However, given the complexity and pressure that dynamic UE signalling would put on the wireless communications network, it may not be feasible or desired to have devices signalling capabilities in a fully dynamic way while in RRC_CONNECTED mode. In this regard, current RRC protocol specification allows the wireless communications network to retrieve the UE capabilities before establishing a connection. However, currently it is the UE implementation that defines how and what capabilities to signal in case of connection to more than one wireless communications network.

The PCT/IB2020/06032 (WO2021090179), approaches are proposed to tackle issues regarding simultaneous communication to multiple networks.

According to embodiments herein it is provided an improved way for a UE, such as a multi-SIM enabled UE, to inform network(s) of the UE capabilities. In particular, when a UE is registered to multiple wireless communications networks, the UE 102 indicates full capabilities to all of the wireless communications networks. In some embodiments, in case of simultaneous communication issues, the UE indicates, using the IDC assistance information, a list of carrier frequencies and/or carrier frequency combinations that need to be released. A new indication is introduced, from the UE 102 to the network, that the (previous) IDC assistance information message is signaled because the UE is connected to multiple networks and has simultaneous communication issues.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the UE 102 indicates the list of carrier frequencies and/or carrier frequency combinations that need to be released as part of new MUSIM related assistance information. For example, in some embodiments, an indication for MUSIM operation is provided in a new information element (IE) within the UE assistance information, and this indication may be associated with the IDC assistance information.

In some embodiments, a UE has two SIMs, but it should be appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure also apply to scenarios with more than two SIMs, and the person skilled in the art will appreciate how the methods described herein would be performed in scenarios with more than two SIMs. As used herein, Multi-SIM may also refer to multi-USIM (MUSIM), and SIM may also refer to USIM.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may have multiple SIMs. In some embodiments, different multiple SIMs are associated with different wireless communications networks, where a wireless communications network may be a PLMN or a NPN. In some embodiments, it is also possible that the UE 102 has more than one SIM which is associated with the same wireless communications network, e.g. the UE 102 has two SIMs from the same operator. In some embodiments, multiple SIMs are associated to different wireless communications networks, and the methods described herein may also be applied to the scenarios where multiple SIMs are associated with the same wireless communications network.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that, even though PLMNs are described as examples of wireless communications networks with which the UE 102 communicates, without loss of generality, embodiments herein apply to any kind of wireless communications networks, including NPNs.

In some embodiments, UE capabilities are handled more efficiently in multi-SIM scenarios. Example capabilities which may be affected may comprise and/or relate to, e.g., a number of radio frontends, number of carriers, bandwidth, buffer sizes/memories, soft-buffer sizes/memories, processing capacity, number of PDN connections/PDU sessions, number and/or types of bearers/flows, Dual/Multi-Connectivity and/or Carrier Aggregation (CA) capabilities. The CA capabilities and other capabilities may be same or different for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) communications, respectively.

In some embodiments, a multi-SIM UE, such as the UE 102, is involved in simultaneous activity/communication with two (or more) wireless communications networks at the same time. For example, the UE 102 may be in an RRC_CONNECTED mode with both wireless communications networks and, e.g., engage in Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice communication through one wireless communications network, e.g. a PLMN, while having data transfer in the other wireless communications network. This is possible if a UE is equipped with enough Rx and Tx resources, (2 Rx/2 Tx), but sometimes, in particular for multi-carrier operation (e.g., Dual-Connectivity and Carrier Aggregation configurations), even a single wireless communications network may configure UEs to utilize two Rx and two Tx chains. If a multi-SIM UE is registered with two wireless communications networks at the same time, it may not always be advantageous to allow for such multi-carrier operation. Despite the focus on simultaneous communication with two (or more) wireless communications networks at the same time, the solutions described below are also applicable to the cases when the UE is in an RRC_CONNECTED mode in one wireless communications network while in an RRC_IDLE/RRC_INACTIVE mode in another wireless communications network. For example, while in the RRC_CONNECTED mode in one wireless communications network, the UE 102 may still be active in another wireless communications network and may need one of its Rx/Tx chains to monitor paging occasions in the other wireless communications network. Hence, while the UE 102 is performing activities in the RRC_IDLE/RRC_INACTIVE mode in another wireless communications network, the UE 120 may provide IDC assistance information and/or MUSIM related assistance information to the wireless communications network where it is in the RRC_CONNECTED mode, to assist the wireless communications network on providing a reduced UE configuration.

In general, when the UE 102 is registered with network A only, the UE 102 may provide its capability information to network A, which corresponds to a situation when the UE 102 is only using one of the SIMs. This means that it corresponds to a single-SIM UE and all capabilities that are available in the UE 102, e.g., frequencies, carrier combinations, features, processing, etc., are available for use with network A.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, a multi-SIM capable UE can communicate with two different wireless communications networks simultaneously. Thus, for example, when the UE 102 is registered with PLMN1 and PLMN2, or other types of wireless communications networks, at the same time, the UE 102 will, as in the case when the UE 102 is registered with one wireless communications network only, provide full capabilities to network A and network B, but an updated IDC assistance information or MUSIM assistance information sent to network A takes into consideration that network B may also require resources, e.g., for processing, carrier aggregation, or other features, for situations when simultaneous communication with network A and network B is necessary and/or desired and reduces the UE capabilities for each network. For example, a multi-carrier-capable UE that is registered with two different wireless communications networks and where communication may occur simultaneously with both wireless communications networks, may indicate in the IDC assistance information that specific frequencies or frequency combinations cannot be used due to MUSIM usage. This is to avoid a situation when one of the networks may configure the UE such that not enough radio capability in the UE is left for communication with the other wireless communications network.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of communication between a UE, such as the UE 102, and first and second network nodes, such as the first and second network nodes 104, 106, associated with respective different networks, e.g., first and second wireless communications networks 140, 160, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 3 and 4, described below, show the methods performed by the UE 102 and the first network node, separately. Optional actions in FIG. 2 are shown using a dashed line. It should be appreciated that the actions of FIG. 2 may be performed in any suitable order.

Action 201. The UE 102 may obtain configurations of services for the first and second wireless communications networks. The UE 102 optionally obtains configuration(s) (e.g., from an associated user) of particular service(s) to be used for particular networks, such as PLMN(s) or NPN(s). For example, the UE 102 may be configured such that the first wireless communications network is required or preferred to voice service(s) and the second wireless communications network is required or preferred for another service(s), such as e.g., data service(s).

Action 202. The UE 102 may register with the first wireless communications network.

Action 203. The UE 102 may register with the second wireless communications network. Thus, the UE 102 may be simultaneously registered with the first and second wireless communications networks. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network and the second wireless communications network are different networks. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network and the second wireless communications network are the same network.

In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network is a first PLMN, or a first NPN, and the second wireless communications network is a second PLMN or a second NPN. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the first and second wireless communications networks may both be PLMNs or NPNs. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network is a PLMN and the second wireless communications network is an NPN. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network is an NPN and the second wireless communications network is an PLMN. In some embodiments, one or both the first and second wireless communications networks are a combination of a PLMN and an NPN.

