Communications device, infrastructure equipment and methods

A method, comprising:

• training, by machine learning, a model for selecting a header format for formatting data for transmission by a transmitting entity to a receiving entity in a wireless communications network, the the training including:
• a) selecting a value one or more input parameters,
• b) selecting a header format for one or more protocol data units formed for each of one or more protocol layers for transmitting a portion of received data via the one or more protocol layers,
• c) based on the value of the input parameters, evaluating a loss function for data transmitted in accordance with the selected header formats for the one or more protocol data units for each of the one or more protocol layers,
• d) repeating steps b) and c) for different selected header formats,
• e) determining, based on the loss function, preferred header formats corresponding to the determined input parameters,
• repeating the steps a)-e) for different selected input parameter values to determine preferred header formats for the one or more protocol data units for each of the one or more protocol layers corresponding to the different selected input parameter values, and
• storing on a computer readable medium a representation of a correspondence between the determined preferred header formats and the different selected input parameters.

A communications device operating in a wireless communications network, the communications device comprising:

• transmitter circuitry configured to transmit signals via a wireless access interface of the wireless communications network,
• receiver circuitry configured to receive signals transmitted via the wireless access interface, and
• controller circuitry configured:
• to receive data for transmission via the wireless access interface of the wireless communications network,
• to divide the data into portions for transmission,
• to form, from each portion of data, for each of one or more protocol layers, one or more protocol data units, the one or more protocol data units being formed for each layer according to a protocol applied by the layer for transmitting the protocol data unit and each of the protocol data units for each layer including a header, and
• to control the transmitter circuitry to transmit the data via the wireless access interface by processing each of the one or more protocol data units via each of the one or more protocol layers, wherein
• the controller circuitry is configured to form from each portion of the data for each of the one or more protocol layers the one or more protocol data units by:
• determining a value of one or more input parameters,
• determining, using a model trained using machine learning for selecting header formats, a header format for each of the one or more protocol layers based on the value of each of the one or more input parameters, and
• forming the one or more protocol data units for each of the one or more protocol layers in accordance with each of the determined header formats,
• the controller circuitry is configured to control the transmitter circuitry to transmit the one or more protocol data units for each of the one or more protocols to the receiving entity, and
• the determining the value of the one or more input parameters and the determining the header format for the one or more protocol data units of each of the one or more protocol layers are performed dynamically for each of the portions of data to be transmitted.