Distributed antenna panels for simultaneous communication

A method for communication at a first apparatus, the method comprising:

• generating an indication of a first antenna panel and a second antenna panel that are available for a multi-panel communication with the first apparatus, the first antenna panel being associated with the first apparatus and the second antenna panel being associated with a second apparatus;
• outputting the indication for transmission to a network entity;
• and
• outputting, for transmission to the second apparatus, a request for the second apparatus to perform a forwarding operation between the first apparatus and the second antenna panel.

A first apparatus for communication, comprising:

• an interface;
• and
• a processing system coupled to the interface, wherein the processing system is configured to:
• obtain, via the interface, an indication of a first antenna panel and a second antenna panel that are available for a multi-panel communication with a first user equipment, the first antenna panel being associated with the first user equipment and the second antenna panel being associated with a second user equipment;
• and
• communicate, via the interface, first data and second data for the multi-panel communication, the first data being communicated between the first antenna panel and a first transmit receive point, the second data being communicated between the second antenna panel and a second transmit receive point.