Action 204. The UE 102 provides to the first network node 104, associated with the first wireless communications network associated with the first SIM, information on the full capability of the UE 102.

The information on the full capability may comprise information on one or more out of: a) a number of carriers supported by the UE; b) one or more carrier combinations supported by the UE; c) one or more processing capabilities of the UE; d) one or more features supported by the UE; e) a number of radio frontends that the UE has; f) a bandwidth supported by the UE; g) a buffer or memory size supported by the UE; h) a number of PDN connections or PDU connections supported by the UE; i) one or more carrier aggregation related capabilities of the UE; and j) one or more dual connectivity related capabilities of the UE. The information on the full capability of the UE 102 may include any suitable information.

Action 205. The UE 102 provides to the second network node 106, associated with the second wireless communications network associated with the second SIM, information on the full capability of the UE 102.

Action 206. The UE 102 splits its full capability among the first and second SIMs. The UE 102 splits the full capability among the first and second SIMs into a first reduced capability and a second reduced capability, which may be, e.g., in response to a certain event. In some embodiments, the UE 102 splits its capability based on a configuration of the UE 102. For example, the UE 102 may be configured, e.g. by an end user, such that data traffic is preferred and/or allowed to be communicated over one SIM, while voice is preferred and/or allowed to be communicated over another SIM. In some embodiments, the UE 102 splits its capability randomly.

Action 207. The UE 102 may provide a first indication of the first reduced capability of the UE to the first network node. In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability is provided in an In-Device-Coexistence (IDC) assistance information. In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability is provided in the form of a MUSIM assistance information.

Action 208. In response to receiving, from the UE 102, the information on, i.e., the received first indication of, the first reduced capability of the UE, the first network node 104 may provide a first (re) configuration instruction to the UE. The first reconfiguration instruction may be, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message. The UE 102 may thus receive the first (re) configuration instruction from the first network node 104, as also shown in FIG. 3 discussed below.

The first network node 104 node may provide the first (re) configuration instruction to the UE 102 in response to an event, e.g., an incoming video call or another event such as active data communication. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the first network node 104 provides the (re) configuration instruction to the UE 102 in response to the received information on, i.e. the received first indication of, the first reduced capability of the UE 102 and additionally in response to an event.

Action 209. The UE 102 may then configure or reconfigure at least one RRC resource for communications with the first network node 104 associated with the first wireless communications network, based on the received (re) configuration instruction. The UE 102 may configure its RRC resources in accordance with the received reconfiguration instruction, such as, e.g., the RRC reconfiguration message. In some cases, the UE 102 may (re) configure at least one RRC resource when the UE 102 becomes active, e.g., when voice and/or data communication is to take place.

Action 210. The UE 102 may, alternatively or additionally, provide a second indication of the second reduced capability of the UE to the second network node 106. The second indication may be provided in an IDC assistance information, as a MUSIM assistance information, or as a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in an IDC assistance information.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in the IDC assistance information in combination with a MUSIM indication.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability comprises a MUSIM assistance information.

Action 211. In response to receiving, from the UE 102, the information on, i.e., the received second indication of, the second reduced capability of the UE, the second network node 106 may provide a second (re) configuration instruction to the UE. The second reconfiguration instruction may be, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message. The UE 102 may thus receive the second (re) configuration instruction from the second network node 106, as also shown in FIG. 3 discussed below.

In some embodiments, the second network node 106 may provide the second (re) configuration instruction to the UE 102 in response to an event, e.g., an incoming video call or another event such as, e.g., active data communication. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the second network node 106 provides the second (re) configuration instruction to the UE 102 in response to the received information on, i.e., the received second indication of, the second reduced capability of the UE 102 and additionally in response to an event.

Action 212. The UE 102 may (re) configure at least one RRC resource for communications with the second network node 106 associated with the second wireless communications network, based on the received second (re) configuration instruction. The UE 102 may configure its RRC resources in accordance with the received reconfiguration instruction, such as, e.g., the RRC reconfiguration message.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 provides its reduced capabilities to one or more networks dynamically, as conditions on the network(s), UE requirements, service requirements, and/or other factors change.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method performed by a multi-SIM enabled UE, such as the UE 102, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The UE 102 has the first and second SIMs, as in the example of FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the UE 102 has multiple SIMs, e.g., three, four, five, six, or more than six SIMs.

Optional actions are shown using a dashed line.

Action 302. The UE 102 may register with a first wireless communications network, e.g., first wireless communications network 140 of FIG. 1.

Action 303. The UE 102 may register with a second wireless communications network, e.g., second wireless communications network 160 of FIG. 1. Thus, the UE 102 may be simultaneously registered with the first and second wireless communications networks. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network and the second wireless communications network are different networks. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network and the second wireless communications network are the same network.

In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network is a first PLMN or a first NPN, and the second wireless communications network is a second PLMN or a second NPN. In some embodiments, the first and second wireless communications networks may both be PLMNs or NPNs. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network is a PLMN and the second wireless communications network is an NPN. In some embodiments, the first wireless communications network is an NPN and the second wireless communications network is an PLMN. In some embodiments, one or both the first and second wireless communications networks are a combination of a PLMN and an NPN.

As used herein, the UE 102 is registered with a wireless communications network, such as with a PLMN or an NPN, means that the UE 102 receives and/or transmits signals with that wireless communications network when in a connected mode. The UE 102 may also be registered with the wireless communications network when in idle mode, in which case the UE 102 is at least ready to receive some signals (e.g., paging signals) from that wireless communications network.

Action 304. The UE 102 provides to the first network node 104, associated with the first wireless communications network associated with the first SIM, information on the full capability of UE.

The information on the full capability may comprise information on one or more out of: a) a number of carriers supported by the UE; b) one or more carrier combinations supported by the UE; c) one or more processing capabilities of the UE; d) one or more features supported by the UE; e) a number of radio frontends that the UE has; f) a bandwidth supported by the UE; g) a buffer or memory size supported by the UE; h) a number of PDN connections or PDU connections supported by the UE; i) one or more carrier aggregation related capabilities of the UE; and j) one or more dual connectivity related capabilities of the UE. The information on the full capability of the UE 102 may include any suitable information.

Action 305. The UE 102 may provide to the second network node 106, associated with the second wireless communications network associated with the second SIM, information on the full capability of UE. In this way, no changes to reporting capability of the UE 102 are required in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as the UE 102 may report its full capability to all wireless communications networks with which the UE 102 is registered.

In some embodiments, this action may be optional, e.g., when the UE 102 is connected only to the first wireless communications network.

Action 306. The UE 102 splits the full capability among the first and second SIMs. The UE 102 splits the full capability among the first and second SIMs into a first reduced capability and a second reduced capability. The UE 102 may split the full capability in response to an event. In some embodiments, the UE 102 splits its full capability randomly.

