detected trigger event. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least a first indication and at least a second indication. 
     In accordance with various embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code can be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least receive at least one time-based measurement configuration. The at least one memory and the computer program code can be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one system frame number. The at least one memory and the computer program code can be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least detect at least one trigger event associated with the at least one time-based measurement configuration associated with transmitting at least one measurement result. The at least one memory and the computer program code can be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least transmit at least one measurement result to a first network entity in response to the at least one detected trigger event. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least a first indication and at least a second indication. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium can be encoded with instructions that may, when executed in hardware, perform a method. The method may include receiving at least one time-based measurement configuration. The method may further include performing at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one system frame number. The method may further include detecting at least one trigger event associated with the at least one time-based measurement configuration associated with transmitting at least one measurement result. The method may further include transmitting at least one measurement result to a first network entity in response to the at least one detected trigger event. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least a first indication and at least a second indication. 
     In accordance with certain embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include receiving at least one time-based measurement configuration. The method may further include performing at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one system frame number. The method may further include detecting at least one trigger event associated with the at least one time-based measurement configuration associated with transmitting at least one measurement result. The method may further include transmitting at least one measurement result to a first network entity in response to the at least one detected trigger event. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least a first indication and at least a second indication. 
     In accordance with various embodiments, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to receive at least one time-based measurement configuration. The circuitry may further be configured to perform at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one system frame number. The circuitry may further be configured to detect at least one trigger event associated with the at least one time-based measurement configuration associated with transmitting at least one measurement result. The circuitry may further be configured to transmit at least one measurement result to a first network entity in response to the at least one detected trigger event. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least a first indication and at least a second indication. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For proper understanding of this disclosure, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example of feeder and service links between a satellite, user equipment, and base stations according to certain embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a signal flow diagram according to certain embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a method performed by a network entity according to certain embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example of another method performed by a user equipment according to certain embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a system architecture according to certain embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In traditional terrestrial mobility, user equipment may be configured with one or more measurement configurations and related mobility trigger events. These measurements may be based on the reference signal received power (RSRP) and related signal level metrics. However, for a transparent satellite, as illustrated in FIG.  1 Error! Reference source not found., the RSRP (and related metrics) of service link  1  and  2 , respectively sl 1  and sl 2 , are the same due to the amplify-and-forward function, assuming that the signals are amplified to a configured emitted radiated power. Thus, the UE may not be able to determine that the connection towards ground station  2  (GS 2 ) is improving due to the satellite moving towards GS 2 . As a result, the UE may not trigger a mobility report towards the serving cell on ground station  1  (GS 1 ). 
     3GPP technical specification (TS) 38.215 discusses measuring a system frame number (SFN) and SFN frame timing difference (SFTD). The observed SFN and SFTD between an E-UTRA primary cell and an NR PSCell may be based on two components. First, an SFN offset=(SFN PCell −SFN PSCell ) mod 1024, where SFN PCell  is the SFN of a E-UTRA PCell radio frame, and SFN PSCell  is the SFN of the NR PSCell radio frame of which the UE receives the start closest in time to the time when it receives the start of the PCell radio frame. Second, a frame boundary offset=[(T FrameBoundaryPCell −T FrameBoundaryPSCell )/5], where T FrameBoundaryPCell  is the time when the UE receives the start of a radio frame from the PCell, and T FrameBoundaryPSCell  is the time when the UE receives the start of the radio frame from the PSCell that is closest in time to the radio frame received from the PCell. The unit of (T FrameBoundaryPCell −T FrameBoundaryPSCell ) may be T s . However, the SFTD may only be defined as a timing difference between LTE and NR, and further may only be defined for dual connectivity. In addition, the observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) has been standardized for LTE for positioning, and relies on base stations transmitting positioning reference signals, which the UE may use to measure and identify differences. 
