Method and apparatus for transmitting positioning reference signals in a wireless communication network

A method in a user equipment in a wireless communication network, the user equipment having a transceiver, the method comprising:

• receiving an indication in assistance data received from a serving cell, the indication corresponding to a cyclic prefix length of a positioning reference signal transmission for a second cell;
• determining that all positioning reference signal symbols within at least one positioning reference signal occasion use only extended cyclic prefix when only multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes are configured for positioning reference signal transmission from the second cell;
• determining, as at least one alternate to determining that all positioning reference signal symbols within at least one positioning reference signal occasion use only extended cyclic prefix, that positioning reference signal symbols in multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes use a same cyclic prefix length as that for normal subframes when both normal and multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes are configured for positioning reference signal transmission from the second cell;
• and
• determining a cyclic prefix length of a positioning reference signal transmission from the second cell within one positioning reference signal occasion based on the indication in the assistance data and based on the determination that all positioning reference signal symbols within one PRS occasion use the same cyclic prefix length as that for normal subframes.

A wireless communication device comprising:

• a transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals over a wireless communication network, the transceiver also configured to receive a positioning reference signal indication in assistance data received from a serving cell, the positioning reference signal indication corresponding to a cyclic prefix length of a positioning reference signal transmission for a neighbor cell;
• a controller coupled to the transceiver, the controller configured to control operations of the wireless communication device;
• and
• a positioning reference signal cyclic prefix determination module coupled to the controller, the positioning reference signal cyclic prefix determination module configured to determine whether all positioning reference signal symbols within at least one positioning reference signal occasion use only extended cyclic prefix when only multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes are configured for positioning reference signal transmission, configured to determine whether all positioning reference signal symbols within at least one positioning reference signal occasion use only extended cyclic prefix, configured to determine whether positioning reference signal symbols in multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes use the same cyclic prefix length as that for normal subframes when both normal and multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes are configured for positioning reference signal transmission, and configured to determine a cyclic prefix length of positioning reference signal transmission within one positioning reference signal occasion is extended cyclic prefix based on the indication in the assistance data and based on the determination that all positioning reference signal symbols within at least one positioning reference signal occasion use only extended cyclic prefix when only multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes are configured for positioning reference signal transmission.