The UE 102 may be configured such that certain type of traffic is preferred/allowed to be communicated over one or more SIMs, and another type of traffic is preferred/allowed to be communicated over one or more other SIMs. For example, the UE 102 may be configured, e.g., by an end user, such that data traffic is preferred and/or allowed to be communicated over one SIM, while voice is preferred and/or allowed to be communicated over another SIM. In some embodiments, the UE 102 may consider the expected services its SIMs are configured to use, when indicating, e.g., splitting, capabilities for the SIMs. For example, the UE 102 may split its full capabilities such that the SIM that is expected to serve the voice traffic may use only one frequency/carrier, while all the other frequencies/carriers (or frequency combinations) should serve the data traffic. Thus, more resources may be used for the data-SIM and hence high throughputs can be achieved for data communication, while, for the voice-SIM, a single carrier operation is used, which may likely be sufficient for voice communication.

In embodiments herein, the UE 102 may be simultaneously communicating with the first and second wireless communications networks, or with more than two wireless communications networks. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the UE 102 is in an RRC_CONNECTED mode in one wireless communications network, e.g., in one of the first and second wireless communications networks, while the UE 102 is in an RRC_IDLE/RRC_INACTIVE mode in another wireless communications network, e.g., in another one of the first and second wireless communications networks. For example, while in the RRC_CONNECTED mode in one network, the UE 102 may still be active in another wireless communications network and needs one of its Rx/Tx chains to monitor paging occasions in the other wireless communications network. Thus, while the UE 102 is performing activities in the RRC_IDLE/RRC_INACTIVE mode in another wireless communications network, the UE 102 may provide IDC assistance information and/or MUSIM related assistance information to the wireless communications network where it is in the RRC_CONNECTED mode, to assist the wireless communications network with providing a reduced UE configuration.

Action 307. The UE 102 provides the first indication of the first reduced capability of the UE to the first network node. For example, the first indication of the first reduced capability may include one or more carrier frequencies, e.g., a list of carrier frequencies and/or carrier frequency combinations, that are not to be used as compared to carrier frequencies in the full capacity of the UE 102.

For example, if the UE 102 is only monitoring paging, it may only be configured for one carrier frequency. Thus, no immediate reconfiguration may be necessary. However, as soon the UE 102 starts any active data communication, where higher data rates can be achieved via, e.g., carrier aggregation, this will be configured via the RRC reconfiguration message, but the carrier frequencies indicated in the (first) reduced capability will not be included/configured for carrier aggregation.

In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability may be used for a current configuration of the UE 102, which may need to be changed by releasing one or more carrier frequencies.

In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability may be used for future UE configurations, which may avoid the use of the carrier frequencies indicated in the reduced capability.

In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability is provided in an IDC assistance information. For example, existing IDC assistance information may be extended with MUSIM information. In some embodiments, the first indication of the (first) reduced capability may be added directly to the existing IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, additionally, an indication indicating a direction of IDC interference may be added to the IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability may include an indication that the required capability limitations are caused by a multi-SIM operation.

In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability is provided in the form of a MUSIM assistance information. For example, the first indication for MUSIM operation may be provided in a new IE within the UE assistance information. This first indication may be then associated with the IDC assistance information. Thus, in some embodiments, the MUSIM assistance information is separated from the IDC assistance information and the IDC assistance information is not modified due to MUSIM.

In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability is provided as a combination of the IDC and MUSIM assistance information.

For example, continuing with the example described in connection with the Action 208, above, if the first SIM is expected to serve data traffic, the IDC assistance information or the MUSIM assistance information may indicate only one frequency/carrier. If, however the first SIM is expected to serve voice traffic, the IDC assistance information or the MUSIM assistance information may indicate all frequencies/frequency combinations except that one frequency which is to serve the voice traffic. Thus, the UE 102 may provide a first indication of its (reduced) capabilities which indicates which resources, such as, e.g., frequency/carrier or frequency/carrier combination(s), are available for use.

Action 308. The UE 102 may receive a first (re) configuration instruction from the first network node 104, in response to the first indication of the first reduced capability provided to the first network node 104. The first reconfiguration instruction may be, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message.

Action 309. The UE 102 may configure at least one RRC resource based on the received reconfiguration instruction. The UE 102 may (re) configure its RRC resources in accordance with the received reconfiguration instruction, such as, e.g., the RRC reconfiguration message.

The UE 102 may (re) configure its current configuration, which may need to be changed by, e.g., releasing one or more carrier frequencies.

In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the reconfiguration instruction from the first network node 104 and/or the first reduced capability may be used for future UE configurations, which may avoid the use of the carrier frequencies indicated in the first reduced capability.

Action 310. The UE 102 may, alternatively or additionally, provide the second indication of the second reduced capability of the UE to the second network node 106. For example, the second indication of the second reduced capability may include one or more carrier frequencies, e.g., a list of carrier frequencies and/or carrier frequency combinations, that are not to be used as compared to carrier frequencies in the full capacity of the UE 102.

In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability may be used for a current configuration of the UE 102, which may need to be changed by releasing one or more carrier frequencies.

In some embodiments, the second indication of the reduced capability may be used for future UE configurations, which may avoid the use of the carrier frequencies indicated in the second reduced capability.

In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in an IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, both the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability are provided in an IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in the form of a MUSIM assistance information. In some embodiments, both the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability are provided as the MUSIM assistance information.

In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided as a combination of the IDC and MUSIM assistance information.

In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in an IDC assistance information. For example, existing IDC assistance information may be extended with MUSIM information. In some embodiments, the second indication of the (second) reduced capability may be added directly to the existing IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, an indication indicating a direction of IDC interference may be added to the IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability may include an indication that the required capability limitations are caused by a multi-SIM operation.

In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in the form of a MUSIM assistance information. For example, the second indication for MUSIM operation may be provided in a new IE within the UE assistance information. This second indication may be then associated with the IDC assistance information.

In some embodiments, the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided as a combination of the IDC and MUSIM assistance information.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in an IDC assistance information.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability is provided in the IDC assistance information in combination with a MUSIM indication.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first indication of the first reduced capability and the second indication of the second reduced capability comprises a MUSIM assistance information.

In some embodiments, this action may be optional, e.g., when the UE 102 is connected only to the first wireless communications network.

Action 311. The UE 102 may receive a second (re) configuration instruction from the second network node 106, in response to the second indication of the second reduced capability provided to the second network node 106. The second reconfiguration instruction may be, e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message.

Action 312. The UE 102 may (re) configure at least one RRC resource based on the received reconfiguration instruction. The UE 102 may (re) configure its RRC resources in accordance with the received reconfiguration instruction, such as, e.g., the RRC reconfiguration message.

In some embodiments, the UE 102 may (re) configure its current configuration, which may need to be changed by, e.g., releasing one or more carrier frequencies.

In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the reconfiguration instruction from the second network node 106 and/or the second reduced capability may be used for future UE configurations, which may avoid the use of the carrier frequencies indicated in the second reduced capability.