     Certain embodiments described herein relate to UE mobility affected by changes in feeder links. Specifically, the signal power of service links between a transparent satellite and a UE on Earth, such as sl 1  and sl 2 , may be the same for both the serving and target cell despite using different feeder links. Thus, certain embodiments described herein may use UE time measurements between the two cells. Certain embodiments described herein may have various benefits and/or advantages to overcome the disadvantages described above. For example, certain embodiments may evenly distribute a signaling load, not only for measurement reports but also for handover commands. A transparent satellite may possess limited processing capabilities since it only performs an amplify-and-forward operation. Thus, when a new base station connects to the satellite through a new feeder link, the system is unaware of whether the UE shall perform a handover. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a system according to certain embodiments. A system may include at least one or more satellite  220 , at least one NE, such as NE  230  and NE  240 , and at least one UE  250 . 
     In step  201 , UE  250  may receive at least one time-based measurement configuration from NE  240 . The at least one time-based measurement configuration may be based on time rather than signal power levels. As discussed above, propagation delay and loss may be equal for sl 1  and sl 2 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The transparent satellite amplify-and-forward functionality may cause UE  250  to be unaware of the propagation loss on fl 1  and fl 2 , but may be affected by the propagation delay of fl 1  and fl 2 . The at least one time-based measurement configuration may be based on at least one system time received from NE  230  and/or NE  240 , which may be physically separated. In some embodiments, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may comprise at least one offset value, such as t SFN-Offset . 
     In certain embodiments, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure UE  250  to measure, based on the received at least one time-based measurement configuration, at least one absolute starting time of at least one given system frame number associated with NE  240  as observed by UE  250 , which may be denoted as t SFN-gNB,1 , and/or at least one absolute starting time of at least one given system frame number associated with NE  230  as observed by UE  250 , which may be denoted as t SFN-gNB,2 . 
     In various embodiments, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure UE  250  to measure at least one timing advance towards at least one connection associated with NE  240  and/or at least one connection associated with NE  230 . 
     In some embodiments, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure UE  250  to perform at least one timing measurement associated with the coordinated universal time (UTC) time information of at least one system information block 9 (SIB9) associated with NE  240  and/or NE  250 . 
     In step  203 , UE  250  may perform at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one SFN. In certain embodiments, NE  230  and NE  240  may be time-synchronized. As a result, UE  250  may determine at least one timing difference by comparing the known timing of NE  230  and measurements of the synchronization signal block (SSB) of NE  240 . For example, the SSB may contain the primary SS and secondary SS, enabling UE  250  to determine time-frequency synchronization, and/or at least one physical broadcast channel (PBC), which may comprise at least one master information block (MIB) containing at least one SFN. In some embodiments, UE  250  may measure the absolute starting time of a given SFN for NE  230  and NE  240 , indicated as t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2,  respectively. For example, the corresponding values of t SFN  may be received from NE  230  and NE  240 , according to: 
         t   SFN-gNB,1   =t   SFN-gNB,2 , 
     where t SFN-gNB,1  and t SFN-gNB,2  are the absolute time of transmission of a given SFN from NE  230  and NE  240 , respectively. In some embodiments, the difference between t SFN-gNB,1  and t SFN-gNB,2  may be t SFN-Offset . Furthermore, in various embodiments, where t SFN-Offset =0, NE  230  and NE  240  may be synchronized. However, where t SFN-Offset ≠0, NE  230  and NE  240  may not be synchronized. 
     Due to the propagation delays, the SFN may be received at different times by UE  250 , according to: 
         t   SFN-UE,1   =t   SFN-gNB,1   +t   sl1   +t   fl,1 , and 
         t   SFN-UE,2   =t   SFN-gNB,2   +t   sl2   +t   f1,2 , 
     where t sl  and t fl  are service and feeder link delays, respectively. 
     In some embodiments, the SFN from NE  230  and NE  240  may not be equal, but the offset may be known to the network, and may be signalled as part of the measurement configuration and/or may be determined by UE  250  associated with the measurements. 
     In certain embodiments, for a transparent satellite, service links may experience the same delay. However, feeder links may not experience the same delay because the satellite may be closer to one network entity than the other, and thus a shorter propagation distance and shorter delay. 
