A first entity in a wireless network configured to support location determination of a user equipment (UE), wherein the first entity comprises the UE or an entity in a next generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) providing 5G New Radio (NR) wireless access to the UE, comprising:
- an external interface configured to communicate with other entities in the wireless network;
- at least one memory;
- and
- at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to:
- receive a request for locating the UE from a second entity in the wireless network, wherein the request for locating the UE is based on a location request initiated by an external client and is received by the first entity from the second entity using control plane signaling, wherein the request for locating the UE includes an indication of using user plane signaling to report location information and an address to which the location information is to be reported;
- obtain first location information for the UE using control plane signaling;
- establish a first user plane connection to at least one of the external client based on the address or a third entity based on the address and the third entity establishes a second user plane connection towards the external client;
- and
- report the first location information for the UE to the external client using the first user plane connection or using the first user plane connection and the second user plane connection;
- wherein:
- the first location information for the UE comprises a plurality of sets of location information for the UE obtained at different first times by the first entity and reported to the external client by the first entity using the user plane signaling immediately following each of the different first times;
- the first entity is the entity in the NG-RAN providing 5G NR wireless access to the UE;
- the first entity is a Controlling NR Node B (CgNB) for locating the UE, wherein the CgNB comprises a Serving NR Node B (SgNB) for the UE, a Neighbor NR Node B (NgNB) for the UE, a first Location Management Component (LMC) server or a first Local Location Management Function (LLMF) server;
- wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
- obtain location capabilities of the UE when the first entity does not have the location capabilities of the UE;
- receive first location measurements for the UE from at least one of the UE or a first plurality of Reception Points (RPs),
- wherein the first location measurements are received using control plane signaling,
- wherein the first location measurements received from the first plurality of RPs comprise location measurements of first uplink (UL) signals transmitted by the UE,
- wherein the first location measurements received from the UE include at least one of location measurements of first downlink (DL) reference signals (RSS) transmitted by a first plurality of Transmission Points (TPs) or other location measurements,
- wherein the first plurality of TPs comprise at least one of the first entity, the SgNB, at least one NgNB or at least one Location Transmission Unit (LTU),
- wherein the first plurality of RPs comprise at least one of the first entity, the SgNB, at least one NgNB or at least one Location Measurement Unit (LMU),
- wherein the at least one of the UE or the first plurality of RPs obtain the first location measurements at different second times;
- and
- obtain the plurality of sets of location information for the UE based on the first location measurements received from the at least one of the UE or the first plurality of RPs
- configure at least some of the first location measurements in the at least one of the UE or the first plurality of RPs when not all of the first location measurements are initially configured in the at least one of the UE or the first plurality of RPs, wherein the at least some of the first location measurements configured in the UE are based on the location capabilities of the UE;
- configure in the UE at least some of the first UL signals transmitted by the UE when not all of the first UL signals are initially configured in the UE, wherein the configuring the transmission of the at least some of the first UL signals in the UE is based on the location capabilities of the UE;
- and
- configure in the first plurality of TPs at least some of the first DL RSs transmitted by the first plurality of TPs when not all of the first DL RSs transmitted by the first plurality of TPs are initially configured in the first plurality of TPs, wherein the configuring at least some of the first location measurements, the configuring in the UE at least some of the first UL signals and the configuring in the first plurality of TPs at least some of the first DL RSs uses control plane signaling.