It should be appreciated that the above actions of FIG. 3 may be performed in any suitable order. For example, communications of the UE with the first and second network nodes may occur simultaneously. In some cases, the UE 102 communicates with the second network node before the UE communicates with the first network node.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a method performed by the first network node associated with a first wireless communications network. The first network node 104 may be exemplified as the first network node 104 but also as the second network node 106 associated with first and second wireless communications networks 140, 160, respectively, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The method of FIG. 4 is described in connection with the first network node 104 (see also FIG. 2), for illustration purposes only, as any network node may communicate with a UE, such as the UE 102, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Optional actions are shown using a dashed line.

Action 401. The first network node 104 receives information on the full capability of the UE 102. The first network node 104 may receive, from the UE 102, information on the full capability of the UE 102, wherein the UE 102 has at least two SIMs, and is simultaneously registered with the first wireless communications network and at least one other wireless communications network.

Action 402. The first network node 104 may receive information on a reduced capability of the UE 102. For example, as discussed above for the UE 102, the UE 102 may, e.g., upon an event, split its full capacity among the UE's SIMs, such as, e.g., among the first and second SIMs. The first network node 104 may receive, from the UE 102, the first indication of the first reduced capability of the UE 102 indicating a split of the full capability of the UE 102 among the at least two SIMs. In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability is provided in an IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability is provided in the IDC assistance information in combination with a MUSIM indication. In some embodiments, the first indication of the first reduced capability comprises a MUSIM assistance information. In some embodiments, the MUSIM assistance information is separated from the IDC assistance information and the IDC assistance information is not modified due to MUSIM. In case the first network node is illustrated as the second network node 106 the first indication would be exemplified as the second indication.

Action 403. The first network node 104 may provide a (re) configuration instruction to the UE 102, in response to the received information on, i.e., the received first indication of, the first reduced capability of the UE 102. The first network node 104 may take into account the UE's reduced capabilities when sending an RRC (re) configuration message.

In some cases, an immediate reconfiguration may not be necessary if the UE 120 is inactive, e.g., no voice/data communication. Thus, the first network node 104 may not send the reconfiguration instruction right away upon receiving the information on the reduced capability.

In some embodiments, the first network node 104 may provide a (re) configuration instruction to the UE 102 in response to an event, e.g. an incoming video call or another event that involves active data communication. In some cases, e.g., if the second wireless communications network requires more frequencies, the frequencies for carrier aggregation may need to be released/reduced in the first wireless communications network. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the first network node 104 provides the (re) configuration instruction to the UE 102 in response to the received information on, i.e., the received first indication of, the first reduced capability of the UE 102 and additionally in response to an event.

FIG. 5 additionally illustrates a method performed by the UE 102, showing a UE behavior when its capabilities are impacted during simultaneous communication using multiple SIMs, in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, the UE 102, is shown to have SIMs A and B, each used for communication with networks A and B, e.g., first and second wireless communications networks 140, 160, or any other wireless communications networks, respectively. The UE 102 provides the networks A and B with the full UE capabilities, action 501. Upon an event, such as a change in a current situation or another event, the UE 102 may split its capabilities among the SIMS A and B, action 502. The UE 102 then indicates a reduced capability for the network A in accordance with the capability split, and a reduced capability for the network B in accordance with the capability split, action 503. The UE 102 may provide information on its reduced capability to the networks A and B using, e.g., a MUSIM related assistance information indicating the reduced capability.

In some embodiments, the indication of the reduced capability may be provided, from the UE 102 to the network, using an IDC assistance information.

In-Device Coexistence (IDC)

With the increasing demand to have seamless data connectivity to several wireless communications networks, many devices are designed to support different radio access technologies (RAT) for parallel usage. In order to support this parallel operation, the devices are equipped with multiple radio transceivers, which are located extremely close to each other. When the different radio technologies operate simultaneously, these transceivers may interfere with each other, resulting in an IDC interference. To solve this issue, new UE IDC assistance information was introduced to mitigate the IDC interference for NR Rel-16. Thus, for simultaneous operation, the UE 102 may signal to the NR network a frequency list or a frequency combination list that should be avoided during NR operation. Together with the frequency, the interference direction can be indicated, e.g., NR, other, or both, where “other” radio refers to either the Industrial, Scientific and Medical band (ISM) radio or Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and, together with the frequency combination, the victim system type can be indicated when UL CA is configured. The current victim system types that can be indicated in Rel-16 are GNSS types (gps, glonass, bds, galileo and navIC), WLAN and Bluetooth.

IDC-Assistance-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

affectedCarrierFreqList-r16
AffectedCarrierFreqList-r16

OPTIONAL,

affectedCarrierFreqCombList-r16
AffectedCarrierFreqCombList-

r16 OPTIONAL,

...

}

AffectedCarrierFreqList-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxFreqIDC-r16)) OF

AffectedCarrierFreq-r16

AffectedCarrierFreq-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

carrierFreq-r16
ARFCN-ValueNR,

interferenceDirection-r16
ENUMERATED {nr, other, both, spare}

}

AffectedCarrierFreqCombList-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxCombIDC-r16))

OF AffectedCarrierFreqComb-r16

AffectedCarrierFreqComb-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

affectedCarrierFreqComb-r16
SEQUENCE (SIZE

(2..maxNrofServingCells)) OF ARFCN-ValueNR OPTIONAL,

victimSystemType-r16
VictimSystemType-r16

}

VictimSystemType-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

gps-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

glonass-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

bds-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

galileo-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

navIC-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

wlan-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

bluetooth-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

...

}

In embodiments herein, as described above and exemplified below, the existing IDC assistance information may be used to indicate to a network a reduced capability of the UE. In some embodiments, the IDC assistance information may thus be extended with a MUSIM information. For example, an additional indication may be added to the existing IDC assistance information. In some embodiments, the indication that uses the IDC assistance information indicates a direction of IDC interference.

Several example implementations will now be described, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Example Implementation for Services/Same Prioritization for the SIMS

If a UE has the possibility to support up to 6 (six) carriers in total, the UE 102 may indicate in its capabilities that it supports 6 carriers (that the UE indicates the number of carriers in its supported band-combinations). If the UE operates using only one SIM, no IDC assistance information is sent to the serving network. If the UE operates using two SIMs, the UE may indicate to a first wireless communications network that specific bands/band combinations covering 3 carriers cannot be used, via the IDC assistance information, while indicating to a second wireless communications network that other bands or band combinations covering 3 carriers cannot be used.

As an example, the UE 102 may support the following carriers: f1a, f1b, f1c, f1d, f2a and f2b. In such a case, equal split of the carriers may not be possible, such that the UE 102 would need to assign all carriers on f1 to SIM1 (IDC for SIM1 indicates f2a and f2b) and all carriers on f2 to SIM2 (IDC for SIM2 indicates f1a, f1b, f1c and f1d), or vice versa, e.g. depending on how many carriers the already active SIM is already using, depending on other criteria, or decided randomly which of the SIMs can be configured with up to 4 carriers, while the other SIM can only be configured with at most 2 carriers.

