Abstract: A wireless communication device (WCD) may determine that the WCD has bearer traffic queued for transmission to a radio access network (RAN). The WCD may be configured to transmit the bearer traffic and neighbor reports over a reverse-direction channel of the RAN. The neighbor reports may contain information related to wireless coverage areas. One or more characteristics of the bearer traffic may also be determined. Based on the one or more characteristics of the bearer traffic, the neighbor reports may be scheduled to be transmitted over the reverse-direction channel at a particular rate. The WCD may transmit the neighbor reports over the reverse-direction channel at the particular rate.

Abstract: A method of managing modulation for transmission of data in anticipation of handover. When a source base station is serving a UE and determines that the UE is going to hand over to a target base station, the source base station automatically transitions to transmit data to the UE with a low-order MCS selected without regard to CQIs reported by the UE, or at least to apply an MCS corresponding with a CQI lower than that reported by the UE. By applying a low-order MCS to transmit data to the UE, the source base station may increase the likelihood that the data will arrive successfully at the UE, as the low-order MCS may be more tolerant to noise than higher-order MCSs.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for selection of a handover target for a user equipment device (UE). In particular, a wireless communication system may serve the UE over an air interface connection between the UE and a source base station (BS). While the system serves the UE, the system may make a selection of a handover target for the UE. And in accordance with the disclosure, the selection may be based at least in part on the handover target not having a wireless relay backhaul connection. Once the system selects the handover target using the disclosed approach, the system may then trigger handover of the UE from being served by the source BS to being served by the selected handover target.

Abstract: A method and system for handover of a wireless communication device (WCD) from a source base station to a target base station that is a relay base station. The source base station may engage in procedure to handover the WCD to the target base station. A determination may be made as to whether or not the target base station is a relay base station with a wireless backhaul. If the target base station is determined to be a relay base station with a wireless backhaul, then the source base station may transmit to the WCD on an air interface a message containing a particular identifier for use by the WCD in a contention-free random access request to the source base station. In the event that the handover fails, the WCD may make a contention-free random access request to the source base station to regain access through the source base station.

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: According to aspects of the disclosure, a method and system are provided for managing cell selection in a wireless communication network. In accordance with this disclosure, each cell in a radio access network (RAN) broadcasts a respective carrier-aggregation policy of the cell on its air interface. A UE engaging in a cell selection process reads the respective carrier-aggregation policy of each cell under consideration and selects a cell on which to attach based at least in part on the respective carrier-aggregation policies of the cells. The UE can then attach to the selected cell so that the selected cell can then serve the UE.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for managing coverage area changes using base station signaling. The method may involve a first base station increasing the distance of coverage of the first base station on a first carrier frequency such that the extended coverage extends to a coverage area of a second base station on the first carrier frequency. The second base station may also be providing the coverage area on a second carrier frequency. The method may also involve causing one or more UEs being served by the second base station on the second frequency to prioritize operating on the first carrier frequency of the second base station over operating on the second carrier frequency of the second base station.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for performing a handover based on a target configuration. Signal information may be received, from a wireless device at a first access node, comprising a signal level for a received signal at the wireless device for a target frequency band, wherein the wireless device and the access node communicate over a source frequency band using a first subframe configuration. A second subframe configuration used by the target carrier to communicate with wireless devices may be determined. A traffic metric for the wireless device may be compared to the second subframe configuration. And, the wireless device may be instructed to perform a handover from the source frequency band to the target frequency band when the signal level meets a signal level criteria and the second subframe configuration satisfies the traffic metric.

Abstract: A method for controlling a UE situated in both a coverage area of a first base station and a coverage area of a second base station involves detecting that the UE is ping-ponging between being served by the first base station and being served by the second base station and determining that the second base station is a relay base station. Further, the method involves, responsive to detecting the ping-ponging and determining that the second base station is a relay base station, (a) determining a carrier on which the first base station provides service and on which the second base station does not provide service, and (b) based on the first base station providing service on the determined carrier and the second base station not providing service on the determined carrier, causing the UE to be served by the first base station on the determined carrier.

