Patent Description:
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications systems, and more particularly, to techniques for flexible resource allocation for machine-type communication (MTC) in wireless communications.

An example telecommunication standard is the 4th Generation (<NUM>) communications technology, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). However, although newer multiple access systems, such as an LTE or LTE-A system, deliver faster data throughput than older technologies, such increased downlink rates have triggered a greater demand for higher-bandwidth content, such as high-resolution graphics and video, for use on or with mobile devices. As such, demand for bandwidth, higher data rates, greater demand for higher-bandwidth content, such as high-resolution graphics and video, for use on or with mobile devices. As such, demand for bandwidth, higher data rates, better transmission quality as well as better spectrum utilization, and lower latency on wireless communications systems continues to increase.

The 5th Generation (<NUM>) New Radio (NR) communications technology, used in a wide range of spectrum, is envisaged to expand and support diverse usage scenarios and applications with respect to current mobile network generations. In an aspect, <NUM> NR communications technology includes, for example: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) addressing human-centric use cases for access to multimedia content, services and data; ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) with strict requirements, especially in terms of latency and reliability; and massive machine-type communications (mMTC) for a very large number of connected devices and typically transmitting a relatively low volume of non-delay-sensitive information. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in <NUM> communications technology and beyond.

Accordingly, due to the requirements for higher data rates, lower power or battery consumption, and lower latency, new approaches or techniques may be desirable to improve physical layer procedures and signal scheduling, using flexible resource allocation schemes, in order to enhance or increase system capacity and spectral efficiency, to satisfy consumer demand, and to improve user experience in wireless communications, e.g., in a <NUM> LTE network or a <NUM> NR network.

Its purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

According to an example, a method related to managing resource allocation in a wireless communications system is provided. In an aspect, the method includes identifying a better transmission quality as well as better spectrum utilization, and lower latency on wireless communications systems continues to increase.

<CIT> relates to a scenario where the number of the RB which the network side device can assign to one UE (and the one UE can schedule in maximum) is limited, i.e. less than all RBs corresponding to the bandwidth NRB that the communication system. When the number of the RB that the network side device of a communication system is able to assign to a UE (and the UE can schedule) is limited, if still using the previous RIV calculation formula, the RIV may become discontinuous and need relatively more bits, which wastes signaling cost. Accordingly, new RIV calculation formulas are designed, where the new RIV calculation formula take into account the effect of N<NUM> (maximum number of RBs supported by a UE), i.e., it requires to calculate the RIV according to both NRB and N<NUM>. In case signaling uses an existing DCI format, for example, the DCI Format <NUM>, or DCI Format 1A, there will be some spare bits or states in the DCI.

At least some of these requirements are addressed by the invention recited in the impendent claims. Advantageous embodiments are subject to the dependent claims.

In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of aspects described herein, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are referenced with like numerals. These drawings should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure, but are intended to be illustrative only.

In wireless communications, for example, a number of resource block(s) may be grouped together to form a resource block group (RBG) which varies depending on the system bandwidth. The size of an RBG may be different from another RBG, and may depend on the system bandwidth. In a <NUM> (e.g., LTE) network or a <NUM> NR network, misalignment between resource block groups (RBGs) and narrow bands (NBs) may result in system performance degradations, for example, decreased downlink cell throughput or fragmentation of the spectrum for uplink transmissions.

As such, new or improved approaches or schemes may be desired. In some examples, a user equipment (UE) may use or be configured to have more flexible downlink and/or uplink resource allocation (RA) mechanism that may help to avoid or significantly reduce the above-mentioned degradations. In some aspects, the flexible downlink and/or uplink resource allocation mechanism may be used in enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) or even further eMTC (efeMTC). For example, the UE may be a bandwidth-reduced low-complexity (BL) or coverage enhanced (CE) UE. In an aspect, the BL/CE UE may be capable of a coverage enhancement mode or configured in a coverage enhancement mode, and may intend to access a cell in a coverage enhancement mode.

In some implementations, the UE (e.g., a BL/CE UE) may consider or use a more flexible downlink and/or uplink resource allocation mechanism in the specification of a wireless communication standard (e.g., the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS), Release <NUM>). In some cases, the flexible downlink and/or uplink resource allocation mechanism may not increase or significantly increase complexity or energy consumption of the UE.

In some aspects, the terms UE, BL/CE UE, BL UE, CE UE, NB-UE, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, NB device, an MTC UE, an eMTC UE, or an efeMTC UE, may be used interchangeably, and may represent a same or similar apparatus for wireless communications.

These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements").

Accordingly, in one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), and floppy disk where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. In some aspects, the computer-readable media may be non-transitory or include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

Described herein are various aspects related to a wireless communications network, for example, a <NUM> network (e.g. an LTE network) or a <NUM> NR network, in particular, techniques for flexible downlink and/or uplink resource allocation (RA). Each of the aspects described above are performed or implemented in connection with <FIG> which are described in more detail below. In some aspects, the methods, techniques, or schemes discussed herein may be within the limits of current specifications of various wireless communication standards (e.g., 3GPP standards). In some examples, the techniques or methods discussed herein may be implemented by or reside in hardware or software at the UE.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, a wireless communication system <NUM> includes at least one UE <NUM> (e.g., a BL, MTC, eMTC, or efeMTC UE) in communication coverage of at least one network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may communicate with a network via the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>. In some aspects, multiple UEs including the UE <NUM> may be in communication coverage with one or more network entities, including the network entity <NUM> and/or the network entity <NUM>. In an aspect, the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM> may be a base station, such as an eNB in a <NUM> LTE network or a gNB in a <NUM> NR network. Although various aspects are described in relation to a UMTS, LTE, or a <NUM> NR network, similar principles may be applied in other wireless wide area networks (WWAN). The wireless network may employ a scheme where multiple base stations may transmit on a channel. In an example, the UE <NUM> may transmit and/or receive wireless communications (e.g., messages or signals used for resource allocation) to and/or from the network entity <NUM> and/or the network entity <NUM>. For example, the UE <NUM> may be actively communicating with network entity <NUM> and/or network entity <NUM>, for example, to perform resource allocation procedures.

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may also be referred to by those skilled in the art (as well as interchangeably herein) as an MTC UE, an eMTC UE, an efeMTC UE, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. The UE <NUM> 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, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart-watch, smart-glasses, a health or fitness tracker, etc.), an appliance, a sensor, a vehicle communication system, a medical device, a vending machine, a device for IoT (e.g., a NB-IoT device), an MTC device, or any other similar functioning device.

In some examples, the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM> may be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a NodeB, eNodeB, Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, a gNB or some other suitable terminology. The coverage area for a base station may be divided into sectors making up only a portion of the coverage area (not shown). The wireless communications system <NUM> may include the network entity <NUM> and/or network entity <NUM> of different types (e.g., macro, micro, and/or pico base stations). The network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM> may utilize different radio technologies, such as cellular and/or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) radio access technologies (RAT). The network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM> may be associated with the same or different access networks or operator deployments. The coverage areas of the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>, including the coverage areas of the same or different types of the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>, utilizing the same or different radio technologies, and/or belonging to the same or different access networks, may overlap. Furthermore, the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM> may be substantially any type of component that may communicate with UE <NUM> to provide wireless network access at the UE <NUM>.