Example Implementation for Known Services Associated with Each SIM

The UE 102 may be configured, e.g. by an end user, such that data traffic is preferred/allowed to be communicated only over one SIM, while voice is preferred/allowed to be communicated over another SIM.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the UE 102 considers the expected services its SIMs are configured to use, when indicating capabilities for the SIMs. For example, the UE 102 indicates for the SIM which is expected to serve data traffic IDC or MUSIM assistance information to indicate only one frequency/carrier, while the UE 102 indicates that all frequencies/frequency combinations, except one frequency, are affected for the SIM which should serve voice traffic. The benefit with this is that more resources may be used for the data-SIM and hence high throughputs can be achieved for data communication, while, for the voice-SIM, only single carrier operation is used, which likely is sufficient for voice communication.

In principle, it may be considered that the SIM used for voice services would anyway only use one carrier and thus, no IDC assistance information would be needed. However, if the network intends to, e.g., perform load balancing between different carrier frequencies, it needs to know whether the other frequency can be used by the UE 102 or not since the frequency may be configured for the data-SIM already. Thus, the IDC and/or MUSIM assistance information should always be transmitted to avoid operational issues during simultaneous operation of the SIMs.

The UE 102 may e.g. support the following carriers: f_1a, f_1b, f_1c, f₂, f_3aand f_3bin the frequency bands f₁, f₂, and f₃, respectively. For convenience, it may be assumed that all carriers have the same bandwidth. SIM1 is associate with voice, and SIM2 is associated with data.

If f_1ais used by SIM1, fib and fic can no longer be used by SIM2. Same for f_3aand f_3b. Thus, to maximize the number of frequencies to be used for SIM2, the UE 102 signals to network 1 which is associated with SIM1 (voice services), that it cannot use f_1a, f_1b, f_1c, f_3aand f_3b. For network 2 being associated with SIM2 (data services), the UE 102 indicates via the IDC and/or MUSIM assistance information that it cannot use f₂.

Thus, only f₂can be used for SIM1, and f_1a, f_1b, f_1c, f_3aand f_3bcan be aggregated for SIM2 in accordance with the UE's supported band combination(s). Accordingly, in some embodiments, the UE 102 indicates to the wireless communications network, i.e. to the network node associated with the network, which one or more resources, e.g. carrier frequencies, are not available for use in communication of the UE 102 with the wireless communications network.

Additional Information for Limited Capabilities in Multi-SIM Scenarios

For any of the above approaches to indicate limited capability via the IDC and/or MUSIM assistance information, the UE 120 may indicate that the capability reduction is for multi-SIM operation, such that the network can optimize the UE configuration in accordance with the actual UE capability and the current situation with regard to simultaneous connectivity to multiple networks using different SIMs.

Option 1: Extend IDC Assistance Information with MUSIM Information

This indication can be added directly to the existing IDC assistance information, e.g. by using the spare values, e.g. for the AffectedCarrierFreq IE some more detailed information can be introduced for the interferenceDirection than only ‘nr’. Furthermore, the UE 102 could use one radio for LTE and one for NR, so that ‘nr’ would not be the correct description. Rather, the spare value could be replaced by e.g. ‘musim’, with reference to TS 38.331:

AffectedCarrierFreq-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

carrierFreq-r16
ARFCN-ValueNR,

interferenceDirection-r16
ENUMERATED {nr, other, both, musim-

r18}

}

interferenceDirection

Indicates the direction of IDC interference. Value nr indicates that only NR is victim of IDC interference, value other indicates that only another radio is victim of IDC interference and value both indicates that both NR and another radio are victims of IDC interference, and value musim indicates that the radio used for MUSIM purposes is victim of IDC interference. The other radio refers to either the Industrial, Scientific and Medical band (ISM) radio or Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) (see TR 36.816 [44]).

Alternatively, a new parallel list may be created where a detailed interference direction is given for MUSIM, where a source value corresponds to the current network for which the UE provides IDC assistance information, and a target value corresponds to another network the UE is registered with. The UE 102 may include the same number of entries in interferenceDirection-r18 as provided for affectedCarrierFreqList. For backwards compatibility, the UE 102 may set the interferenceDirection-r16 to value ‘nr’.

IDC-Assistance-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

affectedCarrierFreqList-r16
AffectedCarrierFreqList-r16

OPTIONAL,

affectedCarrierFreqCombList-r16
AffectedCarrierFreqCombList-

r16 OPTIONAL,

...,

[[

interferenceDirection-r18 ENUMERATED {source, target, both}

OPTIONAL -- Need N

]]

}

The indication of IDC for UL CA (i.e. affectedCarrierFreqCombList-r16) can also be used as the first/second indication on UE capability reduction for multi-SIM operation. For instance, the UE 102 may support the current configuration for DL from both wireless communications networks in which the UE 102 is in a RRC_CONNECTED mode, but it may not support certain UL CA configuration, given that such UL resources may be in use by one of the wireless communications networks. Hence, affectedCarrierFreqCombList-r16 may indicate the affected UL CA configuration from the UE, or a subset of such configuration, e.g., the UE 102 may be configured with 3 UL serving cells but report only 2 carriers as affected. To account for the multi-SIM operation, a new victimSystem Type can be added, e.g., ‘3gpp-musim’ or similar, to indicate that the required capability limitations are caused by multi-SIM operation:

VictimSystemType-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

gps-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

glonass-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

bds-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

galileo-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

navIC-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

wlan-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

bluetooth-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

...

[[

3gpp-musim-r18
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL

]]

}

Alternatively, the new 3gpp-musim-r18 field can also include multiple values to indicate which multi-SIM operation caused interference e.g., Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for PDCCH monitoring, paging occasion monitoring, carrier aggregation, etc.

VictimSystemType-r16 ::=
SEQUENCE {

gps-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

glonass-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

bds-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

galileo-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

navIC-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

wlan-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

bluetooth-r16
ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

...

[[

3gpp-musim-r18
3GPP-MUSIM-r18 OPTIONAL

]]

}

3GPP-MUSIM-r18 ::=
SEQUENCE {

pdcch-Monitoring
OPTIONAL,

po-Monitoring
OPTIONAL,

carrierAggregation
OPTIONAL,

...

}

Option 2: MUSIM Assistance Information is Introduced and Refers to IDC Information

In some embodiments, an alternative option is to provide the first/second indication for MUSIM operation in a new information element (IE) within the UE assistance information, i.e. simply on a different level, and then associate the indication with the IDC assistance information.