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 herein are methods and systems that may help to dynamically schedule data transmissions in accordance with a fairness policy between different classes of a users. An example method may be implemented in an access network that is configured for carrier-aggregation service via a plurality of component carriers in a given coverage area, and involves: (i) determining a usage level in the given coverage area, and (ii) determining that the usage level in the given coverage area is greater than a threshold usage level and responsively: (a) determining relative carrier-aggregation capabilities between two or more classes of user equipment (UE) that have established data connections in the coverage area, and (b) adjusting a per-carrier scheduling ratio for the given coverage area based on the relative carrier-aggregation capabilities between the two or more UE classes.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and corresponding system for managing communication in a first network, where the first network is interconnected with a fallback network. The first network may detect, when a user equipment device (UE) served by a base station of the first network seeks to initiate a voice call, the UE will transition from being served by the first network to be served by the fallback network in order to initiate the voice call directly via the fallback network rather than initiate the voice call via the first network. In response to detecting this, and further in response to the base station not supporting signaling between the UE and the fallback network, the first network may cause the UE to not transition to be served by the fallback network and to instead stay served by the base station.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system to help manage communication in a network configured to support an inter-network fallback process in which the network passes pre-registration signaling and call-setup signaling between a fallback network and user equipment devices (UEs) served by the network to facilitate transition of UEs from being served over one air interface protocol by the network to being served with calls over a different air interface protocol by the fallback network. When the network detects a threshold extent of failure of the inter-network fallback process with respect to at least one UE served in a first coverage area provided by the network, the network may responsively direct one or more UEs served in the first coverage area to each hand over from the first coverage area to at least one second coverage area provided by the network instead of transitioning to be served by the fallback network.

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: Disclosed are methods and systems for requesting a UE to forgo handover to a congested neighbor. In particular, a wireless communication system may serve the UE over an air interface connection between the UE and the first base station. While serving the UE, the wireless communication system may receive from the UE a handover request requesting a handover of the UE from the first base station to a second base station. In response to receiving from the UE the handover request, the wireless communication system may determine that the second base station is threshold congested, and, responsive to the determining, (i) deny the handover request and (ii) send to the UE a command for the UE to withhold transmission of further requests for handover of the UE from the first base station to the second base station.

Abstract: A base station may use the quality of service (QoS) levels of the bearer connections of user equipment devices (UEs) as a basis to allocate paging resources to the UEs. In one example, a UE may receive from the base station a message defining a plurality of recurring paging occasions. The plurality of paging occasions may include a first set of paging occasions and a second set of paging occasions that are mutually exclusive. The UE may then make a decision, based on a QoS level of a bearer connection of the UE, of whether to monitor one or more paging occasions of the first set of paging occasions or rather to monitor one or more paging occasions of the second set of paging occasions. And the UE may monitor, in accordance with the decision, at least one paging occasion for paging messages destined for the UE.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and a corresponding system for managing quantity of carriers, based at least in part on consideration of a public land mobile network (PLMN) to which the user equipment device (UE) at issue subscribes. A base station serving the UE may determine the PLMN to which the UE subscribes and, based at least on the UE's PLMN, may determine a quantity of carriers on which to serve the UE, the determined quantity of carriers being at least one carrier. The base station may then configure an air interface between the base station and the UE to encompass the determined quantity of carriers, so that the base station is then set to serve the UE on the determined quantity of carriers.

Abstract: In an example method, a base station encounters a trigger to begin providing carrier aggregation service to a UE. The base station is serving the UE on a first carrier, and makes a determination that the first carrier is a carrier having an uplink transmission power restriction rather than a carrier that does not have the uplink transmission power restriction. Responsive to encountering the trigger: based at least on the determination, the base station initiates a handover of the UE from the first carrier to a second carrier that does not have the uplink transmission power restriction; and the base station providing the UE with the carrier aggregation service, using the second carrier as a primary carrier during the carrier aggregation service.

Abstract: A wireless network includes first-configuration sectors with a first frequency assignment and second-configuration sectors with a second frequency assignment. When served by a first-configuration sector that borders a second-configuration sector, the mobile station receives (i) a neighbor list that identifies neighbor sectors of the primary sector, including the second-configuration sector, (ii) a primary-sector reference distance between a transmitter for the primary sector and a reference point in the primary sector, and (iii) a neighbor-sector reference distance between a transmitter for the second-configuration sector and the reference point. Based on the reference distances, the mobile station calculates a border distance between the primary sector's transmitter and a border between the sectors. The mobile station compares its distance from the primary sector's transmitter to the primary-sector reference distance and/or border distance.

Abstract: A method and system for transferring buffered downlink data for a wireless communication device (WCD) from a source base station to a target base station as part of a handover of the WCD from the source to the target base station. The source base station may have downlink data for transmission to the WCD buffered during the handover. A determination may be made as to whether or not the target base station is a relay base station with a wireless backhaul. If the target base station is determined to be a relay base station with a wireless backhaul, then the source base station may refrain from transmitting at least one portion of the buffered data to the target base station.