According to the present aspects, the UE <NUM> may include one or more processors <NUM> and a memory <NUM> that may operate in combination with a resource allocation component <NUM>, which may comprise a bandwidth component <NUM>, downlink control information (DCI) format component <NUM>, resource indication value (RIV) component <NUM>, narrowband (NB) index component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM>. In some cases, similarly, the network entity <NUM> or the network entity <NUM> may include or use one or more components discussed herein (or similar components) and be configured to perform resource allocation operations, according to one or more aspects discussed herein.

In some examples, the resource allocation component <NUM> may be configured to perform one or more resource allocation procedures or management as discussed herein. In an aspect, the bandwidth component <NUM> may be configured to identify one or more system bandwidths for communications. In an aspect, the DCI format component <NUM> may be configured to identify one or more DCI formats used by the UE <NUM>, network entity <NUM>, and/or network entity <NUM>, as discussed herein. In another aspect, the RIV component <NUM> may be configured to determine, define, identify, or search for one or more RIVs (e.g., an integer value from a predetermined index or table, as discussed herein). The NB index component <NUM> may be configured to identify an NB index and/or an NB index offset indication. In an aspect, the NB hopping component <NUM> may be configured to define or identify one or more NB hopping offsets, and/or perform NB hopping as described herein.

In some aspects, the resource allocation component <NUM> may be communicatively coupled with a transceiver <NUM>, which may include a receiver <NUM> for receiving and processing radio frequency (RF) signals (e.g., including DCI, resource allocation, or grants), and a transmitter <NUM> for processing and transmitting RF signals. The processor <NUM> may be communicatively coupled with the transceiver <NUM> and memory <NUM> via at least one bus <NUM>.

The receiver <NUM> may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor for receiving data, the code comprising instructions and being stored in a memory (e.g., computer-readable medium). The receiver <NUM> may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In an aspect, the receiver <NUM> may receive signals transmitted by the UE <NUM>, one or more other UEs <NUM> and/or one or more network entities (e.g., the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>). The receiver <NUM> may obtain measurements of the signals. For example, the receiver <NUM> may determine signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), RSRP, etc..

The transmitter <NUM> may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor for transmitting data, the code comprising instructions and being stored in a memory (e.g., computer-readable medium). The transmitter <NUM> may be, for example, a RF transmitter.

In an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include a modem <NUM> that uses one or more modem processors. The various functions related to the resource allocation component <NUM> may be included in the modem <NUM> and/or processor(s) <NUM> and, in an aspect, may be executed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of the functions may be executed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or baseband processor, or digital signal processor, or transmit processor, or transceiver processor associated with the transceiver <NUM>. In particular, the one or more processors <NUM> may implement components included in the resource allocation component <NUM>, including the bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, RIV component <NUM>, NB index component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM>.

The resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, RIV component <NUM>, NB index component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM> may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor for performing resource allocation management and related operations. For example, the hardware may include, for example, a hardware accelerator, or specialized processor. In an aspect, the term "component" as used herein may be one of the parts that make up a system, may be hardware, firmware, and/or software, and may be divided into other components.

Moreover, in an aspect, the UE <NUM> may include an RF front end <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM> for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, for example, wireless communications <NUM>. For example, transceiver <NUM> may transmit or receive one or more signals. The transceiver <NUM> may measure a received pilot signal in order to determine signal quality (e.g., based on RSRP, RSRQ, or RSSI) and for providing feedback to the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>. For example, the transceiver <NUM> may communicate with the modem <NUM> to transmit messages generated by the resource allocation component <NUM> and to receive messages and forward them to the resource allocation component <NUM>.

The RF front end <NUM> may be communicatively couple with one or more antennas <NUM> and may include one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) <NUM>, one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM>, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) <NUM>, and one or more filters <NUM> for transmitting and receiving RF signals. In an aspect, the components of the RF front end <NUM> may be communicatively coupled with the transceiver <NUM> (e.g., via one or more communication links or buses <NUM>). The transceiver <NUM> may be communicatively coupled with one or more modems <NUM> and/or processor <NUM>.

In an aspect, the LNA <NUM> may amplify a received signal at a desired output level. In an aspect, the RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM> to select a particular LNA <NUM> and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application. In an aspect, the RF front end <NUM> may provide measurements (e.g., Ec/Io) and/or applied gain values to the resource allocation component <NUM>.

The one or more PA(s) <NUM> may be used by the RF front end <NUM> to amplify a signal for an RF output at a desired output power level. In an aspect, each PA <NUM> may have a specified minimum and maximum gain values. In an aspect, the RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM> to select a particular PA <NUM> and a specified gain value of the PA <NUM> based on a desired gain value for a particular application.

The one or more filters <NUM> may be used by the RF front end <NUM> to filter a received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in an aspect, for example, a respective filter <NUM> may be used to filter an output from a respective PA <NUM> to produce an output signal for transmission. In an aspect, each filter <NUM> may be communicatively coupled with a specific LNA <NUM> and/or PA <NUM>. In an aspect, the RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to select a transmit or receive path using a specified filter <NUM>, LNA, <NUM>, and/or PA <NUM>, based on a configuration as specified by the transceiver <NUM> and/or processor <NUM>.

The transceiver <NUM> may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals through one or more antennas <NUM> via the RF front end <NUM>. In an aspect, the transceiver <NUM> may be tuned to operate at specified frequencies such that the UE <NUM> may communicate with, for example, the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>. In an aspect, for example, the modem <NUM> may configure the transceiver <NUM> to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on the UE configuration of the UE <NUM> and communication protocol used by the modem <NUM>.

In an aspect, the modem <NUM> may be a multiband-multimode modem, which may process digital data and communicate with the transceiver <NUM> such that the digital data is sent and received using the transceiver <NUM>. In an aspect, the modem <NUM> may be multiband and be configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communications protocol. In an aspect, the modem <NUM> may be multi-mode and be configured to support multiple operating networks and communications protocols. In an aspect, the modem <NUM> may control one or more components of the UE <NUM>, or the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> (e.g., RF front end <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>), to perform resource allocation procedures or enable transmission and/or reception of signals based on a specified modem configuration. In an aspect, the modem configuration may be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band in use. In another aspect, the modem configuration may be based on UE configuration information associated with the UE <NUM> as provided by the network during resource allocation, cell selection and/or cell reselection (or handover).

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may further include memory <NUM>, such as for storing data used herein and/or local versions of applications or the resource allocation component <NUM> and/or one or more subcomponents of the resource allocation component <NUM> being executed by the processor(s) <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or processor(s) <NUM>, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), tapes, magnetic discs, optical discs, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In an aspect, for example, the memory <NUM> may be a computer-readable storage medium that stores one or more computer-executable codes defining resource allocation component <NUM> and/or one or more of the subcomponents of the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or data associated therewith, when the UE <NUM> and/or the network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM> is operating the processor(s) <NUM> to execute the resource allocation component <NUM> and/or one or more subcomponents of the resource allocation component <NUM>. In another aspect, for example, the memory <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

Referring to <FIG>, a diagram illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM>, in accordance with aspects described herein. In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may include the wireless communications system <NUM> in <FIG>, and may include a plurality of network entities <NUM> and/or <NUM> (e.g., base stations, gNBs, or WLAN network entity), a number of UEs <NUM>, and a core network <NUM>. In an aspect, one or more UEs <NUM> may include the resource allocation component <NUM> configured to manage resource allocation. The resource allocation component <NUM> may be configured to perform at least some aspects of the techniques or methods described above in wireless communications, including <NUM> LTE or <NUM> NR. Some of the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may communicate with the UEs <NUM> under the control of a base station controller (not shown), which may be part of the core network <NUM> or the network entity <NUM> or the network entity <NUM> (e.g., a base station or a gNB) in various examples.