UEAssistanceInformation-v1610-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

idc-Assistance-r16
IDC-Assistance-r16

OPTIONAL,

drx-Preference-r16
DRX-Preference-r16

OPTIONAL,

maxBW-Preference-r16
MaxBW-Preference-r16

OPTIONAL,

maxCC-Preference-r16
MaxCC-Preference-r16

OPTIONAL,

maxMIMO-LayerPreference-r16
MaxMIMO-LayerPreference-r16

OPTIONAL,

minSchedulingOffsetPreference-r16
MinSchedulingOffsetPreference-r16

OPTIONAL,

releasePreference-r16
ReleasePreference-r16

OPTIONAL,

sl-UE-AssistanceInformationNR-r16
SL-UE-AssistanceInformationNR-r16

OPTIONAL,

referenceTimeInfoPreference-r16
BOOLEAN

OPTIONAL,

nonCriticalExtension
UEAssistanceInformation-v1800-IEs

OPTIONAL

}

UEAssistanceInformation-v1800-IEs ::= SEQUENCE {

musim-Assistance-r18
MUSIM-Assistance-r18

OPTIONAL, -- Need R

nonCriticalExtension
SEQUENCE { }

OPTIONAL

}

MUSIM-Assistance-r18 ::=
SEQUENCE {

idc-Impact-r18
ENUMERATED {true}

OPTIONAL,

nonCriticalExtension
SEQUENCE { }

OPTIONAL

}

However, as the IDC assistance information includes a list of affected carriers and/or affected carrier combinations (affectedCarrierFreqList and affectedCarrierFreqCombList), a 1-bit indication may not provide sufficient granularity. Therefore, a parallel list may be used, where each entry corresponds to the affected carrier or affected carrier combination in the combined list(s). One possible example is provided below:

MUSIM-Assistance-r18 ::=
SEQUENCE {

idc-ImpactList-r18
IDC-ImpactList-r18

OPTIONAL, -- Need R

nonCriticalExtension
SEQUENCE { }

OPTIONAL

}

IDC-ImpactList-r18 ::=
SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxIDC-r18)) OF

IDC-Impact-r18

IDC-Impact-r18 ::=
SEQUENCE {

idc-Impact
ENUMERATED {true}

OPTIONAL

}

The new IE dedicated for multi-SIM may also instantiate the ones defined in Rel-16 for IDC. In this manner, the UE 102 may provide independently IDC issues for legacy purposes defined in Rel-16 from the IDC issues that may occur in case of multi-SIM. This can also avoid a possibility that legacy wireless communications networks wrongly interpret a Rel-16 IDC report as one of the IDC cases defined in Rel-16.

MUSIM-Assistance-r18 : :=
SEQUENCE {

affectedCarrierFreqListMUSIM-r18
AffectedCarrierFreqList-r16

OPTIONAL,

affectedCarrierFreqCombListMUSIM-r18
AffectedCarrierFreqCombList-

r16 OPTIONAL,

...

}

The advantage of the above approach is that the MUSIM assistance information is separated from the IDC assistance information and the IDC assistance information is not modified due to MUSIM.

FIG. 6 depicts an example of a UE, such as the UE 102, in accordance with embodiments herein. The UE 102 may have at least a first SIM and a second SIM.

The UE 102 may comprise processing circuitry 611, e.g. one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

The UE 102 may comprise a providing unit 612, e.g. a transmitter or a transceiver. The UE 102, the processing circuitry 611, and/or the providing unit 612 are configured to provide, to a first network node associated with the first wireless communications network associated with the first SIM, information on full capability of the UE 102, wherein the UE 102 is registered with the first wireless communications network. The UE 102, the processing circuitry 611, and/or the providing unit 612 are also configured to provide, to a second network node associated with the second wireless communications network associated with the second SIM, the information on the full capability of the UE 102, wherein the UE 102 is registered with the second wireless communications network such that the UE 102 is simultaneously registered with the first wireless communications network and the wireless communications second network.

The UE 102, the processing circuitry 611, and/or the providing unit 612 are further configured to provide the first indication of the first reduced capability to the first network node, and/or to provide the second indication of the second reduced capability to the second network node.

The UE 102 may comprise a splitting unit 614. The UE 102, the processing circuitry 611, and/or the splitting unit 614 may be configured to split the full capability among the first and second SIMs into a first reduced capability and a second reduced capability. This may occur in response to an event. In some embodiments, the UE 102 splits its capability randomly.

The UE 102 may comprise a receiving unit 616, e.g., a receiver or a transceiver. The UE 102, the processing circuitry 611, and/or the receiving unit 616 may be configured to receive a (re) configuration instruction from at least one of the first and second network nodes, in response to at least one of the first indication of the first reduced capability provided to the first network node and the second indication of the second reduced capability provided to the second network node.

The UE 102 may comprise a reconfiguring unit 618. The UE 102, the processing circuitry 611, and/or the reconfiguring unit 618 may be configured to configure or reconfigure at least one RRC resource based on the received configuration instruction.

The UE 102 further comprises a memory 615. The memory 615 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as indications, contexts, measurements, thresholds, data related to nodes, and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the UE 102 may comprise a communication interface 620 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver and/or a transceiver. In embodiments herein, the communication interface 620 may comprise dual Rx and Tx radios. In some embodiments, the communication interface 620 comprises more than two radios.

The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the UE 102 are respectively implemented using e.g., a computer program product 626 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 102. The computer program product 626 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 627, e.g. a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 627, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 102. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose a UE for handling communication in a wireless communications network, wherein the UE comprises processing circuitry and a memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the UE is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of a first network node, such as the first network node 104 or the second network node 106, referred to as a network node, in accordance with embodiments herein. It should be appreciated that the first network 104 and the second network node 106 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) may have the same or similar configurations, and are therefore not described separately herein.

The first network node may comprise processing circuitry 711, e.g. one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

The first network node may comprise a receiving unit 712, e.g. a receiver or a transceiver. The first network node, the processing circuitry 711, and/or the receiving unit 712 are configured to receive, from the UE 102, information on a full capability of the UE 102, wherein the UE 102 has at least two SIMs, e.g., multiple SIMs, and is simultaneously registered with the wireless communications network and at least one another network. The first network node, the processing circuitry 711, and/or the receiving unit 712 are configured to receive, from the UE 102, the first indication of the first reduced capability of the UE 102 indicating a split of the full capability of the UE 102 among the at least two SIMs.

The first network node may comprise a providing unit 714, e.g. a transmitter or a transceiver. The first network node, the processing circuitry 711, and/or the providing unit 714 may be configured to provide, to the UE 102, a (re) configuration instruction, in response to the received first indication of the first reduced capability of the UE 102 and/or in response to an event.

The first network node further comprises a memory 715. The memory 715 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as indications, contexts, measurements, thresholds, data related to nodes, and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the first network node may comprise a communication interface 720 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver and/or a transceiver.

The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the first network node are respectively implemented using e.g., a computer program product 726 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the first network node. The computer program product 726 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 727, e.g. a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 727, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the first network node. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose a first network node for handling communication in a wireless communications network, wherein the network node comprises processing circuitry and a memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the first network node is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

In some embodiments, a more general term “network node” is used and it can correspond to any type of radio-network node or any network node, which communicates with a wireless device and/or with another network node. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, MeNB, SeNB, a network node belonging to Master cell group (MCG) or Secondary cell group (SCG), base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB, network controller, radio-network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), etc.

In some embodiments, the non-limiting term wireless device or user equipment (UE) is used and it refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and/or with another wireless device in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are IoT capable device, target device, device to device (D2D) UE, proximity capable UE (aka ProSe UE), machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, etc.