     In some embodiments, NE  230  and NE  240  may not be time-synchronized. When not time-synchronized, there may be a constant offset between any two pairs of satellites. The offset may be estimated by NE  230 , NE  240 , and/or UE  250 , and/or may be used to calculate at least one timing value. 
     In step  205 , at least one trigger event may be detected by UE  250 . In step  207 , UE  250  may transmit at least one measurement result to NE  240 . The at least one measurement result may comprise at least one measurement event based on the two different times t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2 . For example, at least one measurement result may be reported to NE  240  when the frame time difference (FTD) is larger than a predetermined threshold value Δt, which may be calculated by: 
       FTD= t   SFN-UE,1   −t   SFN-UE,2   +t   SFN-Offset   &gt;Δt.    
     The at least one measurement result may include at least t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2 . 
     In some embodiments, Δt may be used as a hysteresis parameter similar to traditional measurement events using signal power levels. Alternatively, Δt may be used as a window applied by NE  240  to control when other UE may trigger a measurement report, which may be used to trigger a handover in step  207 . 
     In certain embodiments, UE  250  may randomly select Δt, for example, a uniform or Gaussian distribution of [0−T]. As a result, UE  250  under the satellite coverage of SA  220  may trigger at least one event during at least one different point in time, including where at least one propagation delay measurement is the same. 
     In various embodiments, UE  250  may be configured for dual connectivity (DC). DC may enable UE  250  to be connected to NE  230  and NE  240  simultaneously, and may measure at least one timing advance (TA) towards NE  230  and/or NE  240 . 
     In certain embodiments, at least one measurement event may be based on at least one TA timing difference (TATD), calculated as: 
       TATD=TA gNB1 −TA gNB2   &gt;ΔT,  
 
     where TA gNB1  and TA gNB2  are currently applied TA levels towards NE  230  and NE  240 , respectively. Furthermore, the at least one TA may include at least one s l  and/or at least one f l  delay. Additionally or alternatively, at least one offset factor ΔT may be used to account for a delay offset when NE  230  and NE  240  are not synchronized. Furthermore, ΔT may be specific to NE  230  and NE  240 , and may not be specific to UE  250 . 
     In some embodiments, NE  230  and NE  240  may exchange at least one of TA gNB1  and TA gNB2  over an X n  interface. The exchange of the at least one current TA level may enable the network to determine when to perform at least one handover without obtaining measurements from UE  250 . 
     In some embodiments, at least one timing reference may be used for the at least one measurement, and may be obtained from other system information than the reception of the SFN in the broadcast channel. For example, in 5G NR, at least one SIB9 message may comprise at least one absolute time reference, and may be used to estimate PHY latency between NE  230  and NE  240 . 
     In step  209 , NE  240  may determine whether at least one handover should be performed. In some embodiments, at least one source timing may exceed a first threshold and/or at least one timing from NE  230  may be less than a second threshold, specifically: 
         t   SFN-UE,1 &gt;threshold1 
       t   SFN-UE,2 &lt;threshold2. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a method performed by a first NE, such as NE  510  illustrated in  FIG. 5 , according to certain embodiments. In step  301 , the first NE may transmit at least one time-based measurement configuration to a user equipment, such as UE  520  in  FIG. 5 . In a variant, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure the user equipment to measure at least one absolute starting time of at least one given system frame number associated with the first NE as observed by the user equipment, which may be denoted as t SFN-gNB,1 , and/or at least one absolute starting time of at least one given system frame number associated with a second NE as observed by the user equipment, which may be denoted as t SFN-gNB,2 . 
     In a variant, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure the user equipment to measure at least one timing advance towards at least one connection associated with the first network entity and/or at least one connection associated with a second network entity. 
     In a variant, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure the user equipment to perform at least one timing measurement associated with the coordinated universal time (UTC) time information of at least one system information block 9 (SIB9) associated with the first network entity and/or a second network entity. 