In an aspect, the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may communicate control or system information and/or user data with the core network <NUM> through backhaul links <NUM>. In some cases, the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may communicate, either directly or indirectly, with each other over backhaul links <NUM>, which may be wired or wireless communication links. The wireless communications system <NUM> may support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). Multi-carrier transmitters may transmit modulated signals simultaneously on the multiple carriers. For example, each communication link <NUM> (e.g., wireless communications <NUM> in <FIG>) may be a multi-carrier signal modulated according to the various radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal may be sent on a same or different carrier and may carry control or system information (e.g., control channels, RRC signals, etc.), overhead information, data, etc..

In some examples, the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may wirelessly communicate with the UEs <NUM> via one or more antennas. Each of the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a respective coverage area <NUM>. In some examples, the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may be referred to as a base station, a NodeB, an eNodeB, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, a gNB, or an access point. In some cases, at least a portion of the wireless communications system <NUM> may be configured to operate on a spatial multiplexing (e.g., multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO)) scheme in which one or more of the UEs <NUM> and one or more of the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may be configured to support transmissions on closed-loop MIMO and/or open-loop MIMO scheme.

In network communication systems using <NUM> (e.g., LTE/LTE-A), <NUM> NR, or similar communication technologies, the terms evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB) or gNB may be used to describe the network entity <NUM> or <NUM>, though concepts described herein may be applied to other types of network entity in other types of communication technologies. For example, the wireless communications system <NUM> may be a <NUM> or a <NUM> NR network in which different types of network entity provide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, each network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and/or other types of cell. Small cells such as pico cells, femto cells, and/or other types of cells may include low power nodes or LPNs. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs <NUM> with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell may cover a relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs <NUM> with service subscriptions with the network provider, for example, and in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access by UEs <NUM> having an association with the small 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 base station may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells.

In some aspects, the core network <NUM> may communicate with the base stations or other network entity <NUM> or <NUM> via one or more backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., S1 interface, etc.). The network entity <NUM> or <NUM> may also communicate with one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., X2 interface, etc.) and/or via backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., through core network <NUM>).

In some examples, the UEs <NUM> may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system <NUM>, and each UE <NUM> may be stationary or mobile (e.g., in a low mobility mode). The UE <NUM> may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a suitable terminology discussed herein. The UE <NUM> may be able to communicate with macro base stations, small cell base stations, relays, and the like. The UE <NUM> may be able to communicate over different access networks, such as cellular or other WWAN access networks, or WLAN access networks.

The communication links <NUM> (e.g., wireless communications <NUM> in <FIG>) shown in wireless communications system <NUM> may include uplink transmissions from the UE <NUM> to the network entity <NUM> or <NUM>, and/or downlink transmissions (e.g., resource allocation, RRC signals) from the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> to the UE <NUM>. The downlink transmissions may also be called forward link transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. The communication links <NUM> may carry transmissions of each hierarchical layer which, in some examples, may be multiplexed in the communication links <NUM>. The UEs <NUM> may be configured to collaboratively communicate with multiple network entity <NUM> or <NUM> through, for example, MIMO, carrier aggregation (CA), Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP), or other schemes. MIMO techniques use multiple antennas on the network entity <NUM> or <NUM> and/or multiple antennas on the UE <NUM> to transmit multiple data streams. The MIMO techniques may include closed-loop MIMO and/or open-loop MIMO scheme. Carrier aggregation (CA) may utilize two or more component carriers (CCs) on a same or different serving cell for data transmission. CoMP may include techniques for coordination of transmission and reception by a number of network entity <NUM> or <NUM> to improve overall transmission quality for UEs <NUM> as well as increasing network and spectrum utilization.

Referring to <FIG>, a block diagram illustrates an example of a base station <NUM> (e.g., the network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) in communication with a UE <NUM> (e.g., the UE <NUM>) in an access network (e.g., the wireless communications system <NUM> and/or <NUM>). In the downlink, upper layer packets from the core network are provided to a controller/processor <NUM>. The controller/processor <NUM> implements the functionality of the L2 layer. In the downlink, the controller/processor <NUM> provides header compression, ciphering, packet segmentation and reordering, multiplexing between logical and transport channels, and radio resource allocations to the UE <NUM> based on various priority metrics. The controller/processor <NUM> is also responsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, and signaling (e.g., resource allocation, RRC signals) to the UE <NUM>.

The transmit (TX) processor <NUM> implements various signal processing functions for the L1 layer (i.e., physical layer). The signal processing functions includes coding and interleaving to facilitate forward error correction (FEC) at the UE <NUM> and mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols are then split into parallel streams. Each stream is then mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot signal) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. Each spatial stream is then provided to a different antenna <NUM> via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX modulates an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

At the UE <NUM>, each receiver 354RX receives a signal through a respective antenna <NUM>. The RX processor <NUM> implements various signal processing functions of the L1 layer. The RX processor <NUM> performs spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE <NUM>. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, is recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station <NUM>. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller/processor <NUM>.

The controller/processor <NUM> implements the L2 layer. The controller/processor may be associated with a memory <NUM> that stores program codes and data. In the uplink, the controller/processor <NUM> provides demultiplexing (DEMUX) between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from the core network. The upper layer packets are then provided to a data sink <NUM>, which represents all the protocol layers above the L2 layer. Various control signals may be provided to the data sink <NUM> for L3 processing. The controller/processor <NUM> may be responsible for error detection using an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK) protocol to support HARQ operations. In addition, the UE <NUM> may include a resource allocation component <NUM> configured to manage schemes of cell selections/reselections of the base station <NUM>. Though the resource allocation component <NUM> is shown as communicatively coupled with controller/processor <NUM>, substantially any processor of the UE <NUM> may provide the functions of the resource allocation component <NUM> and/or the related components described herein (e.g., in conjunction with controller/processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, or otherwise). For example, TX processor <NUM> and/or RX processor <NUM> may additionally or alternatively provide one or more functions of the resource allocation component <NUM>, as described herein.

In the uplink, a data source <NUM> is used to provide upper layer packets to the controller/processor <NUM>. The data source <NUM> represents all protocol layers above the L2 layer. Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the base station <NUM>, the controller/processor <NUM> implements the L2 layer for the user plane and the control plane by providing header compression, ciphering, packet segmentation and reordering, and multiplexing between logical and transport channels based on radio resource allocations by the base station <NUM>. The controller/processor <NUM> is also responsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, and signaling to the base station <NUM>.

The spatial streams generated by the TX processor <NUM> are provided to different antenna <NUM> via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX modulates an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

The uplink transmission is processed at the base station <NUM> in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE <NUM>. The RX processor <NUM> may implement the L1 layer.

The controller/processor <NUM> implements the L2 layer. The controller/processor <NUM> may be associated with a memory <NUM> that stores program codes and data. In the uplink, the controller/processor <NUM> provides demultiplexing (DEMUX) between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from the UE <NUM>. Upper layer packets from the controller/processor <NUM> may be provided to the core network. The controller/processor <NUM> may be responsible for error detection using an ACK and/or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, a wireless communication system may encounter misalignment between RBGs and NBs. In some examples, a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) may be in an LTE network using LTE RBGs, or in a <NUM> NR (or LTE) network using NBs. For example, in LTE (or <NUM> NR), bitmap-based resource assignment information may be used to indicate one or more RBGs that are scheduled for a non-BL or non-CE UE. The RBG size may be different and predetermined for each system bandwidth. Meanwhile, for a BL UE (or a BL/CE UE, MTC UE, eMTC UE, feMTC UE, efeMTC UE) in LTE, the NB locations may be defined or configured as six non-overlapping consecutive PRBs in frequency domain. The NB index location is shown in <FIG> for BWs that equal to <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively.

