Selection of user equipment for providing backscattering service to ambient iot devices

A method comprising:

• accessing, by a network device, ambient IoT device deployment information for a plurality of ambient IoT devices and user equipment apparatus (UE) deployment information for a plurality of user equipment apparatuses (UEs);
• selecting, based on the ambient IoT device deployment information and the UE deployment information, a plurality of candidate user equipment apparatuses (candidate UEs), from among the plurality of UEs, for providing backscattering service to ambient IoT devices;
• and
• iteratively selecting a subset of UEs, among the plurality of candidate UEs, to provide the backscattering service, the iterative selecting based at least on, for each iteration, at least one of:
• respective availability of the plurality of candidate UEs to provide the backscattering service, or
• at least one criterion relating to respective information in backscattering signals provided by the plurality of ambient IoT devices.

A user equipment apparatus comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user equipment apparatus at least to:
• receive, from a network device, a first request for an indication of availability to provide backscattering service to ambient IoT devices for a first duration of time;
• transmit, to the network device, a response to the first request;
• receive, from a network device, a second request for an indication of availability to provide backscattering service to ambient IoT devices for a second duration of time;
• and
• transmit, to the network device, a response to the second request.