Base station, user equipment and method executed thereby

A user equipment comprising:

• receiving circuitry configured to receive system information, broadcasted by a base station, indicating whether the base station supports connectivity to a Next Generation Core and an Evolved Packet Core (EPC);
• in a case that the system information indicates that the base station supports connectivity to both the Next Generation Core and the EPC,
• in a case that the user equipment selects the Next Generation Core,
• transmitting circuitry transmits an information element in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Request message, the information element indicating the Next Generation Core as a core network to be accessed after transmitting the RRC connection request message and an identity of the user equipment in the Next Generation Core, and
• receiving circuitry receives, from the base station, an RRC Reconfiguration message with an indication indicating the core network is switched from the Next Generation Core to the EPC for hand over,
• in a case that the user equipment selects the EPC,
• the transmitting circuitry does not transmit the information element in the RRC Connection Request message, and
• the receiving circuitry receives, from the base station, the RRC Reconfiguration message with the indication indicating the core network is switched from EPC to the Next Generation Core for hand over.

A method executed by a base station, comprising:

• transmitting system information indicating whether the base station supports connectivity to a Next Generation Core and an Evolved Packet Core (EPC);
• and
• receiving an information element in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Request message,
• wherein in a case that the system information indicates that the base station supports connectivity to both the Next Generation Core and the EPC,
• in a case of receiving the information element in the RRC Connection Request message, the information element indicating the Next Generation Core as a core network to be accessed after transmitting the RRC connection request message and an identity of the user equipment in the Next Generation Core,
• connecting to the Next Generation Core, and
• transmitting an RRC Reconfiguration message with an indication indicating the core network is switched from the Next Generation Core to the EPC for hand over,
• in a case of not receiving the information element in the RRC Connection Request message,
• connecting to the EPC, and
• transmitting the RRC Reconfiguration message with an indication indicating the core network is switched from EPC to the Next Generation Core for hand over.

A base station comprising:

• transmitting circuitry configured to transmit system information indicating whether the base station supports connectivity to a Next Generation Core and an Evolved Packet Core (EPC);
• and
• receiving circuitry configured to receive an information element in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Request message,
• wherein in a case that the system information indicates that the base station supports connectivity to both the Next Generation Core and the EPC,
• in a case that the receiving circuitry receives the information element in the RRC Connection Request message, the information element indicating the Next Generation Core as a core network to be accessed after transmitting the RRC connection request message and an identity of the user equipment in the Next Generation Core,
• connecting circuitry connects to the Next Generation Core, and
• the transmitting circuitry transmits an RRC Reconfiguration message with an indication indicating the core network is switched from the Next Generation Core to the EPC for hand over,
• in a case that the receiving circuitry does not receive the information element,
• the connecting circuitry connects to the EPC, and
• the transmitting circuitry transmits the RRC Reconfiguration message with the indication indicating the core network is switched from EPC to the Next Generation Core for hand over.