Embodiments are applicable to any RAT or multi-RAT systems, where the wireless device receives and/or transmit signals (e.g. data) e.g. New Radio (NR), Wi-Fi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications/enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM/EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or circuits may be implemented using digital logic and/or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and/or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a wireless device or network node, for example.

Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware and/or program or application data. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications devices will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

Embodiments herein relate to:

Embodiment 1

A method performed by a user equipment, UE, (102) having multiple Subscriber Identity Modules, SIMs, for simultaneous communication with two or more networks, the method comprising:

- providing (304), to a first network node associated with a first network associated with a first SIM, information on full capability of the UE (102), wherein the UE (102) is registered with the first network;
- providing (305), to a second network node associated with a second network associated with a second SIM, the information on the full capability of the UE (102), wherein the UE (102) is registered with the second network such that the UE (102) is simultaneously registered with the first network and the second network;
- splitting (306) the full capability among the first and second SIMs into a first reduced capability and a second reduced capability;
- providing (307) an indication of the first reduced capability to the first network node; and/or
- providing (310) an indication of the second reduced capability to the second network node.

Embodiment 2

The method of embodiment 1, wherein the information on the full capability comprises information on one or more out of: a) a number of carriers supported by the UE (102); b) one or more carrier combinations supported by the UE (102); c) one or more processing capabilities of the UE (102); d) one or more features supported by the UE (102); e) a number of radio frontends that the UE (102) has; f) a bandwidth supported by the UE (102); g) a buffer or memory size supported by the UE (102); h) a number of PDN connections or PDU connections supported by the UE (102); i) one or more carrier aggregation related capabilities of the UE (102); and j) one or more dual connectivity related capabilities of the UE (102).

Embodiment 3

The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability is provided in an In-Device-Coexistence (IDC) assistance information.

Embodiment 4

The method of embodiment 3, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability is provided in the IDC assistance information in combination with a multiple SIM, MUSIM, indication.

Embodiment 5

The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability comprises a multiple SIM, MUSIM, assistance information.

Embodiment 6

The method of any of the embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the first network and the second network are different networks.

Embodiment 7

The method of any of the embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the first network and the second network are the same network.

Embodiment 8

The method of embodiment 6 or 7, wherein the first network is a first Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN, or a first non-public network (NPN), and wherein the second network is a second PLMN or a second NPN.

Embodiment 9

The method of any of the embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the splitting of the full capability among the first and second SIMs is performed in response to an event.

Embodiment 10

The method of any of the embodiments 1 to 9, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability comprises an indication of one or more carrier frequencies that are not to be used as compared to carrier frequencies in the full capacity.

Embodiment 11

The method of any of the embodiments 1 to 10, further comprising:

- receiving (308, 311) a configuration instruction from at least one of the first and second network nodes, in response to at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability provided to the first network node and the indication of the second reduced capability provided to the second network node; and
- configuring (309, 312) at least one radio resource control (RRC) resource based on the received configuration instruction.

Embodiment 12

A method performed by a network node associated with a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

- receiving (401), from a user equipment, UE, (102), information on a full capability of the UE (102), wherein the UE (102) has at least two Subscriber Identity Modules, SIMs, and is simultaneously registered with the wireless communications network and at least one another network;
- receiving (402), from the UE (102), an indication of a reduced capability of the UE (102) indicating a split of the full capability of the UE (102) among the at least two SIMs; and
- providing (403), to the UE (102), a reconfiguration instruction, in response to the received information on the reduced capability of the UE (102).

Embodiment 13

The method of embodiment 12, wherein the information on the full capability comprises information on one or more out of: a) a number of carriers supported by the UE (102); b) one or more carrier combinations supported by the UE (102); c) one or more processing capabilities of the UE (102); d) one or more features supported by the UE (102); e) a number of radio frontends that the UE (102) has; f) a bandwidth supported by the UE (102); g) a buffer or memory size supported by the UE (102); h) a number of PDN connections or PDU connections supported by the UE (102); i) one or more carrier aggregation related capabilities of the UE (102); and j) one or more dual connectivity related capabilities of the UE (102).

Embodiment 14

The method of embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the indication of the reduced capability is provided in an In-Device-Coexistence (IDC) assistance information.

Embodiment 15

The method of embodiment 14, wherein the indication of the reduced capability is provided in the IDC assistance information in combination with a multiple SIM, MUSIM, indication.

Embodiment 16

The method of embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the indication of the reduced capability comprises a multiple SIM, MUSIM, assistance information.

Embodiment 17

The method of any of the embodiments 12 to 16, wherein the wireless communications network and the at least one another network are different networks.

Embodiment 18

The method of any of the embodiments 12 to 16, wherein the wireless communications network and the at least one another network are the same network.

Embodiment 19

The method of embodiment 17 or 18, wherein the wireless communications network is a first Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN, or a non-public network (NPN), and wherein the at least one another network is a second PLMN or a second NPN.

Embodiment 20

The method of any of the embodiments 12 to 19, wherein the indication of the reduced capability comprises an indication of one or more carrier frequencies that are not to be used as compared to carrier frequencies in the full capacity.

Embodiment 21

The method of the embodiments 12 to 20, wherein the reconfiguration instruction is further provided to the UE (102) in response to an event.

Embodiment 22

A user equipment, UE, (102) having multiple Subscriber Identity Modules, SIMs, for simultaneous communication with two or more networks, the UE (102) being configured to:

- provide, to a first network node associated with a first network associated with a first SIM, information on full capability of the UE (102), wherein the UE (102) is registered with the first network;
- provide, to a second network node associated with a second network associated with a second SIM, the information on the full capability of the UE (102), wherein the UE (102) is registered with the second network such that the UE (102) is simultaneously registered with both the first network and the second network; split the full capability among the first and second SIMs into a first reduced capability and a second reduced capability;
- provide an indication of the first reduced capability to the first network node; and/or
- provide an indication of the second reduced capability to the second network node.

Embodiment 23

The UE (102) of embodiment 22, wherein the information on the full capability comprises information on one or more out of: a) a number of carriers supported by the UE (102); b) one or more carrier combinations supported by the UE (102); c) one or more processing capabilities of the UE (102); d) one or more features supported by the UE (102); e) a number of radio frontends that the UE (102) has; f) a bandwidth supported by the UE (102); g) a buffer or memory size supported by the UE (102); h) a number of PDN connections or PDU connections supported by the UE (102); i) one or more carrier aggregation related capabilities of the UE (102); and j) one or more dual connectivity related capabilities of the UE (102).

Embodiment 24

The UE (102) of embodiment 22 or 23, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability is provided in an In-Device-Coexistence (IDC) assistance information.

Embodiment 25

The UE (102) of embodiment 23, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability is provided in the IDC assistance information in combination with a multiple SIM, MUSIM, indication.

Embodiment 26

The UE (102) of embodiment 22 or 23, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability comprises a multiple SIM, MUSIM, assistance information.

