Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for improving Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) allocation for improved downlink scheduling. In some embodiments, a method of operation of a network node in a cellular communications network comprises transmitting a downlink assignment to a wireless device, the downlink assignment comprising an indication of whether the downlink assignment applies to a single Transmit Time Interval (TTI) or multiple consecutive TTIs, and transmitting a downlink data transmission to the wireless device during a single TTI or multiple downlink data transmissions to the wireless device during multiple consecutive TTIs according to the downlink assignment. In this manner, the network node does not need to transmit, and the wireless device does not need to receive/decode, a separate downlink assignment in each TTI. This may be beneficial to, e.g., mitigate PDCCH congestion.

Abstract: A method and application server for dynamically determining a Reference Signal (RS) Power Boost level in a radio telecommunication network. The application server may be a Self-Optimized Network (SON) application server configured to received network performance information from Performance Management (PM) counters and configuration information from a configuration database server. The application server monitors a plurality of network Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), compares the KPIs to associated thresholds, and derives and assigns values to KPI threshold factors. The server calculates a scaling factor based on values of the KPI threshold factors, and calculates a dynamic RS Power Boost level by applying the scaling factor to a baseline RS Power Boost level.

Abstract: A radio access network (RAN) allocates a resource, such as a forward traffic channel, to a mobile station that is engaged in a call. During the call, the RAN monitors a reverse link signal that is received from the mobile station. If the RAN detects a reception failure, such as the receipt of an errored frame in the reverse link signal, the RAN determines the power level that the mobile station used to transmit the reverse link signal when the reception failure occurred. If the mobile station was already transmitting at its maximum power level, the RAN may immediately release the resource. Otherwise, the RAN defines a test period that is sufficient for the mobile station to increase its transmit power to the maximum level. If the reception failure continues throughout the test period, the RAN may then release the resource.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for managing communication in a wireless network includes determining a first value indicating a level of use for a scheduled data channel for one or more of a plurality of sectors served by a first base station and determining a second value indicating a level of use for a random access channel for one or more of the plurality of sectors served by the first base station. The method also includes selecting a respective subframe for random access transmissions for each of the sectors served by the first base station based on the first value and the second value. Additionally, the method includes transmitting configuration information to the first base station. The configuration information indicates a subframe selected for each of the sectors.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein that relate to automated measurement and analysis of end-to-end performance of Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) service and, in some embodiments, automated network optimization for VoLTE service performance improvement. In some embodiments, a method of operation of a network node to perform automated end-to-end analysis of VoLTE sessions is provided. In some embodiments, the method of operation of the network node comprises correlating control and data plane messages across a nodes and interfaces in a VoLTE network to thereby provide data representative of end-to-end message flows for a plurality of VoLTE sessions. The method of operation further comprises configuring one or more nodes in the VoLTE network based on the data representative of the end-to-end message flows for the plurality of VoLTE sessions. In this manner, automated network optimization for VoLTE service performance improvement can be provided.

Abstract: A radio network controller (RNC) receives a request to activate a packet data protocol (PDP) context for a wireless device operating in a forward access channel state. The RNC sends the request to activate PDP context to a core network node (CN). The RNC receives a request to assign a radio access bearer from the CN. The RNC sends a response to the request to assign a radio access bearer to the CN and initiates a timer. If the CN accepts the request to activate the PDP context prior to timer expiry, the RNC stops the timer and sends the wireless device the accept message followed by a request to reconfigure a radio bearer. Otherwise, if the timer expires, the RNC sends the wireless device the request to reconfigure the radio bearer followed by the accept message.