In an example, if the total number of RBs in a BW is an odd number, the center RB may not belong to any NBs in the BW, resulting in different misalignment with RBGs in the first half and/or second half BW. In an aspect, the even/odd NB location may have different RB offset(s) relative to one or more neighbor RBG boundaries. In another aspect, different RBG size(s) may take into account and may cause different RB offset(s) between the NB and one or more RBG boundaries. In some cases, the PRB utilization loss may depend on allocated NB(s) and/or the total system BW, where the PRB utilization loss may be the wasted RBs normalized by the remaining RBs for non-BL UE(s) when one or more <NUM>-PRB NBs are allocated to a BL UE. In an example, the misalignment between LTE RBGs and NBs may result in a degradation of, for example, zero to thirty-three percent (<NUM>-<NUM>%) of physical RBs (PRB) utilization, and may degrade the downlink cell throughputs. In some examples, when the RBGs and NBs are aligned, there may be a minimized loss or reduced loss that is close to <NUM>% degradation.

In another aspect, for uplink, the UE or a base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM>) may be difficult to utilize the NBs which may not be directly adjacent to the resources used for uplink transmissions, for example, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or physical random access channel (PRACH), causing to fragmentation of the spectrum (e.g., for uplink transmissions).

In an aspect, for example, as shown in <FIG>, in a conventional wireless communication network (e.g., an LTE network), the system bandwidth (BW) may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>. In an aspect, cross marks in one or more RBGs are used to identify the RBs that may not be used by NB or MTC due to misalignment between NBs and RBGs. In an example, the UE may use a frame structure <NUM> having a <NUM> LTE BW, with one or more RBGs each having two RBs or PRBs, and one or more NBs each having six RBs or PRBs. For the first NB (nNB = <NUM>) in the first half BW (RB <NUM> to RB <NUM>) of the frame structure <NUM>, there are two offsets, a first offset between the first NB and the first RBG, and the second offset between the first NB and the fourth RBG. In other words, the first NB is not aligned with the RBG boundaries, causing misalignment between the LTE RBGs and the first NB, shown as crosses in RBGs. In this case, the resource utilization loss is about one third or thirty-three percent (<NUM>%) due to the misalignment. In contrast, in the second half BW (RB <NUM> to RB <NUM>) of the frame structure <NUM>, the second NB (nNB = <NUM>) is aligned with the RBG boundaries, for example, the left (or starting) boundary of the fifth RBG and the right (or ending) boundary of the seventh RBG, as shown in <FIG>. Thus, the second half BW has minimized or low resource utilization loss due to the second NB being aligned with the RBG boundaries.

In another example, the UE may use a frame structure <NUM> having a <NUM> LTE BW, with one or more RBGs each having two RBs or PRBs, and one or more NBs each having six RBs or PRBs. For the third NB (nNB = <NUM>) in the second half BW (RB <NUM> to RB <NUM>) of the frame structure <NUM>, there are two offsets, a first offset between the third NB and the seventh RBG, and the second offset between the third NB and the tenth RBG. In other words, the third NB is not aligned with the RBG boundaries, causing misalignment between the LTE RBGs and the third NB, shown as crosses in RBGs. In this case, the resource utilization loss is about <NUM>% due to the misalignment. In contrast, in the first half BW (RB <NUM> to RB <NUM>) of the frame structure <NUM>, the first NB (nNB = <NUM>) is aligned with the RBG boundaries, for example, the left (or starting) boundary of the first RBG and the right (or ending) boundary of the third RBG, as shown in <FIG>. As such, in this example, the first half BW has minimized or low resource utilization loss due to the first NB being aligned with the RBG boundaries.

In yet another example, the UE may use a frame structure <NUM> having a <NUM> LTE BW, with one or more RBGs each having three RBs or PRBs, and one or more NBs each having six RBs or PRBs. In this example, the first NB (nNB = <NUM>) of the frame structure <NUM> is not aligned with the RBG boundaries. For example, there is a first offset between the first NB and the first RBG, and a second offset between the first NB and the third RBG, causing misalignment between the LTE RBGs and the first NB, shown as crosses in RBGs in <FIG>. In this case, the resource utilization loss is about <NUM>% due to the misalignment, as shown in <FIG>.

In an aspect, the UE may be an MTC UE (e.g., an eMTC or efeMTC UE), and may share the system bandwidth with one or more LTE UEs. In some aspects, the resource utilization loss may be the spectrum loss to the LTE UEs because of wasted RBs/PRBs when a NB is allocated to the MTC UE. In an aspect, the utilization loss may equal to Noffset/(NRB - NNB), where NRB is the total number of RBs, NNB is the number of narrowband RBs for the MTC UE (e.g., NNB = <NUM> for the calculation). Noffset is the total number of misaligned RBs between the NB and RBG boundaries. For example, in case of BW = <NUM>, NRB = <NUM>, NNB = <NUM>, Noffset = <NUM>, the resource utilization loss = <NUM>/(<NUM>-<NUM>) = <NUM>%, as discussed above, and as shown in <FIG>.

In an example, the UE may use a frame structure <NUM> having a <NUM> LTE BW, with one or more RBGs each having four RBs or PRBs, and one or more NBs each having six RBs or PRBs. For the second NB (nNB = <NUM>) of the frame structure <NUM>, there are two offsets, a first offset between the second NB and the second RBG, and the second offset between the second NB and the fourth RBG. In other words, the second NB is not aligned with the RBG boundaries, causing misalignment between the LTE RBGs and the second NB, shown as crosses in RBGs in <FIG>. In this case, the resource utilization loss is about <NUM>% due to the misalignment. Similarly, the first NB (nNB = <NUM>) has about <NUM>% resource utilization loss, the seventh NB (nNB = <NUM>) and the eighth NB (nNB = <NUM>) have about <NUM>% resource utilization loss, which are due to misalignment with the RBG boundaries in the frame structure <NUM>, shown as crosses in RBGs in <FIG>.

In another example, the UE may use a frame structure <NUM> having a <NUM> LTE BW, with one or more RBGs each having four RBs or PRBs, and one or more NBs each having six RBs or PRBs. For the first NB and second NB (nNB = <NUM>, <NUM>) of the frame structure <NUM>, there is an offset between the first NB and the first RBG, and another offset between the second NB and the fourth RBG. In other words, the first NB and second NB are not aligned with the RBG boundaries, causing misalignment between the LTE RBGs and the first NB and second NB, shown as crosses in RBGs in <FIG>. In this case, the resource utilization loss is about <NUM>% due to the misalignment.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, in a conventional wireless communication network (e.g., an LTE network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA for legacy CE mode A or mode B. For example, for <NUM> BL/CE UEs, the resource block (RB) assignment information may be represented as:.

In an aspect, for Downlink Control Information (DCI) format <NUM>-0A (for uplink) and <NUM>-1A (for downlink), a <NUM>-bit Resource Indication Value (RIV) may be used having a valid value from <NUM> to <NUM>, and can be found in Table <NUM> in <FIG> that being calculated by the following equations:.

