Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a cellular telecommunications network. If determining that a first cell of a base station is about to reboot, performing a handover of one or more User Equipments from that cell to a second cell. After the reboot, the user equipment may be handed back to the rebooted cell. If both cells are to reboot, a determination is made to identify which cell's reboot operation is to be prioritized, a handover of the user equipment attached to the prioritized cell to the other cell is made, the prioritized cell is rebooted, all the user equipments are handed over from the non-prioritized cell to the (now rebooted) prioritized cell, the non-prioritized cell is rebooted and the user equipment that was initially attached to the non-prioritized cell is handed over from the prioritized cell back to the now rebooted non-prioritized cell.

Abstract: A base station for communication with a plurality of mobile terminals in a mobile communications network is disclosed. The base station includes a plurality of transmitters, in which each transmitter is configured to provide a transmit radio signal to a distinct space when compared to the other transmitters. A first transmitter is configured to provide to a first space, a transmit radio signal carrying a multicast service. A second transmitter is configured to provide to a second space, distinct from the first space, a transmit radio signal carrying a unicast service, and the second space shares a first boundary with the first space.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method in a cellular telecommunications network, the method including discovering a second donor base station having a first interface for communicating with the first central base station unit and a second interface for wirelessly communicating with the distributed base station unit; determining a capacity of a connection between the central base station unit and the distributed base station unit via the second donor base station; determining that the capacity of the connection satisfies a functional split threshold; and, in response to this determination, causing the centralized base station unit and the distributed base station unit to implement a second functional split in which a third set of protocol functions are implemented in the distributed base station unit and a fourth set of protocol functions are implemented in the central base station unit; and initiating a handover of the distributed base station unit from the first donor base station to the second donor base station

Abstract: A method and a base station for a mobile communications network. The base station includes a first transceiver configured to communicate over radio signals with a plurality of mobile terminals, in which the first transceiver configured to: transmit a first signal to serve a mobile terminal over multicast; receive from the mobile terminal information derived from the signal quality of a second signal received at the mobile terminal from a second transceiver; and receive from the mobile terminal further information on the quality of the first signal received at the mobile terminal from the first transceiver and on the quality of a third signal received at the mobile terminal from a third transceiver.

Abstract: A method of operating a mobile communications network including a plurality of base stations and a base station for a mobile communications network, wherein the base station includes a plurality of transmitters, a plurality of receivers and a processor, is disclosed. Each transmitter is configured to transmit radio signals to a plurality of mobile terminals. Each receiver is configured to receive radio signals from a plurality of mobile terminals. The processor is configured to serve a mobile terminal via the transmitter over multicast/broadcast across a radio link; receive information from the mobile terminal being served by the transmitter, in which the information derives from signal quality of a multicast/broadcast serving signal received at the mobile terminal from the transmitter; and provide to the mobile terminal first instructions based on a first comparison of the quality of the multicast/broadcast serving signal received at the mobile terminal.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a base station, and a method of operating a base station, in a cellular telecommunications network, the method including the first base station operating in energy saving mode; the first base station receiving a first message, the first message instructing the first base station to exit energy saving mode and to compensate for a second base station; and the first base station exiting energy saving mode and compensating for the second base station.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method in a cellular communications network having a plurality of base stations, and to a base station for said cellular communications network, wherein each base station is configured to use a frequency band of one of a hierarchy of spectrum levels, the method comprising: a first base station using a frequency band of a first spectrum level of the hierarchy of spectrum levels; determining an interference level in the network; determining whether the interference level indicates that the first base station's performance is sub-optimal; and, if so, the first base station reconfiguring to use a frequency band of a second spectrum level of the hierarchy of spectrum levels, the second spectrum level having a different number of frequency bands than the first spectrum level.

Abstract: A passive radio repeater is built into a cover for a pit, in order to relay radio signals between a base station and a wireless communications device such as a water meter at the bottom of the pit. Within the external surface of the lid are provided upper and lower patch antennas. The lower antenna has a radiation pattern that extends downwards at right-angles to the plane of the lid, so that it communicates with the device at the bottom of the pit. The top antenna has a directional beam pattern in the elevation plane, achieved by exciting the top antenna in a mode that is higher than fundamental. The two antennas are coupled by a stripline printed circuit board provided with feeds to generate the required beam patterns.

Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a cellular telecommunications network. If determining that a first cell of a base station is about to reboot, performing a handover of one or more User Equipments from that cell to a second cell. After the reboot, the user equipment may be handed back to the rebooted cell. If both cells are to reboot, a determination is made to identify which cell's reboot operation is to be prioritized, a handover of the user equipment attached to the prioritized cell to the other cell is made, the prioritized cell is rebooted, all the user equipments are handed over from the non-prioritized cell to the (now rebooted) prioritized cell, the non-prioritized cell is rebooted and the user equipment that was initially attached to the non-prioritized cell is handed over from the prioritized cell back to the now rebooted non-prioritized cell.