Abstract: Devices and methods for intelligent handover requests and management are disclosed. IRAT handover failure can be prevented by ensuring that user equipment (UE) is asked to handover to a target cell that it has already measured, and that resource allocation in the base station sub-system (BSS) is made in the correct cell. For instance, a radio network controller (RNC) can maintain cell identification and corresponding node information when an updated measurement control message is sent to the UE. According to certain aspects, a relocation cancellation message can be sent from an RNC to a mobile switching center (MSC) if a new measurement report, such as a 3a report, is received by the RNC.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a radio network controller (RNC) facilitates a communication session for a wireless device in soft handover with an active set of cells. The active set of cells includes a serving cell (which provides an HS-DSCH connection) and a plurality of non-serving cells. The RNC attempts to admit the HS-DSCH connection in a first non-serving cell that satisfies each of one or more HS-DSCH cell change requirements and provides the best signal strength to the wireless device. If a failure occurs, the RNC attempts to admit the HS-DSCH connection in a second non-serving cell that satisfies each of the HS-DSCH cell change requirements and provides the second best signal strength to the wireless device. If successful, the RNC facilitates moving the HS-DSCH connection from the serving cell to the second non-serving cell.

Abstract: A system and method to sustain an on-going voice call or other service during a handover, HO, by preventing the handover to a target cell that fails to admit all the mandatory Radio Access Bearers, RABs, as part of supporting one or more Quality of Service Class Identifiers, QCIs, associated with the ongoing service. When the source evolved Node B, eNB, prevents the HO to the best target cell, it may attempt the HO to the next best target cell. If the next best cell fails to admit all the mandatory RABs and if there are no other intra-LTE or inter-LTE cells available for HO, the source eNB may perform an inter-Radio Access Technology, RAT, HO using the Single Radio Voice Call Continuity, SRVCC, procedure. By preventing “partial” handovers, the retainability of an ongoing service is significantly improved. The target cells causing failure of particular RABs can be tracked using new counters.

Abstract: A system and method to automatically classify a target cell as a boomer cell for a source cell to assist the source cell in adding or rejecting the target cell as a valid neighbor of the source cell. Such classification is based on the distance between the source and target cells, and the tier value indicating the number of layers of cell sites between the source and target cells. A Self Organizing Network-Optimization Manager, SON-OM, server provides the distance and tier information and, for neighbors which are already defined and existing in a source cell's neighbor list, the SON-OM server can perform a validation—based on corresponding distance and tier calculations—whether these neighbors are boomer cells or not. A boomer cell can be automatically eliminated from the neighbor list and all handovers to that boomer cell can be prevented to improve interference management and resource utilization in the network.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a method for reducing power consumption in a network node includes determining that physical resource block utilization by a first radio unit is less than a predefined threshold and at least one condition is present indicating the feasibility of the second radio unit for handling service to the first sector and the second sector. The second radio unit is reconfigured to provide service to the first sector.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a method for reducing power consumption in a network node includes determining that an operating bandwidth for a first cell is greater than a first predefined threshold and that a number of user devices being actively serviced by the network node are equal to or less than a second predefined threshold. At least one configuration change is performed to reduce power consumption by the network node.

Abstract: A method and arrangement in a Radio Network Controller (RNC) for monitoring radio link (RL) synchronization for each RL as soon as it is added to a User Equipment's (UE's) Active Set. When a new RL is added, each RL in the Active Set sends an Active Set Update Complete message to the RNC. When the RNC determines that a Radio Link Restore Indication message is not received from the Target NodeB serving the new RL, the RNC starts an initRlSyncT timer set for a defined time period and monitors incoming messages to determine whether the Radio Link Restore Indication message is received for the new RL before the initRlSyncT timer expires. If so, the method ends; but if not, the RNC instructs associated NodeBs and the UE to remove the new RL from the UE's Active Set.

Abstract: According to some embodiments, a radio network controller (RNC) facilitates a communication session for a wireless device in soft handover with an active set of cells. The active set of cells includes a serving cell (which provides an HS-DSCH connection) and a plurality of non-serving cells. The RNC attempts to admit the HS-DSCH connection in a first non-serving cell that satisfies each of one or more HS-DSCH cell change requirements and provides the best signal strength to the wireless device. If a failure occurs, the RNC attempts to admit the HS-DSCH connection in a second non-serving cell that satisfies each of the HS-DSCH cell change requirements and provides the second best signal strength to the wireless device. If successful, the RNC facilitates moving the HS-DSCH connection from the serving cell to the second non-serving cell.

