Systems and methods are disclosed for facilitating communications in heterogeneous networks that include different data networks. A gateway device is configured to communicate with a first network using a TSCH protocol and with a second network using a channel hopping CSMA protocol. The gateway device can determine, during a first part of a TSCH timeslot, whether a message is received from the first network. If no message is received, the gateway device switches to the second network during a second part of the timeslot. If the gateway device receives a message from the second network, the gateway device may continue to receive the message. The receipt of the message in the second network may continue into a subsequent TSCH timeslot or may be interrupted if certain conditions are met.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for preserving source host context when firewall policies are applied to traffic in an enterprise network fabric. A data packet to a destination host from a source host can be received at a first border node instance in an enterprise network fabric as part of network traffic. The data packet can include a context associated with the source host. Further, the data packet can be sent to a firewall of the enterprise network fabric and can be received at a second border node instance after the firewall applies a firewall policy to the data packet. The data packet can then be selectively encapsulated with the context associated with the source host at the second border node instance for applying one or more policies to control transmission of the network traffic through the enterprise network fabric.

Systems and methods are described for positioning a Low Altitude Platform Station (LAPS) based drone cells for supporting communication in a 3GPP network. The methods may include receiving at least one feedback parameter from a UE pertaining to a current network traffic flow and mobility with respect of the UE. The UE is selected for an aerial network through a drone base station (DBS) cell based on service requirement determined from the feedback parameter. Further, a position for at least one DBS-cell is determined with respect to the at least one selected UE based on the at least one parameter to serve the selected UE. An aerial-communication link is established between the selected UE and the DBS cell by deploying one or more LAPS as a drone base station (DBS) in accordance with the determined position of DBS-cell to thereby augment a network connectivity of the selected UE.

A base station and an adjustment method for data transmission are provided. User equipment is selectively connected to two base stations at the same time. In the method, a remaining load amount is determined. A load demand amount required for a to-be-transmitted data bearer in the data bearer is determined. It is determined that a portion of the data packets corresponding to the to-be-transmitted data bearer is split, according to a comparison result between the remaining load amount and the load demand amount, to the second base station for transmission. A transmission ratio of the data packets split to the base station to those split to the second base station is determined according to a ratio of packet loss of the base station to the second base station. Accordingly, electric power of the user equipment can be saved, data loss can be reduced, and data can be converged effectively.

A method of operating a second network access node comprises configuring the second network access node to act as a secondary network access node for a dual connectivity mode for a terminal device in which a first network access node acts as a master network access node. The method further comprises establishing, while acting as a secondary network access node for the dual connectivity mode, that the second network access node should switch to acting as a master network access node, deriving a new master network access node security key for use by the second network access node when switched to acting as a master network access node for the dual connectivity mode, and configuring the second network access node to act a master network access node for the dual connectivity mode using the new master network access node security key.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for wireless communications. A base station may configure a plurality of random access configurations for a wireless device on different uplink carriers, such as a supplemental uplink carrier and a non-supplemental uplink carrier. The wireless device may fall back to a second uplink carrier if a random access procedure fails on the first uplink carrier.

Embodiments include methods, for a first centralized unit (CU) in a radio access network (RAN), to configure a user equipment (UE) to communicate via first and second distributed units (DUs). Such methods include initiating a first radio resource control (RRC) entity to communicate with the UE via a first RRC connection through the first DU, and selecting the second DU to communicate with the UE in a dual-connectivity (DC) configuration with the first DU. Such methods include performing one or more of the following based on determining the second DU is associated with the first CU: initiating a second RRC entity within the first CU to communicate with the UE via a second RRC connection through the second DU; and establishing one or more further radio bearers with the UE via the second DU. Other embodiments include methods for a UE, and CUs and UEs configured to perform such methods.

Mobile devices, network nodes and methods of operating the same According to one aspect, there is provided a method of operating a mobile device that is configured for use in a first radio access network that uses a first radio access technology and a second radio access network that uses a second, different, radio access technology, the mobile device aggregating a plurality of carriers in the first radio access network, the method comprising obtaining information for, or pertaining to, one or more of the plurality of carriers in the first radio access network (101); and processing the obtained information for a single carrier to determine an action for the mobile device to take with respect to the second radio access network (103).

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for distinguishing between data formats, and a communication device. The method includes a terminal receives a downlink data packet, and determines whether the data format of the downlink data packet is a first data format or a second data format, wherein the first data format indicates that the downlink data packet is encrypted using a first key of a source base station and/or compressed using a first header compression format of the source base station, and the second data format indicates that the downlink data packet is encrypted using a second key of a target base station and/or compressed using a second header compression format of the target base station.

For switching between packet duplication operating modes, methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed. One apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver that communicates with a mobile communication network via a radio bearer. The processor determines whether PDCP packet duplication associated with the PDCP protocol entity is to be activated and, if so, communicates with a mobile communication network according to a packet duplication mode of operation. Otherwise, the processor determines whether a split threshold value of the PDCP protocol entity is set to a predefined value, communicates with the mobile communication network according to a first split bearer mode of operation in response to determining that the split threshold value is set to the predefined value, and communicates with the mobile communication network according to a second split bearer mode of operation in response to determining that the split threshold value is not set to the predefined value.