Method and apparatus for managing the maximum power on a secondary carrier

A user equipment in a communication network, the user equipment comprising:

• a transceiver;
• and
• a controller that determines an upper bound of a maximum power in the user equipment, which can configure the maximum power in a range that is defined by the upper bound and a lower bound, comprising:
• wherein the controller further determines whether a configured output power for a master cell group in a dual connectivity mode of operation is less than a minimum of a maximum allowed power for a particular serving cell and a maximum allowed combined power;
• wherein the upper bound of the maximum power in the user equipment is set equal to a minimum of
• (1) the minimum of the maximum allowed power for the particular serving cell and the maximum allowed combined power, less the configured output power for the master cell group,
• (2) a maximum allowed power for a secondary cell group, and
• (3) an adjusted maximum power of a power class of the user equipment,
• based upon a determination by the controller that the configured output power for the master cell group in the dual connectivity mode of operation is less than the minimum of the maximum allowed power for the particular serving cell and the maximum allowed combined power;
• and
• wherein the upper bound of the maximum power in the user equipment is set equal to zero power, based upon a determination by the controller that the configured output power for the master cell group in the dual connectivity mode of operation is not less than the minimum of the maximum allowed power for the particular serving cell and the maximum allowed combined power;
• and
• wherein the transceiver communicates with the communication network via the master cell group and the secondary cell group in accordance with the determined upper bound of the maximum power in the user equipment.