Abstract: A method and congestion controller for controlling congestion in a sector of a cellular telecommunication network that is limited by available downlink transmit power. The network includes a plurality of radio links between a radio base station and User Equipments (UEs) operating in the sector. The controller may first reduce the power of a first subset of the radio links by reducing the packet-switched (PS) downlink target Block Error Rate (BLER) Quality. If the congestion is not resolved within a defined time period, the power of a second subset of the radio links may be reduced by reducing the circuit-switched (CS) DL target BLER Quality. If reducing the PS and CS downlink target BLER Quality does not resolve the congestion, the invention may then implement an existing method of releasing non-guaranteed Air Interface Speech Equivalents (ASEs) and then guaranteed ASEs if required.

Abstract: A method and application server for dynamically determining a Reference Signal (RS) Power Boost level in a radio telecommunication network. The application server may be a Self-Optimized Network (SON) application server configured to received network performance information from Performance Management (PM) counters and configuration information from a configuration database server. The application server monitors a plurality of network Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), compares the KPIs to associated thresholds, and derives and assigns values to KPI threshold factors. The server calculates a scaling factor based on values of the KPI threshold factors, and calculates a dynamic RS Power Boost level by applying the scaling factor to a baseline RS Power Boost level.

Abstract: A radio network controller (RNC) receives a request to activate a packet data protocol (PDP) context for a wireless device operating in a forward access channel state. The RNC sends the request to activate PDP context to a core network node (CN). The RNC receives a request to assign a radio access bearer from the CN. The RNC sends a response to the request to assign a radio access bearer to the CN and initiates a timer. If the CN accepts the request to activate the PDP context prior to timer expiry, the RNC stops the timer and sends the wireless device the accept message followed by a request to reconfigure a radio bearer. Otherwise, if the timer expires, the RNC sends the wireless device the request to reconfigure the radio bearer followed by the accept message.

Abstract: A supporting node maintains a retransmission database that stores information about the historical retransmission rates of user terminals served by the network. The supporting network node provides the information about the retransmission rates of the user terminals to the base stations that are serving the user terminals. When a user terminal is being scheduled to receive a downlink transmission, the scheduler at the base station may use historical retransmission rates of the user terminal to select transmission parameters, e.g. modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and/or transport block size (TBS), for the downlink transmission.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selecting channel elements in a wireless communication system based on their performance history. Data is collected indicating the performance of various channel elements over time, preferably eliminating from consideration any performance degradation due to air interface (e.g., radio frequency) issues. The data is then used to sort the channel elements in a priority order, from best-performing to worst-performing. When a channel element is to be selected for use in connection with an air interface channel (e.g., traffic channel or control channel), the channel element is then selected in accordance with the priority order, such as by selecting the channel element that has performed best over time. The priority-based selection of channel elements can thus leave poor-performing channel elements for use as a last resort, which can be advantageous in times of heavy network loading for instance.

Abstract: A method and mechanism to use a serving evolved Node B, eNB, to force a User Equipment, UE, (being served by that eNB) into Discontinuous Reception, DRX, mode despite pending data transactions at the UE. This results in timely reading of Extended Cell Global Identity, ECGI, of neighboring cell(s), thereby facilitating entry of a target cell into the serving cell's neighbor list via Automatic Neighbor Relation, ANR, and subsequent handover (if needed) to that target cell. The serving eNB may instruct its scheduler to not allocate any Resource Blocks, RBs, to the UE (especially when the UE has high volume of pending data transactions and/or when the UE is in motion and its retransmission rate is beyond a specific threshold) such that the UE automatically goes into the DRX mode. The duration of the DRX cycle also may be optionally extended until ECGI measurements from the UE are received.