Automatic neighbor relations (ANR) in 3GPP NR

Automatic Neighbor Relations (ANR) was one key self-organizing network (SON) feature introduced in 3GPP LTE. ANR in LTE automatically generates relations between radio network entities that is needed for many features such as active-mode mobility, load balancing and dual connectivity. Given the benefits of ANR in LTE, ANR for 3GPP NR is also going to be a key SON feature. In this paper, we capture the current agreements for 3GPP NR concerning initial access and mobility in general, as well as specifically ANR for NR. The paper also discusses aspects of ANR that still are open. Thereby, the purpose of the paper is to define the NR ANR scope and the remaining challenges.