In some cases, some RIVs (e.g., <NUM> to <NUM>) may be reserved or not be used in the conventional wireless communication network.

In another aspect, having a same set of DCI, for DCI format <NUM>-0B (uplink), a <NUM>-bit RIV may be used having a valid value from <NUM> to <NUM> and may be found in Table <NUM>, with selected RAs having a length of one RB or two RBs. For DCI format <NUM>-1B (downlink), a <NUM>-bit RIV may be used having a value of <NUM> or <NUM> and may be found in Table <NUM>, with selected RAs having a length of four RBs or six RBs.

In a previously proposed implementation without using an NB index, for DCI format <NUM>-0A and DCI format <NUM>-1A, the RIVs with <NUM> bits to <NUM> bits (e.g., a <NUM>-bit RIV for BW=<NUM>, a <NUM>-bit RIV for <NUM>, a <NUM>-bit RIV for <NUM>, a <NUM>-bit RIV for <NUM>, or a <NUM>-bit RIV for <NUM> or <NUM>), defined by RIV = <NUM>RBstart + ICRB, may be used for flexible RA, which may be a same size/length of legacy RIV by restricting RBstart = <NUM>~(NRB-<NUM>) and length of <NUM>~<NUM> RBs with ICRB = <NUM>~<NUM>; and NRB is the total number of RBs in the bandwidth. For DCI format <NUM>-0B, RIV with <NUM> to <NUM> bits may be used for flexible RA, which is <NUM>-bit larger than the size/length of legacy RIV: RBstart = <NUM>~(NRB-<NUM>) and length of <NUM> or <NUM> RBs with LCRB = <NUM>, <NUM>; and RIV = <NUM>RBstart + LCRB - <NUM>.

For DCI format <NUM>-1B, RIV with <NUM> to <NUM> bits may be used for flexible RA, which is <NUM>-bit larger than the size/length of legacy RIV: RBstart = <NUM>~(NRB-<NUM>) and length of <NUM> or <NUM> RBs with ICRB = <NUM>, <NUM>; RIV = 2RBstart + ICRB.

However, when using such an implementation, for example, the conditions or triggers (e.g., when and whether) to use new RIV (e.g., RIV for flexible RA) or legacy RIV may not be clear. For example, the UE may use a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection to semi-statically switch between a new RIV and a legacy RIV. In an aspect, the modified RIV may be independent from an NB index, which is used in the legacy resource assignment indication for a MTC UE. In an aspect, the UE may not be able to use legacy NB hopping with an NB index offset indication, since legacy NB hopping (or frequency hopping) is based on an NB index. In another aspect, the UE may be unable to support RA with the length of one RB for DCI format <NUM>-0A and/or DCI format <NUM>-1A. In some cases, the UE may not support flexible RA for DCI format <NUM>-0B and/or DCI format <NUM>-1B within a legacy DCI size/length.

Therefore, in some aspects, to solve the issues with the above implementation, more flexibility of the downlink/uplink RA mechanism may be used by a BL/CE UE that may assist in avoiding or at least significantly reducing the above-mentioned degradations on resource utilization. In an example, the UE may use or be configured to use a more flexible uplink/downlink resource allocation mechanism based on the specification of a newly released wireless communication standard (e.g., 3GPP Release <NUM>). In an aspect, the UE may be backward capable to a legacy system (e.g., LTE) and take an approach so that the flexible uplink/downlink resource allocation mechanism may not lead to significantly increased UE complexity or energy consumption, as described further herein. In some cases, the downlink/uplink RA mechanism may not use an NB index indication, and may indicate the resource allocation over the whole system bandwidth. For example, a base station may indicate resource allocation for the whole system BW to the UE, and the base station and/or the UE may not use an NB index and/or an NB index indication for the resource allocation.

According to an aspect, a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) may use a modified RIV equation based on RIV = NRB (LCRBs - <NUM>) + RBSTART for DCI format <NUM>-0A and/or DCI format <NUM>-1A to achieve flexibility of the downlink/uplink RA, where NRB is the total RB number of the system BW instead of the total RB number of a NB. For example, when using DCI format <NUM>-0A and/or <NUM>-1A, the system may define one or more new RIVs with a same size (e.g., <NUM> bits) as the legacy RIV, and no extra bit(s) for RIV may be needed.

In an example, when using the modified RIV(s) discussed above, NB hopping is supported, and the hopping offset other than the NB index offset may be defined. For example, if using the first scheme mentioned above, a hopping offset may be a RB offset. Considering the narrowbands with size of 6RBs, the RB offset for hopping can be {<NUM>, <MAT>. For example, if using the second scheme mentioned above, a hopping offset may be a RBG offset.

In another aspect, the UE may switch between a new RIV using a new format (e.g., to indicate the assignment without an NB index) and a legacy method (e.g., to indicate the NB index together with <NUM>-bit RIV within the NB with RIV values from <NUM> to <NUM>). In this case, for example, RRC signaling may be used to switch between a new RIV and a legacy method for DCI format <NUM>-0A and/or DCI format <NUM>-1A. In some cases, for UEs sending early data in a message (e.g., Msg3) before setting up the RRC connection, one or more of the UEs may use new RIV by default without RRC signaling.

According to the invention, as shown in Table <NUM> of <FIG>, the UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) uses the NB index and RIVs of <NUM> through <NUM> for the legacy allocation, and defines remaining RIV(s) with additional values (<NUM> to <NUM>) for DCI format <NUM>-1A and optionally also for DCI format <NUM>-0A to extend the flexible downlink/uplink resource allocation for each NB, with various system BWs. The legacy RIV of <NUM> through <NUM> and newly defined RIV of <NUM> through <NUM> may be switched between each other dynamically based on information (e.g., DCI) on a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and/or an MTC PDCCH (MPDCCH). In an aspect, MPDCCH may be one type of PDCCH designed for a bandwidth-reduced operation. In some examples, the system or UE <NUM> may define, identify, or determine one or more tables with RIV being equal to an integer value from <NUM> to <NUM>, for the NB in BW with different NB location(s) and RBG size(s). According to the invention, the same RIV size of <NUM> bits as the legacy DCI format <NUM>-1A is kept.

Still referring to <FIG>, the Table <NUM> is based on the NB index (nNB), and may be compatible with a legacy NB hopping indication based on the NB index offset(s). In some other tables discussed herein, for example, the same RIV entry may have same length LCRBs of allocation but different starting RB index (RBstart). For example, when UE <NUM> hops from an NB (with misalignment) to another NB (without misalignment), the PRB allocation may keep the same length but shift the starting RB to keep the PRB allocation within the NB without misalignment, thereby not contaminating other RBGs. In some examples, for NB hopping based on the legacy NB index offset indication, the UE may use a same RIV value in the table corresponding to the indicated NB index (nNB).