Embodiment 27

The UE (102) of any of the embodiments 22 to 26, wherein the first network and the second network are different networks.

Embodiment 28

The UE (102) of any of the embodiments 22 to 26, wherein the first network and the second network are the same network.

Embodiment 29

The UE (102) of embodiment 27 or 28, wherein the first network is a first Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN, or a first non-public network (NPN), and wherein the second network is a second PLMN or a second NPN.

Embodiment 30

The UE (102) of any of the embodiments 22 to 29, wherein the UE is configured to split the full capability among the first and second SIMs in response to an event.

Embodiment 31

The UE (102) of any of the embodiments 22 to 30, wherein at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability and the indication of the second reduced capability comprises an indication of one or more carrier frequencies that are not to be used as compared to carrier frequencies in the full capacity.

Embodiment 32

The UE (102) of any of the embodiments 22 to 31, the UE (102) further being configured to:

- receive a configuration instruction from at least one of the first and second network nodes, in response to at least one of the indication of the first reduced capability provided to the first network node and the indication of the second reduced capability provided to the second network node; and
- configure at least one radio resource control resource based on the received configuration instruction.

Embodiment 33

A network node (104, 106) associated with a wireless communications network, the network node being configured to:

- receive, from a user equipment, UE, (102), information on a full capability of the UE (102), wherein the UE (102) has at least two Subscriber Identity Modules, SIMs, and is simultaneously registered with the wireless communications network and at least one another network;
- receive, from the UE (102), an indication of a reduced capability of the UE (102) indicating a split of the full capability of the UE (102) among the at least two SIMs; and
- provide, to the UE (102), a reconfiguration instruction, in response to the received indication of the reduced capability of the UE (102).

Embodiment 34

The network node (104, 106) of embodiment 33, wherein the information on the full capability comprises information on one or more out of: a) a number of carriers supported by the UE (102); b) one or more carrier combinations supported by the UE (102); c) one or more processing capabilities of the UE (102); d) one or more features supported by the UE (102); e) a number of radio frontends that the UE (102) has; f) a bandwidth supported by the UE (102); g) a buffer or memory size supported by the UE (102); h) a number of PDN connections or PDU connections supported by the UE (102); i) one or more carrier aggregation related capabilities of the UE (102); and j) one or more dual connectivity related capabilities of the UE (102).

Embodiment 35

The network node (104, 106) of embodiment 33 or 34, wherein the indication of the reduced capability is provided in an In-Device-Coexistence, IDC, assistance information.

Embodiment 36

The network node (104, 106) of embodiment 35, wherein the indication of the reduced capability is provided in the IDC assistance information in combination with a multiple SIM, MUSIM, indication.

Embodiment 37

The network node (104, 106) of embodiment 33 or 34, wherein the indication of the reduced capability comprises a multiple SIM, MUSIM, assistance information.

Embodiment 38

The network node (104, 106) of any of the embodiments 33 to 37, wherein the wireless communications network and the at least one another network are different networks.

Embodiment 39

The network node (104, 106) of any of the embodiments 33 to 37, wherein the wireless communications network and the at least one another network are the same network.

Embodiment 40

The network node (104, 106) of embodiment 38 or 39, wherein the wireless communications network is a first Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN, or a non-public network (NPN), and the at least one another network is a second PLMN or a second NPN.

Embodiment 41

The network node (104, 106) of any of the embodiments 33 to 40, wherein the indication of the reduced capability comprises an indication of one or more carrier frequencies that are not to be used as compared to carrier frequencies in the full capacity.

Embodiment 42

The network node (104, 106) of any of the embodiments 33 to 41, wherein the reconfiguration instruction is further provided to the UE (102) in response to an event.

FIG. 8 shows a telecommunication network connected via an intermediate network to a host computer in accordance with some embodiments. With reference to FIG. 8, in accordance with an embodiment, a communication system includes a telecommunication network 3210, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, which comprises access network 3211, such as a radio access network, and core network 3214. Access network 3211 comprises a plurality of base stations 3212a, 3212b, 3212c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points being examples of the first network node above, each defining a corresponding coverage area 3213a, 3213b, 3213c. Each base station 3212a, 3212b, 3212c is connectable to core network 3214 over a wired or wireless connection 3215. A first UE 3291 located in coverage area 3213c is configured to wirelessly connect to, or be paged by, the corresponding base station 3212c. A second UE 3292 in coverage area 3213a is wirelessly connectable to the corresponding base station 3212a. While a plurality of UEs 3291, 3292 are illustrated in this example being examples of the UE 102 above, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to a situation where a sole UE is in the coverage area or where a sole UE is connecting to the corresponding base station 3212.

Telecommunication network 3210 is itself connected to host computer 3230, which may be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or as processing resources in a server farm. Host computer 3230 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 3221 and 3222 between telecommunication network 3210 and host computer 3230 may extend directly from core network 3214 to host computer 3230 or may go via an optional intermediate network 3220. Intermediate network 3220 may be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private or hosted network; intermediate network 3220, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 3220 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).

The communication system of FIG. 8 as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 3291, 3292 and host computer 3230. The connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 3250. Host computer 3230 and the connected UEs 3291, 3292 are configured to communicate data and/or signalling via OTT connection 3250, using access network 3211, core network 3214, any intermediate network 3220 and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. OTT connection 3250 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which OTT connection 3250 passes are unaware of routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, base station 3212 may not or need not be informed about the past routing of an incoming downlink communication with data originating from host computer 3230 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to a connected UE 3291. Similarly, base station 3212 need not be aware of the future routing of an outgoing uplink communication originating from the UE 3291 towards the host computer 3230.

FIG. 9 shows a host computer communicating via a base station and with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments

Example implementations, in accordance with an embodiment, of the UE, base station and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 9. In communication system 3300, host computer 3310 comprises hardware 3315 including communication interface 3316 configured to set up and maintain a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of communication system 3300. Host computer 3310 further comprises processing circuitry 3318, which may have storage and/or processing capabilities. In particular, processing circuitry 3318 may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. Host computer 3310 further comprises software 3311, which is stored in or accessible by host computer 3310 and executable by processing circuitry 3318. Software 3311 includes host application 3312. Host application 3312 may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as UE 3330 connecting via OTT connection 3350 terminating at UE 3330 and host computer 3310. In providing the service to the remote user, host application 3312 may provide user data which is transmitted using OTT connection 3350.

Communication system 3300 further includes base station 3320 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 3325 enabling it to communicate with host computer 3310 and with UE 3330. Hardware 3325 may include communication interface 3326 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of communication system 3300, as well as radio interface 3327 for setting up and maintaining at least wireless connection 3370 with UE 3330 located in a coverage area (not shown in FIG. 9) served by base station 3320. Communication interface 3326 may be configured to facilitate connection 3360 to host computer 3310. Connection 3360 may be direct or it may pass through a core network (not shown in FIG. 15) of the telecommunication system and/or through one or more intermediate networks outside the telecommunication system. In the embodiment shown, hardware 3325 of base station 3320 further includes processing circuitry