Abstract:
Disclosed are methods and systems for segregating user equipment devices (UEs) among carriers to help facilitate operation in lean-carrier mode in which a base station (BS) engages in a reduced extent of reference signaling on a particular carrier. In practice, the BS may operate in the lean-carrier mode when bearer data is not being communicated on the particular carrier. Given this arrangement, the BS may identify one or more UEs, of a plurality of UEs served by the BS, based on each UE communicating bearer data less frequently than a threshold frequency of bearer data communication. And the BS may serve just the identified UEs on the particular carrier, thereby increasing a probability of the BS operating in the lean-carrier mode.
Abstract:
Coordinated multipoint (CoMP) can improve uplink service in cellular networks. However, uplink CoMP can also burden an access network, such as by increasing processing loads at base stations and/or increasing traffic on backhaul links between base stations. Accordingly, exemplary methods and systems help to dynamically select an uplink CoMP mode for a user equipment (UE) based on various factors, such as whether the UE is located at a border cell, whether or not carrier aggregation is being utilized for downlink communications with the UE, and/or whether or not the UE is a heavy data user, among other possible factors.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method and system to help ensure contention-free response to a paging message. As disclosed, when a base station transmits a paging message for receipt by a UE, the base station includes in the paging message a contention-free random-access preamble useable by the UE to engage in contention-free random access in response to the paging message. The UE thus receives the paging message and responsively engages in a contention-free random access process with the base station, to establish a radio-link-layer connection between the UE and the base station.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method and system for release of a UE's context record in response to failure of air interface communication. As disclosed, a wireless communication system includes a base station that has a protocol stack defining a series of logical processing layers through which the base station sequentially processes data for transmission to a UE. The layers include an upper layer and a physical layer at which the base station processes the data for communication over an air interface to the UE. Accordingly, the base station detects failure of air interface communication between the base station and the UE. In response to detecting the failure, and without waiting to detect at the upper layer a further failure corresponding with the failure of the air interface communication, the base station transmits to a network controller a UE-context release request requesting release of bearer context that was established for the UE.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method and system that may help to expedite initiation of a packet-based real-time media session such as a VoIP session. Per the disclosure, the initial uplink grant that a base station provides to a UE in response to an access request may be an extent of uplink resources sufficient to carry just a radio-link-layer connection request. But when a UE is going to initiate a packet-based real-time media session, the UE may send a particular type of access request that is indicative of the plan to initiate a packet-based real-time media session, and responsive to the access request being of that particular type, the base station may then instead provide an initial grant of a greater extent of uplink resources sufficient to carry from the UE not only the radio-link-layer connection request but also a session initiation request (e.g., SIP INVITE) for the packet-based real-time media session.
Abstract:
In accordance with the disclosed methods and systems, while providing a service that enables user equipment devices (UEs) being served by a first network to engage in signaling with a second network via the first network, a controller or other network entity may detect an error condition associated with the service, such as a threshold-high level of signaling or an interface failure. In response to detecting the error condition, base stations in the first network may then direct one or more UEs being served by the first network to refrain from using the given service. As a result, the one or more UEs may refrain from using the given service and may instead use another approach to engage in signaling with the second network, which may enable the one or more UEs to circumvent the error condition until it gets remedied.
Abstract:
A method, system, and apparatus for assigning resources to a wireless communication device that experienced a call drop. A RAN may receive an origination request from a mobile station and make a first determination that within a predetermined amount of time prior to receiving the origination request the mobile station experienced a call drop. Responsive to making the first determination, the RAN may make a second determination that the RAN should allocate a first extent of resources to the mobile station rather than allocating a second extent of resources to the mobile station. The first extent of resources may be less than the second extent of resources. Responsive to making the second determination, the RAN may allocate the first extent of resources to the mobile station in response to the origination request rather than allocating the second extent of resources to the mobile station in response to the origination request.
Abstract:
A base station or a UE may use another base station's carrier-aggregation policy for a cell provided by the other base station as a basis to control handover of the UE from being served by the base station to being served by the other base station. As one example, a first base station may use a second base station's carrier-aggregation policy for at least one of multiple co-located cells provided by the second base station as a basis to control handover of the UE from being served by the first base station to being served by the second base station. As another example, a UE may use a second base station's carrier-aggregation policy for one of multiple co-located cells provided by the second base station as a basis to control cell reselection.
Abstract:
When a UE engages in application-layer session setup signaling with a session server via a radio access network and gateway, the UE conveys in its session setup signaling an indication of the UE's observed air interface quality (e.g., received signal strength or signal to noise ratio) and perhaps an indication of a characteristic of an neighboring air interface (e.g., a duplex configuration or band of the neighboring air interface). The session server then reports the UE's indicated air interface quality and perhaps neighboring air interface characteristic to a policy server, and the policy server uses that information as a basis to select a quality of service level for a bearer to be established between the UE and the gateway for carrying media content of the session. The policy server then invokes establishment of a bearer having the selected quality of service level.
Abstract:
A UE gauges how many UEs are currently served in each of various coverage systems, by evaluating downlink control channel signaling in each coverage system to determine from the control signaling an extent to which the signaling provides for UE scheduling and to establish a corresponding relative measure of an extent to which the coverage system is serving UEs. In an example implementation, this evaluation may involve eliminating from consideration any control channel signaling that is not associated with UE scheduling, so as to determine by exclusion an extent to which the downlink control channel signaling is associated with UE scheduling. The UE then compares such relative measures of the various coverage systems as a basis to select a coverage system in which to operate, such as by favoring operation in the coverage that thereby seems to be serving the fewest number of UEs.