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> (with frame structure <NUM>) or <NUM> (with frame structure <NUM>). For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIVs with <NUM>-<NUM> values for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and <NUM>-1A, which are shown in the tables <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, with RIV = <NUM>-<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM> or <NUM>. In this example, for BW=<NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM> (no misalignment) and Table <NUM> (and/or Table <NUM>) may be used for nNB=<NUM> (having misalignment). For BW = <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = <NUM>, <NUM> (no misalignment) and Table <NUM> (and/or Table <NUM>) may be used for nNB = <NUM>, <NUM> (having misalignment). In some cases, for NB hopping based on the legacy NB index offset indication, the UE may use new RIV values (e.g., RIV = an integer between <NUM> and <NUM>) in the table corresponding to the indicated nNB and BW.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> (with frame structure <NUM>). For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIV(s) with <NUM>-<NUM> values for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and <NUM>-1A, which are shown in the tables <NUM> and <NUM> with RIV = <NUM>-<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM>. In this example, for BW = <NUM>, Table <NUM> and/or Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = <NUM>-<NUM>. In some cases, for NB hopping based on the legacy NB index offset indication, the UE may use new RIV values (e.g., RIV = an integer between <NUM> and <NUM>) in the table corresponding to the indicated nNB and BW.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> (with frame structure <NUM>). For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIV(s) with <NUM>-<NUM> values for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and <NUM>-1A, which are shown in the tables <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> with RIV = <NUM>-<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM>. In this example, for BW = <NUM>, Table <NUM> and/or Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and Table <NUM> and/or Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. In some cases, for NB hopping based on the legacy NB index offset indication, the UE may use new RIV values (e.g., RIV = an integer between <NUM> and <NUM>) in the table corresponding to the indicated nNB and BW.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> (with frame structure <NUM>). For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIV(s) with <NUM>-<NUM> values for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and <NUM>-1A, which are shown in the tables <NUM>, <NUM>. <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>, with RIV = <NUM>-<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM>. In this example, for BW = <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. In some cases, for NB hopping, the UE may use the legacy NB index offset indication, and/or use new RIV values (e.g., RIV = an integer between <NUM> and <NUM>) in the table corresponding to the indicated nNB and BW.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme for DCI format <NUM>-0B. In an aspect, for uplink RA, the RA adjacent to the edge RBs may reduce the segmentations of the spectrum. For example, Table <NUM> and/or Table <NUM> may be used by a legacy or existing system, UE, or RIV, and Table <NUM> and/or Table <NUM> may be used to enable the allocation with two RBs next to the adjacent subband, as discussed herein. In this example, for RIV = <NUM>, RBstart changes from the second RB to the fourth RB, or from a RBstart value of <NUM> to a value of <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. In another aspect, the UE may switch between a new RIV and a legacy RIV. For example, the UE may use RRC signaling to switch between a new RIV and a legacy RIV for PUSCH. In another example, for UEs sending early data in a message (e.g., Msg3) before setting up an RRC connection, the UE may use new RIV by default without RRC signaling.

In another aspect, referring to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using at least an NB offset indication without changing RIVs in DCI. For example, the UE or base station may use RRC signaling to indicate the NB offset for NB in a BW (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>) with different NB location(s) and RBG size(s), and may use or reuse legacy RIV but shift the NB location by the indicated NBoffset. In an example, as shown in Table <NUM>, the UE or base station may use a <NUM>-bit indication to indicate no change or change the NB location to align with one side (left or right, start or end) of a RBG boundary. In another example, as shown in Table <NUM>, the UE or base station may use a <NUM>-bit indication to indicate the selected value of NBoffset among a maximum four possible values for different NB(s) in each BW.

In some aspects, in legacy eMTC, the UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) may perform retuning (e.g. in the uplink) when the resource allocation moves from one NB to a different NB. In an example, during retuning, the UE may be allowed to not transmit signals. In other words, the UE may delay or stop signal transmissions, for example, when the UE is retuning the local oscillator (LO). In this case, the UE RF front end is six-PRB wide (e.g., for an NB). In some cases, the resource allocation may be performed outside the NB or six PRBs. In an example, to perform retuning in a <NUM> BW, the UE moving from "PRB -<NUM>" to "PRB <NUM>" may need to retune, since the separation is or may require nine PRBs.

If the resource allocation being performed outside an NB, in a first example, the UE may retune only where the indicated NB changes. In this example, UEs that support the feature (retuning only where the indicated NB changes) may need a slightly wider RF BW (e.g., nine PRBs) than a regular RF BW (e.g., six PRBs).

In a second example, whenever the UE transmits PUSCH in between two NBs, and the resource allocation changes, the UE may be allowed to retune.

In a third example, the UE may determine, identify, signal, or indicate whether the UE supports the feature in the first example or the feature in the second example, which may be based on the UE capability or implementations such as RF designs. In case the UE supports the feature in the second example, then the UE may signal or indicate a retuning time that the UE takes to retune from a first RA to a second RA in the same NB index. For instance, the UE may take two SC-FDMA symbols to retune between different NBs (e.g., NB<NUM> and NB<NUM>). In another example, it may take the UE one SC-FDMA symbol to retune between -<NUM> and +<NUM> in the NB index.

Referring to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and/or <FIG>, NB hopping and hopping distance are used or considered. For example, after hopping, the allocated RBs after hopping may be sparsely distributed in the system BW compared to the allocated RBs before hopping, and the hopping distance(s) may be predetermined (e.g., as much as possible). In some examples, the sparsely distribution may be important for the allocation with small size LCRB. In an aspect, for downlink transmissions (e.g., physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) coverage enhancement (CE) mode A), the legacy NB index indication may be reused and defines the reserved RIVs of <NUM>-<NUM> in Tables <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>-<NUM> for different BWs to support flexible RA and backward compatible with NB hopping.

In some examples, similar to the allocation in LTE, the RB index may be in the range of <NUM>~(NRB-<NUM>), where NRB is the total number of RBs in the system BW. If RBstart+LCRBs≥NRB, the length of the allocated RB may be reduced (e.g., automatically reduced) but keep the same RBstart, e.g., L'CRBs=NRB-RBstart-<NUM>. Alternatively, the starting RB may be shifted but keep the same LCRBs, e.g., RB'start=NRB- LCRBs-<NUM>.

In some cases, different valid entries in DCI <NUM>-1A may be used to help UE improve DCI detection performance, and/or UE behavior. For example, if a <NUM>-bit RRC signaling, e.g., for flexible resource allocation of PDSCH CE mode A, is set 'off, the RIVs of <NUM>-<NUM> are valid. Otherwise, for example, if the <NUM>-bit RRC signaling, e.g., for flexible resource allocation of PDSCH CE mode A, is set 'on', RIVs of <NUM>~<NUM> in Table <NUM> to Table <NUM> are valid entries for BW=<NUM> and/or <NUM>, RIVs of <NUM>~<NUM> in Table <NUM> to Table <NUM> are valid entries for BW=<NUM>, RIVs of <NUM>-<NUM> in Table <NUM> are valid entries for BW=<NUM>, and RIVs of <NUM>-<NUM> in Table <NUM> and/or <NUM> are valid entries for BW=<NUM>.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, similar to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> or <NUM> with NB hopping. For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIVs entries with <NUM>-<NUM> values (e.g., for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and/or <NUM>-1A). In an example, Table <NUM> shows RBs in index [<NUM>, <NUM>], and Table <NUM> shows RBs in in index [-<NUM>+<NUM>, <NUM>+<NUM>], and the legacy NB index indication may be reused and defines the reserved RIVs of <NUM>-<NUM> in Tables <NUM> and <NUM>, to support flexible RA and backward compatible with NB hopping, with RIV = <NUM>-<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM> or <NUM>. In an example, for BW=<NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>}, and Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>}. In another example, for BW=<NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>} and Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>}.