     In step  303 , the NE may receive at least one measurement result from the UE. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least one measurement event based on two different times t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2 . For example, at least one measurement result may be received by the first NE when a FTD is larger than a predetermined threshold value Δt, calculated by: 
       FTD= t   SFN-UE,1   −t   SFN-UE,2   +t   SFN-Offset   &gt;Δt.    
     The at least one measurement result may include at least t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2 . 
     In some embodiments, Δt may be used as a hysteresis parameter similar to traditional measurement events using signal power levels. Alternatively, Δt may be used as a window applied by the NE to control when other UE may trigger a measurement report, which may be used to trigger a handover. 
     In some embodiments, the NE and a second NE, such as NE  510  in  FIG. 5 , may exchange at least one of TA gNB1  and TA gNB2  over an X n  interface. The exchange of the at least one current TA level may enable the network to determine when to perform at least one handover without obtaining measurements from the NE. Furthermore, the NE and the second NE may be physically separated. 
     In some embodiments, at least one timing reference may be used for the at least one measurement, and may be obtained from other system information than the reception of the SFN in the broadcast channel. For example, in 5G NR, at least one SIB9 message may comprise at least one absolute time reference, and may be used to estimate PHY latency between the NE and the second NE. 
     In step  305 , the NE may determine whether at least one handover should be performed. In some embodiments, at least one source timing may exceed a first threshold and/or at least one timing from the second NE may be less than a second threshold, specifically: 
         t   SFN-UE,1 &gt;threshold1 
       t   SFN-UE,2 &lt;threshold2. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a method performed by a user equipment, such as user equipment  520  illustrated in  FIG. 5 , according to certain embodiments. In step  401 , the UE may receive at least one time-based measurement configuration. The at least one time-based measurement configuration may be based on time rather than signal power levels. As discussed above, propagation delay and loss may be equal for sl 1  and sl 2 , shown in  FIG. 1 . The transparent satellite amplify-and-forward functionality may cause the UE to be unaware of the propagation loss on fl 1  and fl 2 , but may be affected by the propagation delay of fl 1  and fl 2 . The at least one time-based measurement configuration may be based on at least one system time received from a serving cell NE and a target cell NE. In some embodiments, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may comprise at least one offset value, such as t SFN-Offset . 
     In a variant, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure the user equipment to measure at least one absolute starting time of at least one given system frame number associated with the first network entity as observed by the user equipment, which may be denoted as t SFN-gNB,1 , and/or at least one absolute starting time of at least one given system frame number associated with a second network entity as observed by the user equipment, which may be denoted as t SFN-gNB,2 . 
     In a variant, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure the user equipment to measure at least one timing advance towards at least one connection associated with the first network entity and/or at least one connection associated with a second network entity. 
     In a variant, the at least one time-based measurement configuration may be configured to configure the user equipment to perform at least one timing measurement associated with the coordinated universal time (UTC) time information of at least one system information block 9 (SIB9) associated with the first network entity and/or a second network entity. 
     In step  403 , the UE may perform at least one measurement of at least one starting time of at least one SFN. In certain embodiments, the serving cell NE and the target cell NE may be time-synchronized. As a result, the UE may determine at least one timing difference by comparing the known timing of the serving cell NE and measurements of the SSB of the target cell NE. For example, the SSB may contain the primary SS and secondary SS, enabling the UE to determine time-frequency synchronization, and/or at least one PBC, which may comprise at least one MIB containing at least one SFN. In some embodiments, the UE may measure the absolute starting time of a given SFN for the serving cell NE and the target cell NE, indicated as t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2 , respectively. For example, the t SFN  may be received from the serving cell NE and the target cell NE according to: 
         t   SFN-gNB,1   =t   SFN-gNB,2 , 
     Where t SFN-gNB,1  and t SFN-gNB,2  are the absolute time of transmission of a given SFN from the serving cell NE and the target cell NE, respectively. In some embodiments, the difference between t SFN-gNB,1  and t SFN-gNB,2  may be t SFN-Offset . Furthermore, in various embodiments, where t SFN-Offset =0, the serving cell NE and the target cell NE may be synchronized. However, where t SFN-Offset ≠0, the serving cell NE and the target cell NE may not be synchronized. 