Abstract: A method, user equipment (UE) and basestation are provided, wherein the UE is configured to send battery status data to the basestation and, in response, the basestation is adapted to improve the Quality of Service for the UE.

Abstract: A passive radio repeater is built into a cover for a pit, in order to relay radio signals between a base station and a wireless communications device such as a water meter at the bottom of the pit. Within the external surface of the lid are provided upper and lower patch antennas. The lower antenna has a radiation pattern that extends downwards at right-angles to the plane of the lid, so that it communicates with the device at the bottom of the pit. The top antenna has a directional beam pattern in the elevation plane, achieved by exciting the top antenna in a mode that is higher than fundamental. The two antennas are coupled by a stripline printed circuit board provided with feeds to generate the required beam patterns.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method of allocating a resource in a virtualized radio access network, wherein the virtualized radio access network includes a first virtual machine delivering a first service type and a second virtual machine delivering a second service type.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method in a cellular telecommunications network, the method including discovering a second donor base station having a first interface for communicating with the first central base station unit and a second interface for wirelessly communicating with the distributed base station unit; determining a capacity of a connection between the central base station unit and the distributed base station unit via the second donor base station; determining that the capacity of the connection satisfies a functional split threshold; and, in response to this determination, causing the centralized base station unit and the distributed base station unit to implement a second functional split in which a third set of protocol functions are implemented in the distributed base station unit and a fourth set of protocol functions are implemented in the central base station unit; and initiating a handover of the distributed base station unit from the first donor base station to the second donor base station

Abstract: Network management equipment described herein includes a User Equipment, basestation and network management entity for implementing a network management method. The network management method can include transmitting, at a first basestation a first message including a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier; determining, for a User Equipment (UE) whether the CSG identifier is present on a first allowed CSG list; determining the allowed service level for the UE, the allowed service level indicating one of at least a first and second allowed service level; and connecting the UE to the first basestation if the CSG identifier is present on the first allowed CSG list, wherein the Quality of Service (QoS) for the UE is dependent on the allowed service level.

Abstract: There is provided a method, and a network node for implementing the method, in a cellular telecommunications network. The cellular telecommunications network includes a first and second base station, the first base station having a first interface for communicating with a first cellular core networking node and a second interface for wirelessly communicating with the second base station, the second base station being mobile and having a first interface for wirelessly communicating with the first base station and a second interface for communicating with a User Equipment (UE), wherein the UE's user traffic is transmitted between the first cellular core networking node and the UE via the first and second base stations.

Abstract: In a cellular telecommunications system, outage management is managed in respect of each cell B by a nominated neighbor cell A, the identity of which is recorded in a neighbor list for cell B. If a cell C, D, other than the nominated neighbor, detects a suspected outage in a cell B, the cell detecting the outage identifies the nominated neighbor A from the neighbor list of cell B, and transmits an outage report to the nominated neighbor cell A, which coordinates a handover and outage management process. This avoids multiple detections of the same outage resulting in conflicting attempts to manage the recovery process.

Abstract: The disclosure includes a method in a cellular communications network, and a User Equipment, basestation and network management entity for implementing the method, the method comprising: a first basestation transmitting a first message including a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier; determining, for a User Equipment (UE) whether the CSG identifier is present on a first allowed CSG list; determining the allowed service level for the UE, the allowed service level indicating one of at least a first and second allowed service level; and connecting the UE to the first basestation if the CSG identifier is present on the first allowed CSG list, wherein the Quality of Service (QoS) for the UE is dependent on the allowed service level.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a base station, and a method of operating a base station, in a cellular telecommunications network, the base station having normal, compensation and energy saving modes of operation

Abstract: There is provided a method, and a network node for implementing the method, in a cellular telecommunications network. The cellular telecommunications network includes a first and second base station, the first base station having a first interface for communicating with a first cellular core networking node and a second interface for wirelessly communicating with the second base station, the second base station being mobile and having a first interface for wirelessly communicating with the first base station and a second interface for communicating with a User Equipment (UE), wherein the UE's user traffic is transmitted between the first cellular core networking node and the UE via the first and second base stations.

Abstract: At a mobile terminal: communicating with a serving base station over multicast; receiving a first multicast signal from the serving base station and a second signal from a second base station; determining an indication of the length of a first cyclic prefix of the first multicast signal and an indication of the length of a second cyclic prefix of the second signal; and where the mobile terminal determines that the lengths of the first and second cyclic prefixes are different, initiating a switch in communication between the mobile terminal and the serving base station to unicast. In complementary fashion, at a base station serving a mobile terminal over multicast; sending to the mobile terminal a multicast signal comprising a first cyclic prefix with a first length; receiving from the mobile terminal an indication that the mobile terminal has detected a second cyclic prefix with a second length and switching communicating with the mobile terminal from multicast to unicast.