In an aspect, the valid entries in DCI <NUM>-1A may be used to help the UE improve DCI detection performance. For example, if a <NUM>-bit RRC signaling is off, the RIVs of <NUM>-<NUM> may be valid, otherwise, if the <NUM>-bt RRC signaling is on (as shown in Table <NUM> and Table <NUM>), RIVs of <NUM>~<NUM> may be valid entries for BW=<NUM> and/or <NUM>.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, similar to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> with NB hopping. For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIV(s) entries with <NUM>-<NUM> values (e.g., for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and/or <NUM>-1A), which are shown in the Tables <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>, with RIV = <NUM>-<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM>. In this example, for BW = <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. In other words, for BW=<NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, and Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}.

In some examples, for NB hopping, the UE may use the legacy NB index offset indication, and/or use new RIV value(s) (e.g., RIV = <NUM>, <NUM>, or an integer between <NUM> and <NUM>) in the table corresponding to the indicated nNB and BW. In some cases, <NUM> entries instead of <NUM> entries for RIVs may be used for BW=<NUM> to increase the flexibility. In some examples, similar to the allocation in LTE, the RB index in <NUM> NR may be in the range of <NUM>∼( NRB-<NUM>), where NRB is the total number of RBs in the system BW. If RBstart+LCRBs≥NRB, the length of the allocated RB may be reduced (e.g., automatically reduced) but keep the same RBstart, e.g., L'CRBs=NRB-RBstart-<NUM>. Alternatively, the starting RB may be shifted but keep the same LCRBs, e.g., RB'start=NRB- LCRBs-<NUM>.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, similar to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> with NB hopping. For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIV(s) entries with <NUM>-<NUM> values (e.g., for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and/or <NUM>-1A), which is shown in the Table <NUM> with RIV = <NUM>-<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM>. In this example, for BW = <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB = <NUM>-<NUM> (or nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>,. In some cases, for NB hopping based on the legacy NB index offset indication, the UE may use new RIV values (e.g., RIV = an integer between <NUM> and <NUM>) in the table corresponding to the indicated nNB and BW.

In another aspect, referring to <FIG>, similar to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using a RA scheme having a BW of <NUM> with NB hopping. For example, the UE or base station may define the remaining RIV(s) entries with <NUM>-<NUM> values (e.g., for DCI formats <NUM>-0A and/or <NUM>-1A), which are shown in the Table <NUM> and/or Table <NUM>, having RIV = <NUM>~<NUM> for the NB in BW = <NUM>. In this example, for BW = <NUM>, Table <NUM> may be used for even nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>,. , <NUM>} and Table <NUM> may be used for odd nNB = {<NUM>, <NUM>,. In other words, Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and Table <NUM> may be used for nNB=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. In some cases, for NB hopping based on the legacy NB index offset indication, the UE may use new RIV values (e.g., RIV = an integer between <NUM> and <NUM>) in the table corresponding to the indicated nNB and BW.

In an aspect, referring to <FIG>, similar to <FIG>, in a wireless communication network (e.g., a <NUM> NR network), a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) or base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may be configured to perform RA using at least an NB offset indication (for example, for DCI formats <NUM>-1B, and/or <NUM>-1A and in another example, for DL PDSCH CE mode A and/or mode B). The NB offset consider the RBG boundary alignment in DL PDSCH resource allocation as well as the NB hopping distance. For example, the UE or base station may use RRC signaling to indicate the NB offset for NB in a BW (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>) with different NB location(s) and RBG size(s), and may use or reuse legacy RIV but shift the NB location by the indicated NBoffset. In an example, as shown in Table <NUM>, the UE or base station may use a <NUM>-bit RRC on/off indication to indicate no change of NBs (e.g., NBoffset=<NUM>), or change the NB location by using the predefined NB offset based on the BW and nNB. Note that in some cases, even <NUM>-bit RRC on/off is set 'on', there is no NB offset (e.g., NBoffset=<NUM>), e.g., nNB = (NNB/<NUM>),. (NNB-<NUM>) in <NUM>nd half BW in BW=<NUM>, nNB =<NUM>,. , (NNB/<NUM>-<NUM>) in 1st half BW in BW=<NUM>, nNB mod <NUM> = <NUM> in <NUM>nd half BW in BW=<NUM>, and NBoffset=<NUM> for nNB mod <NUM> = <NUM> in BW=<NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in an operational aspect, a UE (e.g., an MTC UE), such as UE <NUM> in <FIG>, or a base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>) may perform one or more aspects of a method <NUM> for managing one or more resource allocation procedures in a wireless communications system (e.g., a <NUM> or a <NUM> NR system). For example, one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, RIV component <NUM>, NB index component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM> may be configured to perform one or more aspects of the method <NUM>.

In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include identifying a system bandwidth for communications. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or bandwidth component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to identify or determine a system bandwidth for communications, as discussed herein.

In another aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include identifying a downlink control information (DCI) format. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or DCI format component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to identify a DCI format, as discussed herein.

In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include determining one or more resource indication values (RIVs). In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to determine one or more RIVs, as discussed herein. As described, for example, this may include receiving the one or more RIVs in a configuration from the network.

In another aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include performing resource allocation based on the identified system bandwidth, the identified DCI format, and the one or more determined RIVs. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to perform one or more resource allocation operations based on the identified system bandwidth (at block <NUM>), the identified DCI format (at block <NUM>), and the one or more determined RIVs (at block <NUM>), as discussed herein. In an aspect, performing the resource allocation may include a UE <NUM> determining a resource allocation, as described herein, or a network entity <NUM> or network entity <NUM> generating a resource allocation and/or related parameters for a UE <NUM>. In addition, starting resource block indices of the starting resource block can align with a resource block group boundary of a narrowband and/or ending resource block indices, as defined as an index of the starting resource block plus the resource allocation size, align with a resource block group boundary of the narrowband.

In an aspect, the method <NUM> may optionally include identifying a NB index offset indication, and performing NB hopping based on the NB index offset indication. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, NB index component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to identify a NB index offset indication, and perform NB hopping based on the NB index offset indication, as discussed herein.

In another aspect, the method <NUM> may optionally include identifying an indication of resource allocation for the system bandwidth, and performing NB hopping based on the identified indication. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to identify an indication of resource allocation for the system bandwidth, and perform NB hopping based on the identified indication, as discussed herein.

In an aspect, in determining the one or more RIVs at block <NUM>, optionally at block <NUM>, the one or more RIVs can be determined as outside of a range of RIVs used for legacy resource allocation. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to determine the one or more RIVs as outside of the range of RIVs used for legacy resource allocation. As described, for example, legacy resource allocation for legacy communication technologies, such as LTE, can use RIV <NUM>-<NUM>, thus for flexible resource allocations, RIVs <NUM>-<NUM> can be used, where the values <NUM>-<NUM> can be represented by a number of bits in a RIV field defined or otherwise received in a network configuration. In this regard, where RIV <NUM>-<NUM> are encountered, this can be determined to correspond to a flexible resource allocation, as defined herein (e.g., and/or as shown in examples in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>).

In an aspect, in determining the one or more RIVs at block <NUM>, optionally at block <NUM>, a starting resource block and resource allocation size can be determined based on the RIV. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to determine, based on the RIV, the starting resource block and resource allocation size. In one example, the starting RB and allocation size can be determined based on the RIV and a corresponding table, as described above (e.g., one or more tables shown in examples in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>). For example, the RIV and/or the table may be configured by the network. In one example, the UE <NUM> may receive or otherwise know the table from a configuration, and may receive the RIV and/or related information in RRC signaling from a base station.

