Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for providing enhanced access options for wireless access points (e.g., cellular femtocells). These access options in one embodiment include various grades or levels of private and public access to available femtocell services. Each service may be separately assigned a various access type, such that a femtocell may service multiple users both within the “closed” group authorized by the femtocell white list, and non-members. In one variant, a femtocell broadcasts enhanced system information to all terminals (regardless of member/non-member status) such that a non-CSG (Closed Subscriber Group) member terminal or UE is capable of obtaining partial service access within the femtocell. Broadcast multimedia or other services can be delivered to both CSG members and non-members, advantageously without having to establish a dedicated connection for the non-member users.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus that enable and optimize the simultaneous operation of several wireless femtocells having overlapping coverage areas. In one embodiment of the invention, a resource allocation (e.g., time-frequency grid for an OFDM or TDMA based wireless network) governs the simultaneous operation of several femtocells with overlapping coverage areas by specifying uses for resources. A resource allocation unit (RAU) entity is disclosed for managing and modifying resource allocations for femtocells. The community of femtocells can flexibly share resources according to the time-frequency grid, thereby maximizing spectral efficiency without requiring substantial network overhead.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus that enable a wireless femtocell to operate in its designated frequency so as to minimize interference between the wireless femtocell and neighboring base stations (and other femtocells or nomadic cells). In one exemplary embodiment, the femtocell cell comprises a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) femtocell which has the ability to scan the air interface in a manner similar to that associated with a UE in order to identify unallocated resources within the wireless network, and subsequently request access for the unallocated resources. Business methods useful in combination with the aforementioned methods and apparatus are also disclosed.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus that enable one or more wireless networks to minimize inter-cellular interference (ICI) at a receiver. In one embodiment, the network comprises an OFDM-based cellular network, and the method comprises utilizing a priori knowledge of non-data portions of signals from multiple base stations in order to schedule transmissions. In one variant, these non-data portions comprise pilot tones; the pilot tones can be scheduled onto various time-frequency resources of the network so as to minimize ICI. The mobility context of the receiver can also be used as a basis for dynamically adjusting the pilot tone density. In another variant, precoding (e.g., Tomlinson-Harashima precoding) can be applied to “shape” the non-data portions of the transmitted signals so as to mitigate ICI. In yet other variants, frame preambles and learning sequences are used as the basis for invoking selective transmission time shifts across the potentially interfering base stations so as to minimize ICI.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus that enable a wireless femtocell to operate in its designated frequency so as to minimize interference between the wireless femtocell and neighboring base stations (and other femtocells or nomadic cells). In one exemplary embodiment, the femtocell cell comprises a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) femtocell which has the ability to scan the air interface in a manner similar to that associated with a UE in order to identify unallocated resources within the wireless network, and subsequently request access for the unallocated resources. Business methods useful in combination with the aforementioned methods and apparatus are also disclosed.
Abstract:
In an embodiment, a method for determining the type of a mobile radio base station is provided. The method may include receiving a synchronization message comprising a mobile radio base station identifier, and determining the type of a mobile radio base station using a previously signaled and stored piece of mobile radio base station type determining information indicating a rule as to how the type of a mobile radio base station out of a plurality of types of a mobile radio base station can be derived from a mobile radio base station identifier and the received mobile radio base station identifier.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for providing enhanced access options for wireless access points (e.g., cellular femtocells). These access options in one embodiment include various grades or levels of private and public access to available femtocell services. Each service may be separately assigned a various access type, such that a femtocell may service multiple users both within the “closed” group authorized by the femtocell white list, and non-members. In one variant, a femtocell broadcasts enhanced system information to all terminals (regardless of member/non-member status) such that a non-CSG (Closed Subscriber Group) member terminal or UE is capable of obtaining partial service access within the femtocell. Broadcast multimedia or other services can be delivered to both CSG members and non-members, advantageously without having to establish a dedicated connection for the non-member users.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus that enable and optimize the simultaneous operation of several wireless femtocells having overlapping coverage areas. In one embodiment of the invention, a resource allocation (e.g., time-frequency grid for an OFDM or TDMA based wireless network) governs the simultaneous operation of several femtocells with overlapping coverage areas by specifying uses for resources. A resource allocation unit (RAU) entity is disclosed for managing and modifying resource allocations for femtocells. The community of femtocells can flexibly share resources according to the time-frequency grid, thereby maximizing spectral efficiency without requiring substantial network overhead.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus that enable and optimize the simultaneous operation of several wireless femtocells having overlapping coverage areas. In one embodiment of the invention, a resource allocation (e.g., time-frequency grid for an OFDM or TDMA based wireless network) governs the simultaneous operation of several femtocells with overlapping coverage areas by specifying uses for resources. A resource allocation unit (RAU) entity is disclosed for managing and modifying resource allocations for femtocells. The community of femtocells can flexibly share resources according to the time-frequency grid, thereby maximizing spectral efficiency without requiring substantial network overhead.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for providing enhanced access options for wireless access points (e.g., cellular femtocells). These access options in one embodiment include various grades or levels of private and public access to available femtocell services. Each service may be separately assigned a various access type, such that a femtocell may service multiple users both within the “closed” group authorized by the femtocell white list, and non-members. In one variant, a femtocell broadcasts enhanced system information to all terminals (regardless of member/non-member status) such that a non-CSG (Closed Subscriber Group) member terminal or UE is capable of obtaining partial service access within the femtocell. Broadcast multimedia or other services can be delivered to both CSG members and non-members, advantageously without having to establish a dedicated connection for the non-member users.