     In some embodiments, the SFN from the serving cell NE and the target cell NE may not be equal, but the offset may be known to the network, and may be signalled as part of the measurement configuration and/or may be determined by the UE associated with the measurements. Due to the propagation delays, the SFN may be received at different times by the UE, according to: 
     
       
      
       t 
       SFN-UE,1 
       =t 
       SFN-gNB,1 
       +t 
       sl1 
       +t 
       fl,1  
      
     
         t   SFN-UE,2   =t   SFN-gNB,2   +t   sl2   +t   f1,2 , 
     where t sl  and t fl  are service and feeder link delays, respectively. 
     In certain embodiments, for a transparent satellite, service links may experience at least one delay. The feeder links may not experience delays because the satellite may be closer to one network entity than the other, and thus a shorter propagation distance and shorter delay. 
     In some embodiments, the serving cell NE and the target cell NE may not be time-synchronized. When not time-synchronized, there may be a constant offset between any 2 pairs of satellites. The offset may be estimated by the serving cell NE, the target cell NE, and/or the UE may be used to calculate at least one timing value. 
     In step  405 , at least one trigger event may be detected by the UE. In step  407 , the UE may transmit at least one measurement result to the serving cell NE. The at least one measurement result may comprise at least one measurement event based on the two different times t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2 . For example, at least one measurement result may be reported to the serving cell NE when the FTD is larger than a predetermined threshold value Δt, calculated by: 
       FTD= t   SFN-UE,1   −t   SFN-UE,2   +t   SFN-Offset   &gt;Δt.    
     The at least one measurement result may include at least t SFN-UE,1  and t SFN-UE,2 . 
     In some embodiments, Δt may be used as a hysteresis parameter similar to traditional measurement events using signal power levels. Alternatively, Δt may be used as a window applied by the serving cell NE to control when other UE may trigger a measurement report, which may be used to trigger a handover. 
     In certain embodiments, the UE may randomly select Δt, for example, a uniform or Gaussian distribution of [0−T]. As a result, UE in the satellite coverage of a satellite may trigger at least one event during at least one different point in time, including where at least one propagation delay measurement is the same. 
     In various embodiments, the UE may be configured for dual connectivity (DC). DC may configure the UE to be connected to the serving cell NE and the target cell NE simultaneously, and may measure at least one timing advance (TA) towards both the serving cell NE and the target cell NE. At least one measurement event may be based on at least one TA timing difference (TATD), calculated as 
       TATD=TA gNB1 −TA gNB2   &gt;ΔT,  
 
     where TA gNB1  and TA gNB2  are the currently applied TA levels towards the serving cell NE and the target cell NE, respectively. Furthermore, the at least one TA may include at least one sl and at least one fl delay. Additionally or alternatively, at least one offset factor ΔT may be used to account for a delay offset when the serving cell NE and the target cell NE are not synchronized. Furthermore, ΔT may be specific to NE  230  and NE  240 , and may not be specific to UE  250 . 
     In some embodiments, the serving cell NE and the target cell NE may exchange at least one of TA gNB1  and TA gNB2  over an X n  interface. The exchange of the at least one current TA level may enable the network to determine when to perform at least one handover without obtaining measurements from the UE. Furthermore, the serving cell NE and the target cell NE may be physically separated. 
     In some embodiments, at least one timing reference may be used for the at least one measurement, and may be obtained from other system information than the reception of the SFN in the broadcast channel. For example, in 5G NR, at least one SIB9 message may comprise at least one absolute time reference, and may be used to estimate PHY latency between the serving cell NE and the target cell NE. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a system according to certain embodiments. In one embodiment, a system may include multiple devices, such as, for example, network entity  510 , user equipment  520 , and/or satellite  530 . 
     Network entity  510  may be one or more of a base station, such as an evolved node B (eNB) or 5G or New Radio node B (gNB), a serving gateway, a server, and/or any other access node or combination thereof. Network entity  510  may also be similar to user equipment  520 . Furthermore, network entity  510  and/or user equipment  520  may be one or more of a citizens broadband radio service device (CBSD). 