In an aspect, in determining the one or more RIVs at block <NUM>, optionally at block <NUM>, a modified RIV equation can be used, for the DCI format, to determine the one or more RIVs. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to use, for the DCI format, the modified RIV equation to determine the one or more RIVs. For example, as described, a formula such as RIV = NRB (LCRBs - <NUM>) + RBSTART can be used, and/or according to the first scheme described above, RIV = NRBICRBs + RBSTART. In the latter example, for instance, length of RA is LCRBs = ICRBs +<NUM> = <NUM>-<NUM> RB(s) with RBstart+ LCRBs < NRB if limited to the same size of legacy RIV or LCRBs = ICRBs +<NUM> = <NUM>-<NUM> if using <NUM> more bit than legacy RIV is allowed. In another instance, length of RA is LCRBs = ICRBs +<NUM> = <NUM>-<NUM> RBs with RBstart+ LCRBs < NRB if limited to the same size of legacy RIV or LCRBs = ICRBs +<NUM> = <NUM>~<NUM> if using <NUM> more bit than legacy RIV is allowed. As described, this can allow for resource allocation where an allocation size at a certain starting RB may not otherwise be supported within a legacy DCI size/length.

In an aspect, in performing the resource allocation at block <NUM>, optionally at block <NUM>, the length of the allocation can be reduced or the starting RB can be shifted to prevent the resource allocation from exceeding the total number of RBs. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to reduce the length of the allocation or shift the starting RB to prevent the resource allocation from exceeding the total number of RBs. For example, as described above, if RBstart+LCRBs≥NRB, the length of the allocated RB may be reduced (e.g., automatically reduced) but keep the same RBstart, e.g., L'CRBs=NRB-RBstart-<NUM> so that the length of the allocated RB, LCRBs, does not exceed NRB-RBstart. Alternatively, the starting RB may be shifted but keep the same LCRBs, e.g., RB'start=NRB- LCRBs-<NUM>. This can also allow for resource allocation where an allocation size at a certain starting RB may not otherwise be supported within a legacy DCI size/length.

In an aspect, in performing the resource allocation at block <NUM>, optionally at block <NUM>, a starting RB of the resource allocation can be modified based on the one or more determined RIVs. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to modify, based on the one or more determined RIVs (e.g., for one or more specific values of RIV), the starting RB of the resource allocation. As described for example, in reference to <FIG>, allocation with two RBs next to the adjacent subband can be enabled. In one specific example, for an RIV (e.g., RIV = <NUM> in <FIG>), RBstart can be changed from the second RB to the fourth RB, or from a RBstart value of <NUM> to a value of <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, Table <NUM>.

In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include determining a NB offset indication. In an aspect, for example, the NB index component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to determine the NB offset indication. For example, as described, the NB offset can be indicated or received using RRC signaling. In addition, the UE <NUM> can receive a table indicating a NB offset for one or more specific BWs (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>) with different NB location(s) and/or RBG size(s). For example, the table can map NB offsets for each of multiple NBs in each of the multiple specific BWs (e.g., as shown and described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>). In this regard, as described further herein, the resource allocation may be determined based on using (or reusing) legacy RIV and shifting the NB location by the indicated NBoffset, and based on receiving the NB offset indication. In an example, as shown in Table <NUM>, a <NUM>-bit indication can be used to indicate no change or change the NB location to align with one side (left or right, start or end) of a RBG boundary. In another example, as shown in Table <NUM>, the UE or base station may use a <NUM>-bit indication to indicate the selected value of NBoffset among a maximum four possible values for different NB(s) in each BW.

In another aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include performing resource allocation based on the identified system bandwidth, the identified DCI format, the one or more determined RIVs, and the NB offset. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to perform one or more resource allocation operations based on the identified system bandwidth (at block <NUM>), the identified DCI format (at block <NUM>), the one or more determined RIVs (at block <NUM>), and the NB offset (at Block <NUM>), as discussed herein. As described, the resource allocation can be determined from a table based on a RIV and/or the NB location of the resource allocation can be offset based on a received NBoffset.

In another aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include performing resource allocation based on the identified system bandwidth, the identified DCI format, and the one or more determined RIVs. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, and/or RIV component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to perform one or more resource allocation operations based on the identified system bandwidth (at block <NUM>), the identified DCI format (at block <NUM>), and the one or more determined RIVs (at block <NUM>), as discussed herein.

In an aspect, in performing the resource allocation at block <NUM>, optionally at block <NUM>, the same RIV can be used in hopping across different resource allocations. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to use the same RIV in hopping across different resource allocations. For example, where legacy NB hopping is enabled, this may include using legacy hopping based on the RIV, where the RIV can be determined, as described above.

In an aspect, in performing the resource allocation at block <NUM>, optionally at block <NUM>, the local oscillator can be retuned from one NB resource allocation to a different NB resource allocation. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to retune the local oscillator (e.g., of a transceiver) from one NB resource allocation to a different NB resource allocation, as described above.

Referring to <FIG>, in an operational aspect, a UE (e.g., an MTC UE), such as UE <NUM> in <FIG>, or a base station (e.g., network entity <NUM> or <NUM>), may perform one or more aspects of a method <NUM> for managing one or more resource allocation procedures in a wireless communications system (e.g., a <NUM> or a <NUM> NR system). For example, one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, DCI format component <NUM>, RIV component <NUM>, NB index component <NUM>, and/or NB hopping component <NUM> may be configured to perform one or more aspects of the method <NUM>.

In another aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include identifying an NB location and a RBG size. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, and/or NB index component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to identify an NB location (nNB) and/or a RBG size (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> RBs).

In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include transmitting an indication to indicate an NB offset based on the identified system bandwidth, the identified NB location, and the identified RBG size. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, bandwidth component <NUM>, and/or NB index component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to transmit, via transceiver <NUM>, an indication to indicate an NB offset based on the identified system bandwidth (at block <NUM>), the identified NB location (at block <NUM>), and the identified RBG size (at block <NUM>), as discussed herein.

In another aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may optionally include performing a retuning operation based on the indication. In an aspect, for example, the resource allocation component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, modem <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM>, may be configured to perform a retuning operation based on the indication (at block <NUM>), as discussed herein.

For purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methods discussed herein are shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciated that the method (and further methods related thereto) is/are not limited by the order of acts, as some acts may, in accordance with one or more aspects, occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. For example, it is to be appreciated that a method could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a method in accordance with one or more features described herein.

Several aspects of a telecommunications system have been presented with reference to a <NUM> or a <NUM> NR system.

By way of example, various aspects may be extended to other communication systems such as High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) and TD-CDMA. Various aspects may also be extended to systems employing Long Term Evolution (LTE) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), CDMA2000, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE <NUM> (Wi-Fi), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communications by a user equipment, UE, comprising:
identifying (<NUM>) a system bandwidth for communications;
identifying one or more radio resource control, RRC, messages;
identifying (<NUM>) a downlink control information, DCI, format <NUM>-1A;
determining (<NUM>; <NUM>) one or more resource indication values, RIVs, equal to integer values from <NUM> to <NUM> for the DCI format <NUM>-1A,
wherein the determined RIVs are for a narrowband, NB, in the system bandwidth, BW, and the NB is configurable with different NB location(s) and RBG size(s),
wherein the determined RIVs are outside of a range of RIVs equal to integer values from <NUM> to <NUM> for legacy resource allocation;
wherein a size of the determined RIVs is <NUM> bits, which is the same as for the legacy resource allocation using the DCI format <NUM>-1A; and
performing (<NUM>) resource allocation based on the identified system bandwidth, the one or more RRC messages, the identified DCI format, and the one or more determined RIVs.