# US 2025/0097786 A1 · Enhancements on slice service continuity > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0097786 A1 - Document ID: US20250097786A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/725,889 - Filed: 2022-01-05 - Published: 2025-03-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-05 - Assignees: Nokia Technologies Oy - Applicants: Nokia Technologies Oy - Inventors: Halit Murat GÜRSU; Philippe GODIN; Ahmad AWADA; Muhammad NASEER-UL-ISLAM; Ömer BULAKCI; Ugur Baran ELMALI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250097786A1 ## CPC - H04W 36/0061: {of neighbour cell information} - H04W 36/13: {Cell handover without a predetermined boundary, e.g. virtual cells} - H04W 36/0058: {Transmission of hand-off measurement information, e.g. measurement reports} - H04W 36/0079: {in case of hand-off failure or rejection} - H04W 36/08: Reselecting an access point - H04W 36/249: {according to timing information} - H04W 36/00692: {using simultaneous multiple data streams, e.g. cooperative multipoint [CoMP], carrier aggregation [CA] or multiple input multiple output [MIMO] (allocation of physical resources in CoMP or in CA H04L5/0035)} - H04W 92/20: between access points - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer readable medium for enhancements on service continuity. The method includes receiving, at a source network node and from a user equipment, UE, being served by the source network node for a service associated with a network slice, a message indicative of a target network node for a handover of the UE from the source network node to the target network node; transmitting a handover request to the target network node, the handover request indicating urgency of the handover for the UE, and the target network node being overloaded for the network slice; and receiving a handover request acknowledgement message from the target network node, the handover request acknowledgement message indicating if multi-carrier radio resource sharing is applicable for supporting the service. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-52. (canceled) ### Claim 53 A source network node, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes; the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the source network node at least to: receive, from a user equipment, UE, being served by the source network node for a service associated with a network slice, a message indicative of a target network node for a handover of the UE from the source network node to the target network node; transmit a handover request to the target network node, the handover request indicating urgency of the handover for the UE, and the target network node being overloaded for the network slice; and receive a handover request acknowledgement message from the target network node, the handover request acknowledgement message indicating if multi-carrier radio resource sharing is applicable for supporting the service. ### Claim 54 (depends on 53) The source network node according to claim 53, wherein the urgency of the handover indicates whether or not there is time for a successful completion of the handover after a serving cell in a secondary cell group is added by the target network node for supporting the service. ### Claim 55 (depends on 53) The source network node according to claim 53, wherein the urgency of the handover indicates a time budget needed for a successful completion of the handover, and the time budget indicates how much time the target network node is to take for preparing the handover. ### Claim 56 (depends on 53) The source network node according to claim 53, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the source network node to: measure at least one reference signal from the UE; and determine the urgency of the handover based on a result of the measurement. ### Claim 57 (depends on 53) The source network node according to claim 53, wherein the urgency of the handover is indicated by one of the following: a first indicator for indicating an urgent handover, while a second indicator for indicating a relaxed handover; or a presence of an urgent indication indicating the urgent handover, while an absence of the urgent indication indicating the relaxed handover. ### Claim 58 (depends on 53) The source network node according to claim 53, wherein the handover request acknowledgement message indicates that the multi-carrier radio resource sharing is applicable for supporting the service by indicating a serving cell supporting the network slice in a secondary cell group is added by the target network node. ### Claim 59 (depends on 53) The source network node according to claim 53, wherein the handover request acknowledgement message indicates that the multi-carrier radio resource sharing is not applicable for supporting the service by indicating a rejection of supporting the service with the overloaded network slice. ### Claim 60 (depends on 53) The source network node according to claim 53, wherein the message comprises a measurement report comprising measurements by the UE on transmissions of the service in more than one frequency band. ### Claim 61 A target network node, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes, the at least one memory and the computer program codes configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the target network node at least to: receive, from a source network node serving a user equipment, UE, for a service associated with a network slice, a handover request indicating urgency of the handover for the UE, the target network node being overloaded for the network slice; determine whether or not to apply multi-carrier radio resource sharing for supporting the service based on the urgency of the handover; and transmit, to the source network node, a handover request acknowledgement message indicating if the multi-carrier radio resource sharing is applicable for the service. ### Claim 62 (depends on 61) The target network node according to claim 61, wherein the urgency of the handover indicates whether or not there is time for a successful completion of the handover after a serving cell supporting the network slice in a secondary cell group is added by the target network node for supporting the service. ### Claim 63 (depends on 61) The target network node according to claim 61, wherein the urgency of the handover indicates a time budget needed for a successful completion of the handover, and the time budget indicates how much time the target network node is to take for preparing the handover. ### Claim 64 (depends on 61) The target network node according to claim 61, wherein the urgency of the handover is determined based on measurements by the source network node on at least one reference signal from the UE. ### Claim 65 (depends on 61) The target network node according to claim 61, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the target network node to determine whether to apply the multi-carrier radio resource sharing by: in accordance with a determination of an urgent handover, determining that the multi-carrier radio resource sharing is not applicable; or in accordance with a determination of a non-urgent handover, determining that the multi-carrier radio resource sharing is applicable. ### Claim 66 (depends on 65) The target network node according to claim 65, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program codes configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the target network node to transmit the handover request acknowledgement message by: in accordance with a determination that the multi-carrier radio resource sharing is not applicable for supporting the service, transmitting the handover request acknowledgement message indicating a rejection of supporting the service with the overloaded network slice; or in accordance with a determination that the multi-carrier radio resource sharing is applicable for supporting the service, transmitting the handover request acknowledgement message indicating a serving cell supporting the network slice in a secondary cell group is added by the target network node. ### Claim 67 (depends on 62) The target network node according to claim 62, wherein the serving cell comprises one of a primary secondary cell or a secondary cell in the secondary cell group. ### Claim 68 (depends on 62) The target network node according to claim 62, wherein the serving cell is added or is to be added by the target network node using at least one of carrier aggregation and dual connectivity. ### Claim 69 (depends on 62) The target network node according to claim 62, wherein the serving cell is provided by at least one of the target network node and a secondary node connected to the target network node with an Xn interface in a dual connectivity scheme. ### Claim 70 A user equipment, UE, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program codes; the at least one memory and the computer program codes are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the UE at least to: transmit, to a source network node serving the UE for a service associated with a network slice, a message indicative of a target network node for a handover of the UE from the source network node to the target network node for the service; receive, from the source network node, a handover command indicating continuity of the service via multi-carrier radio resource sharing; and receive the service via a serving cell using multi-carrier radio resource sharing based on the handover command. ### Claim 71 (depends on 70) The UE of claim 70 wherein the serving cell is provided by at least one of the target network node and another network node in dual connectivity over Xn interface with the target network node.