Abstract: A system and method for finding a wireless local area network, WLAN, when a mobile terminal is connected to a cellular network. A position associated with each WLAN operating within the coverage area of the cellular network is stored in a database. At predefined intervals or conditions, the system determines a current position of the mobile terminal, and determines whether the current position of the mobile terminal is close enough to a stored WLAN position for the mobile terminal to connect to the WLAN corresponding to the stored WLAN position. If so, a notification is sent to the mobile terminal indicating that the mobile terminal is within range of the identified WLAN. The mobile terminal then scans for the identified WLAN.

Abstract: Diversity radio transmission is accomplished with excellent performance using multiple antennas receiving a transmission signal from a single power amplifier. A data signal to be transmitted is provided to a first antenna, and a phase-shifted version of the data signal is applied a second antenna. The relative phase shift between the data signal transmitted over the two transmit antennas ensures the two antenna signals can be constructively combined at the receiver. In one non-limiting example embodiment, the relative phase shift is determined by processing pilot signals sent along with the data signal and which are transmitted with predetermined phase shifts.

Abstract: A wireless telecommunications network supplies a semi-persistent resource that a wireless station can use for special purposes (such as a retransmission of packets for ARQ purposes or a control signal. The semi-persistent resource can be allocated by the system to other terminals if, e.g., a retransmission is not required. Since a retransmission is generally performed in response to a NACK received from a base station, the NACK may itself serve as a token that permits the wireless station to use the semi-persistent allocation. Thus, the technology includes, e.g., a method for resource allocation on a semi-persistent basis and efficient signaling for the usage of such allocation.

Abstract: A packet filter function in a wireless communication network monitors congestion and communicates a congestion indication to one or more vocoders. In one embodiment, the congestion indication comprises a vocoder source rate calculated by the packet filter function in response to the congestion. The reduced vocoder source rate frees system resources that can be allocated to new users to alleviate the congestion. The vocoder source rate may be communicated to the vocoder(s) in a variety of ways.

Abstract: A method of channel estimation for a signal having a first portion transmitted using a transmit delay diversity scheme and a second portion transmitted using another multi-antenna transmission scheme includes determining a composite channel estimate from the transmit delay diversity portion of the signal. The method continues with segregating the composite channel estimate into delay groups corresponding to time offsets of the transmit delay diversity scheme for determination of first channel estimates for each subset of transmit antennas. Second channel estimates are determined for each subset of transmit antennas as a function of pilot symbols received in the second portion of the signal and corresponding ones of the first channel estimates. Thus, the first channel estimates are used to improve estimation of the second channel estimates. The method and variations of it may be implemented by configuring one or more processing circuits within a receiver circuit.

Abstract: Secure, digital, packet-switched, voice telephony calls are wirelessly transmitted in an efficient manner that reduces air interface bandwidth consumption by encrypting only vocoder data frames containing encoded speech, and not encrypting vocoder data frames that do not contain speech, such as those containing silence parameters. The collective reduced bandwidth consumption across a large number of voice telephony calls may allow for the admission of one or more new calls during times of voice telephony congestion. Not encrypting the silence parameters does not compromise call privacy or security, since the silence data frames do not carry any speech. The classification of encoded data frames as containing speech or not may be performed in a variety of ways.

Abstract: A receiver uses knowledge of pilot symbols transmitted by a neighboring sector to reduce interference in a received data symbol. The received data symbol is transmitted on one or more data subcarriers in a first sector. Overlapping pilot symbols transmitted on overlapping pilot carriers in a second sector are determined and used to generate channel estimates for the overlapping pilot carriers. The overlapping pilot symbols and pilot channel estimates are then used to reduce interference in the received data symbol.

Abstract: A mobile terminal in a wireless communication network detects congestion and lowers its vocoder source rate in response, to help alleviate the congestion. The mobile terminal may detect the congestion in a variety of ways. The mobile terminal may monitor bandwidth allocation in the network, such as by inspecting the UL-MAP and DL-MAP of an IEEE 802.16 OFDM Physical Layer Frame header, for symmetric allocations. Congestion may be defined by the number of symmetric allocations exceeding a threshold. The congestion threshold may be programmed into the mobile terminal, or may be transmitted by the network. The mobile terminal may infer congestion by being repeatedly granted less bandwidth than requested. The network my explicitly indicate congestion, in a MAC message or by setting a congestion flag in one or more voice data frames. The congestion flag may comprise a reserved encoding of the AMR header Frame Type field.

Abstract: A system and method for finding a wireless local area network, WLAN, when a mobile terminal is connected to a cellular network. A position associated with each WLAN operating within the coverage area of the cellular network is stored in a database. At predefined intervals or conditions, the system determines a current position of the mobile terminal, and determines whether the current position of the mobile terminal is close enough to a stored WLAN position for the mobile terminal to connect to the WLAN corresponding to the stored WLAN position. If so, a notification is sent to the mobile terminal indicating that the mobile terminal is within range of the identified WLAN. The mobile terminal then scans for the identified WLAN.

Abstract: A method and arrangement for improving channel decoding performance in a radio receiver. Data bits from previously decoded messages are analyzed to provide a priori information to a channel decoder which is decoding a currently received message of the same type. The invention may analyze both the header and data fields of the previously decoded message frames to detect fields that are unchanging or rarely changing from one frame to the next. Probabilistic knowledge (a) of the bits in these unchanging or rarely changing fields is then used to improve the decoding performance for the current message. If a message cannot be successfully decoded, soft values of the bits are stored and then soft-combined with selected bits in the next message received prior to decoding. The invention is applicable to any type of message that has data components that are repeated with varying degrees of probability in successive transmissions.