     User equipment  520  may include one or more of a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet, or portable media player, digital camera, pocket video camera, video game console, navigation unit, such as a global positioning system (GPS) device, desktop or laptop computer, single-location device, such as a sensor or smart meter, or any combination thereof. Satellite  530  may be similar to a low-earth orbit or geostationary earth orbit satellite. 
     One or more of these devices may include at least one processor, respectively indicated as  511 ,  521 , and  531 . Processors  511 ,  521 , and  531  may be embodied by any computational or data processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or comparable device. The processors may be implemented as a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or processors. 
     At least one memory may be provided in one or more of devices indicated at  511 ,  521 , and  531 . The memory may be fixed or removable. The memory may include computer program instructions or computer code contained therein. Memories  512 ,  522 , and  532  may independently be any suitable storage device, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A hard disk drive (HDD), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, or other suitable memory may be used. The memories may be combined on a single integrated circuit as the processor, or may be separate from the one or more processors. Furthermore, the computer program instructions stored in the memory and which may be processed by the processors may be any suitable form of computer program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language. Memory may be removable or non-removable. 
     Processors  511 ,  521 , and  531  and memories  512 ,  522 , and  532  or a subset thereof, may be configured to provide means corresponding to the various blocks of  FIGS. 1-4 . Although not shown, the devices may also include positioning hardware, such as GPS or micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) hardware, which may be used to determine a location of the device. Other sensors are also permitted and may be included to determine location, elevation, orientation, and so forth, such as barometers, compasses, and the like. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , transceivers  513 ,  523 , and  533  may be provided, and one or more devices may also include at least one antenna, respectively illustrated as  514 ,  524 , and  534 . The device may have many antennas, such as an array of antennas configured for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communications, or multiple antennas for multiple radio access technologies. Other configurations of these devices, for example, may be provided. Transceivers  513 ,  523 , and  533  may be a transmitter, a receiver, or both a transmitter and a receiver, or a unit or device that may be configured both for transmission and reception. 
     The memory and the computer program instructions may be configured, with the processor for the particular device, to cause a hardware apparatus such as user equipment to perform any of the processes described below (see, for example,  FIGS. 1-4 ). Therefore, in certain embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with computer instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process such as one of the processes described herein. Alternatively, certain embodiments may be performed entirely in hardware. 
     In certain embodiments, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to perform any of the processes or functions illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 . For example, circuitry may be hardware-only circuit implementations, such as analog and/or digital circuitry. In another example, circuitry may be a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) with software or firmware, and/or any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and at least one memory that work together to cause an apparatus to perform various processes or functions. In yet another example, circuitry may be hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that include software, such as firmware for operation. Software in circuitry may not be present when it is not needed for the operation of the hardware. 
     The features, structures, or characteristics of certain embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “certain embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearance of the phrases “in certain embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. 
     One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that certain embodiments discussed above may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the invention, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims. 
     PARTIAL GLOSSARY 
     
         
         
           
             3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 
             DC Dual Connectivity 
             eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband 
             eNB Evolved Node B 
             EPC Evolved Packet Core 
             FTD Frame Time Difference 
             gNB Next Generation eNB 
             GPS Global Positioning System 
             GS Ground Station 
             LTE Long-Term Evolution 
             MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme 
             MME Mobility Management Entity 
             MTC Machine-Type Communications 
             NR New Radio 
             OTDOA Observed Time Difference Of Arrival 
             RAN Radio Access Network 
             RSRP Reference Signal Received Power 
             SIB System Information Block 
             SFN System Frame Number 
             SFTD System Frame Timing Difference 
             SSB Synchronization Signal Block 
             TA Timing Advance 
             TATD Timing Advance Timing Difference 
             UTC Coordinated Universal Time 
             UE User Equipment 
             UL Uplink 
             URLLC Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication 
             WLAN Wireless Local Area Network