The present disclosure relates to a source base station. The source base station comprises a processing circuitry that generates a user equipment packet duplication status. The user equipment packet duplication status includes information on the status of uplink packet duplication performed by a user equipment with the source base station and at least one further base station. The information on the status of uplink packet duplication is per uplink radio bearer, one or more uplink radio bearers being established between the user equipment and the source base station. The source base station further comprises a transmitter that transmits the user equipment packet duplication status to a target base station which is the target of a handover from the source base station performed for the user equipment.

Example methods, apparatuses and systems are disclosed for establishing a secure communication channel between a network establishment service and a monitoring node. An example method includes retrieving, by a processor of a network establishment service, a monitoring node identifier (MID) corresponding to a monitoring node associated with a particular monitoring platform, wherein the MID comprises a private token unique to the monitoring node. The example method further includes identifying, by node configuration circuitry of the network establishment service and based on information regarding the monitoring node, a preferred gateway node for communicating with the monitoring node. The example method further includes logically pairing, by the node configuration circuitry of the network establishment service, the monitoring node with the preferred gateway node, and transmitting, by communications circuitry of the network establishment service, the association information to the preferred gateway node. Corresponding apparatuses, systems, and computer program products are also provided.

Accordingly, embodiments disclosed herein provide a method for managing inter network switching by a User Equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system. The method includes determining that the UE is in data communication with a first network, determining that a signaling packet data network (PDN) is established for transmitting a Link Switch Message (LSM) for the inter network switching during the data communication with the first network, ignoring to perform a search for a second network until the signaling PDN is established for the first network and establishing the signaling PDN for the first network. Further it provides the method for detecting the condition of retransmission of LSM and provides method to avoid data loss and signaling overhead during inter-network switching.

Methods and systems are provided for using virtual base stations in communication systems. A communication system may include a plurality of fixed base stations. A virtual base station may be created in the communication system based on one or more creation conditions or criteria. Operation of the virtual base station may be managed, with the managing including assigning a first fixed base station in the communication system to operate as the virtual base station; concurrently communicating data of the virtual base station to the first fixed base station and to one or more other fixed base stations in the communication system; switching assignment of the virtual base station to a second fixed base station from the one or more other fixed base stations, based on a determination that a switch of assignment of the virtual base station is required. The virtual base station may be deleted based on one or more deletion conditions or criteria.

A first base station may communicate with a second base station regarding a wireless device, exchanging information regarding configuration parameters associated with the wireless device, carrier types supported by the wireless device, etc. The configuration parameters may be used to carry out communications with and/or handover of the wireless device.

The embodiments of the invention, as described below, introduce a new full configuration flag to distinguish full configurations of low complexity category UEs from other categories. The new full configuration flag will also be referred to herein as an enhanced full configuration flag. A network node, such as a source eNB, can see the enhanced full configuration flag from the RRC configuration message that is prepared by another network node, for example a target eNB. If the target eNB sends a RRC configuration that contains a legacy version of the full configuration flag for a low complexity category UE, the source eNB knows that the target eNB does not comprehend Rel-12 and the low complexity category. Accordingly the source eNB can refrain from performing the handover. In addition, the UE can infer from the flag version if the target eNB has comprehended the UE category and accordingly it knows whether the configuration is valid or not. The embodiments of the invention described herein have the advantage that un-necessary signaling caused by failed handovers and unsuccessful RRC connection re-establishments are avoided. Consequently, network resources are used in a more efficient manner and UE battery lifetime is prolonged.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a handover method to simplify a cross-base station handover procedure of a WD in a mobile communication scenario, and reduce power consumption of the WD. The method includes: sending, by a first base station, handover group information to a second base station, where the handover group information includes a first association relationship between a first terminal device and a second terminal device, and the second terminal device can communicate with the first base station through the first terminal device; and receiving, by the first base station, handover response information from the second base station, where the handover response information includes a second association relationship, and the second association relationship is established by the second base station between the first terminal device and the second terminal device based on the first association relationship.

Provided is a communication device that favorably implements SR communication and MU communication. A communication device that operates as a base station includes a determination unit that determines a communication status in a BSS of the communication device, and a control unit that controls transmission and reception of a signal regarding connection change of a terminal according to the communication status to and from a surrounding base station. The determination unit determines the presence of a small number of terminals falling outside a distribution of implementation statuses of spatial reuse communication or multi user communication of entire subordinate terminals, and transmits a signal requesting the small number of terminals to be connected to the surrounding base station or transmits a signal inquiring of the surrounding base station acceptance of the small number of terminals.

A device communicates with a terminal in association with at least a first other device, using at least two carriers, wherein at least a first carrier towards the terminal is established from the device and at least a second carrier is established towards the terminal from the first other device. The device receives a report indicative of a connection quality of the first carrier, responsive thereto issues a request for handover of the first carrier towards a second device, sends relocation information in relation to the first carrier towards the first other device, and only after sending that relocation information, commands the terminal to perform a handover of the first carrier to the second device. Such device, in cooperation with other devices, accomplishes an optimized handover in terms of a primary component carrier relocation from a serving eNB towards a target eNB, while a secondary component carrier is maintained.

Disclosed by embodiments of the present application are a switching method, an access network device, and a terminal device, the method comprising: a first access network device triggering a terminal device and/or a second access network device to configure a second protocol stack, the second protocol stack being used to maintain the order of data packets of the second access network device and the terminal device and/or a key of the data packets of the second access network device and the terminal device; before the first access network device triggers the terminal device and/or the second access network device to use the second protocol stack to maintain the order of the data packets of the terminal device, the first access network device using a first protocol stack to sequence data packets to be processed of the first access network device and the terminal device. The method, access network device and terminal device of the embodiments of the present application facilitate the reduction of the data transmission delay for the terminal device in a switching process.