Abstract: Method and apparatuses taught herein enable link adaptation feedback to be determined in advance for future transmit intervals, based on one or more data sending units sending indications of future transmit resource allocations, and receiving corresponding link adaptation feedback from data receiving units. Knowledge of the future transmit resource allocations enable individual data sending units to predict interference conditions for the future transmit interval, and thereby compute link adaptation feedback that takes advantage of low-interference conditions. Individual data sending units receive link adaptation feedback for the future transmit interval from the data receiving units they are supporting, and make corresponding link adaptations for the future transmit interval.

Abstract: Transmission scheme for the uplink of FDMA systems that improves performance in an interference-dominated system by using a pilot scheme that provides enough information so that channel estimates can be obtained for a particular user, but which at the same time makes it possible to use pilot patterns that are different in different cells so that co-channel interference is mitigated. A codeword is used to position a set of pilot symbols within a set of subcarriers wherein each subcarrier has a first pilot time slot and a second pilot time slot associated with one or more data time slots. The set of subcarriers are identified on which to transmit the composite signal and the first pilot time slots and the second pilot time slots are filled with the pilot symbols in accordance with the codeword. The composite signal is then formatted as a combination of modulated data and pilot signals.

Abstract: A method is described herein for reducing the number of feedback bits needed to send channel state information over a feedback channel from a receiving unit (e.g., mobile terminal, base station) to a transmitter unit (e.g., base station, mobile terminal) in a wireless communication system.

Abstract: A mobile station (MS) and method for estimating received signal strength of a radio signal from a neighboring cell in a cellular radio telecommunication network. The MS measures the received signal strength of the radio signal over a plurality of frames, and calculates an average received signal strength. During an idle frame, the MS receives a synchronization channel (SCH) signal, and determines a channel estimate for the SCH using a known extended training sequence. The extended training sequence is then modified with the channel estimate, and the modified extended training sequence is subtracted from the received SCH signal to obtain a residual signal. The MS calculates a residual energy of the residual signal, and subtracts the residual energy from the average received signal strength of the radio signal to obtain an estimated received signal strength of the radio signal from the neighboring cell.

Abstract: A receiver is described herein that is capable of receiving and processing a radio signal and further capable of using interpolation to initialize receiver parameters when there is a change in at least one delay associated with the received radio signal or when there is at least one new correlator position. For instance, the receiver parameters that can be initialized include: (1) channel coefficients; (2) AFC parameters; (3) tracking parameters; (4) noise statistics (noise correlations); (5) signal statistics (channel coefficient correlations); (6) data statistics (despread values or chip samples); or (7) combining weights.

Abstract: To receive a signal from a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) communication channel, initial channel taps are generated based on an impulse response estimate of the MIMO communication channel. The received signal is pre-filtered using the initial channel taps to generate output channel taps and a corresponding output signal having an increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and uncorrelated noise. The SNR is based on a ratio of the energy in a first subset of the output channel taps to the energy in a second subset of the output channel taps.

Abstract: A method and base station controller (BSC) in a GPRS/EDGE cellular radio telecommunication system for controlling a handover of a mobile station (MS) conducting both a circuit-switched call and a packet data session, and for rapidly reestablishing the packet data session. The BSC determines from measurement reports that a handover of the MS is imminent. The BSC sends both packet system information and Dual Transfer Mode (DTM) information relevant in the target cell to the MS prior to a handover command. When the handover is complete, the BSC may also send a pseudo cell update message to a serving SGSN. The message includes an identifier of the MS and appears to the SGSN to be from the MS. After the circuit-switched call is reconnected, the packet data session is rapidly reestablished utilizing the information sent to the mobile station prior to the handover command, and without having to send a cell update message from the MS.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for decoding turbo encoded data. A first turbo decoding iteration is performed to produce a most likely sequence of symbols, each symbol having an amplitude value and a positive or negative sign. The sequence of symbols is error checked, and if an error is detected, the apparatus forms a next most likely sequence by reversing the positive or negative sign of the symbol having the smallest amplitude. If an error is again detected, additional sign reversals are performed on symbols with larger amplitudes, and on multiple symbols. Each modification is error checked. If none of the modifications produce an error-free sequence, and a maximum number of modifications are performed, the apparatus performs another turbo decoding iteration to produce another sequence of symbols. The process is then repeated until an error-free sequence is produced or a maximum number of iterations are performed.

Abstract: A broadcast-centric cellular communication system improves broadcast channel performance by exploiting the benefits of macro-diversity in a cellular communication system having a plurality of base stations that transmit signals within a plurality of associated cells. The system constructs an identical paging signal at the plurality of base stations, and controls the base stations to simultaneously transmit the identical paging signal. A mobile station camps on a paging channel that is common to the plurality of base stations, and listens to paging messages being simultaneously broadcast by the plurality of base stations. The mobile station selects a base station having a suitable signal quality, and transmits to the selected base station, a response to a paging message addressed to the mobile station.

Abstract: A mobile station for operating in a broadcast-centric cellular communication system. The system improves broadcast channel performance by exploiting the benefits of macro-diversity in a cellular communication system having a plurality of base stations that transmit signals within a plurality of associated cells. System-specific control information common to all cells is synchronously and simultaneously broadcast from multiple base stations using a broadcast channel that is identical across the entire system. Cell-specific control information is transmitted individually from each base station. The mobile station uses the broadcast information for initial synchronization to the system, and to obtain most relevant system information. After system synchronization, the mobile station identifies the connected cell through a physical layer characteristic, and performs initial access to the system.