Abstract: A communications network comprising: multiple base stations, each capable of communicating wirelessly with one or more wireless terminals; and a network core communicatively coupled to the base stations, the network core comprising: a data cache to which base stations can write data received from terminals, accessible from outside the network core in such a way that users external to the network core can write data to the data cache at times that are not scheduled by the network core; and a network controller capable of controlling the operation of the base stations, the network controller being configured to schedule the propagation to the terminals of data stored in the data cache by allocating base station transmission bandwidth for the transmission of the data to one or more of the terminals.

Abstract: A communication device for communicating with a plurality of terminals via a wireless network, the communication device being configured to, when it has a message to transmit to that plurality of terminals: select, from a multiple of available acknowledgement mechanisms, an acknowledgement mechanism for the terminals to use in acknowledging receipt of the message and communicate the selected acknowledgement mechanism to the plurality of terminals.

Abstract: A communication device configured to communicate with a plurality of terminals via a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol, wherein both protocols organize communications into a series of frames and the frames of the first protocol are shorter than those of the second protocol, the communication device being configured to impose one or more frames according to the first protocol onto at least part of a frame according to the second protocol to form a single frame for communicating via both protocols.

Abstract: A method for securely deploying a communication device in a communication network, the method comprising: storing a device identity and an associated token in the network; receiving, in the network, a device identity, a token and an indication of a data routing point; determining whether the received device identity and the received token correspond with a device identity and associated token stored by the network; and, if so, determining that the communication device corresponding to the received device identity has been validly deployed in the network and storing the data routing point as a destination to which data associated with the validly deployed communication device should be routed by the network.

Abstract: A frequency error embodied in a series of values is determined by processing each of two or more selected values with another value in the series, each other value being spaced from its respective selected value by a first spacing, to generate processed values that all comprise substantially the same phase component; combining the processed values to generate a combined value that comprises substantially the same phase component as the processed values; repeating the processing and combining with the same selected values but a second spacing, different from the first spacing, to generate a combined value comprising a different phase component from the combined value generated using the first spacing, reflecting the frequency error; and determining the frequency error in dependence on the combined values generated using the first and second spacings.

Abstract: A communication system comprising a base station and two or more terminals configured for communicating with the base station by means of a communications protocol, wherein: the communications protocol operates in a frequency band to which unlicensed access is permitted; and the terminals are configured for unattended operation with the base station.

Abstract: A method for allocating communication resources in a network comprising a plurality of terminals, some of the terminals being mobile and others of the terminals being static, the method comprising designating one or more of the terminals as static terminals and allocating communication resources of the network in dependence on those designations.

Abstract: A method for synchronising a receiving device with a transmitting device in a wireless communication network comprising forming a synchronisation sequence that has a frequency spectrum comprising peaks at multiple discrete fundamental frequencies, a signal power of the synchronisation sequence being concentrated at those frequencies, and transmitting said synchronisation sequence from the transmitting device to the receiving device.

Abstract: A communication terminal for receiving a communication service from a network that is configured to provide communication services to terminals via a plurality of communication devices, the terminal being configured to receive a communication service from a communication device, receive, from that communication device, a request that it handover from that communication service to another provided by the network and decide, responsive to that request, whether or not to handover from that communication service to another provided by the network.

Abstract: A communication device for communicating via a wireless network that is permitted to operate only in communication channels that are not designated for use by another network, the communication device being configured to determine that it is permitted to use a communication channel and use only a part of the bandwidth of that communication channel in dependence on an activity associated with a device operating outside of the wireless network.

Abstract: A method for estimating an unwanted component that a receiver introduces into a signal at a known frequency, the method comprising applying a frequency offset to a signal, which comprises a wanted component at the known frequency, to form an offset signal having a frequency spectrum in which the wanted component is not positioned at the known frequency, processing the offset signal in the receiver and estimating a component positioned at the known frequency in the frequency spectrum of the processed signal.

Abstract: A communication system comprising a base station and two or more terminals configured for communicating with the base station by means of a communications protocol, wherein: the communications protocol operates in a frequency band to which unlicensed access is permitted; and the terminals are configured for unattended operation with the base station.

Abstract: A controller, implemented as a virtual machine, for operating in a communication network, the controller being configured to format data to be transmitted over the network into a series of frames, transfer the formatted data to a radio for transmission over the network, and control the radio to communicate the series of frames at a frame rate that is sufficiently low for there to be a delay of at least one second between data being received over the network by the radio and the controller having to control the radio to transmit a response to that data.

Abstract: A communication device for communicating with a plurality of terminals using a frequency hopping sequence, the communication device being configured to determine that one of the plurality of terminals is subject to interference on a frequency in the frequency hopping sequence and to, in response to that determination, schedule communication with that terminal to avoid that frequency.

Abstract: A method for allocating communication resources in a network comprising a plurality of terminals, some of the terminals being mobile and others of the terminals being static, the method comprising designating one or more of the terminals as static terminals and allocating communication resources of the network in dependence on those designations.

Abstract: A method for estimating an unwanted component that a receiver introduces into a signal at a known frequency, the method comprising applying a frequency offset to a signal, which comprises a wanted component at the known frequency, to form an offset signal having a frequency spectrum in which the wanted component is not positioned at the known frequency, processing the offset signal in the receiver and estimating a component positioned at the known frequency in the frequency spectrum of the processed signal.

Abstract: A terminal is configured to operate in white space in a wireless communications network, the terminal including: a transmitter for transmitting a wireless signal on a channel lying in the frequency range 450 MHz to 800 MHz; a power controller for setting the transmit power of the wireless signal at a transmit level by adjusting the gain of a power amplifier, wherein the power controller is configured to detect a commencement time for a transmission burst and to adjust the gain over a ramping period from an initial level to the transmit level; and a data generator configured to generate ramping data for transmission during the ramping period and information data for transmission at the transmit level, wherein the ramping period is in the range 10 ms to 1 s.

Abstract: A communication device for communicating via a wireless network that is permitted to operate only in communication channels that are not designated for use by another network, the communication device being configured to determine that it is permitted to use a communication channel and use only a part of the bandwidth of that communication channel in dependence on an activity associated with a device operating outside of the wireless network.

Abstract: A controller for assigning bandwidth to communications made over a communication network, the communication network having available to it a first type of bandwidth, which is not available to other users, and a second type of bandwidth, which is available to other users, the controller being configured to assign a communication the first type of bandwidth or the second type of bandwidth in dependence on an overall bandwidth available to the communication network.

Abstract: A communication device configured to operate in accordance with a first communication protocol and to align itself with one or more communications transmitted in accordance with that protocol by identifying a communication transmitted in accordance with a second communication protocol that is not intended for the communication device, deriving alignment information from the identified communication and configuring itself to receive a communication transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol in dependence on the alignment information.