Abstract: An apparatus for content delivery includes a network interface and one or more processors. The network interface is configured for communicating over a communication network. The processors are configured to identify rendering characteristics of a plurality of content items that are to be displayed together as a User-Interface (UI) unit on a user device, to assign the content items to (i) a first subset including one or more content items that are to be prefetched, and (ii) a second subset including one or more content items that are not to be prefetched, to prefetch the content items of the first subset irrespective of any request from a user of the user device to access the UI unit, to fetch the content items of the second subset in response to a request from the user to access the UI unit, and to present the UI unit.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a network interface (64) for communicating over a communication network (32), and one or more processors (44, 68). In some embodiments, the processors are configured to identify that multiple different video content items, which are available for consumption over the communication network, contain a common interval having the same content, and to prefetch a single instance of the identified common interval to a cache memory (52) of a user device (24), for display with any of the multiple video content items. In other embodiments, the processors are configured to identify that a video content item, which is available for consumption over the communication network, is restricted from prefetching due to Digital Rights Management protection, but that an initial portion of the video content item is not required to be restricted from prefetching, and to prefetch the initial portion to a cache memory of a user device.

Abstract: An apparatus for content delivery (20) includes a network interface (64) and one or more processors (44, 68). The network interface is configured for communicating over a communication network (32). The one or more processors are configured to receive from a user of a user device (24) a request to access a User-Interface (UI) unit that includes one or more content items, to initially display, in response to the request, the UI unit to the user with versions of the content items that are available for immediate display in the user device, regardless of whether the initially displayed versions are up-to-date or not, and, for at least a content item whose initially displayed version is not up-to-date, to obtain an up-to-date version of the content item, and merge the up-to-date version of the content item transparently to the user into the UI unit being displayed, to replace the initially displayed version.

Abstract: A method for content delivery includes selecting one or more time intervals. During each time interval among the selected time intervals, given content is prefetched from a content source to a communication terminal using a guaranteed prefetching mode, by continuously tracking the given content on the content source, so as to detect changes to the given content as they occur during the selected time interval, and maintaining the communication terminal continuously synchronized with the content source with respect to the given content, throughout the selected time interval, notwithstanding the changes that occur during the selected time interval, by continuously prefetching at least part of the given content from the content source to the communication terminal. Outside of the one or more selected time intervals, the given content is prefetched using a best-effort prefetching mode, by tracking the given content less frequently than the guaranteed prefetching mode.

Abstract: An apparatus (24, 60) includes a network interface (64) and one or more processors (44, 68). The network interface is configured for communicating over a communication network (32). The one or more processors are configured to prefetch content items over the communication network, from a content source (28) to a cache memory (52) of a user device (24), wherein at least a content item among the content items includes a cache directive specified by the content source, to modify the cache directive specified by the content source, and to serve the content item having the modified cache directive to a user application (36) running in the user device, so as to cause the user application to process the content item responsively to the modified cache directive.

Abstract: A method for content delivery includes selecting one or more time intervals. During each time interval among the selected time intervals, given content is prefetched from a content source to a communication terminal using a guaranteed prefetching mode, by continuously tracking the given content on the content source, so as to detect changes to the given content as they occur during the selected time interval, and maintaining the communication terminal continuously synchronized with the content source with respect to the given content, throughout the selected time interval, notwithstanding the changes that occur during the selected time interval, by continuously prefetching at least part of the given content from the content source to the communication terminal. Outside of the one or more selected time intervals, the given content is prefetched using a best-effort prefetching mode, by tracking the given content less frequently than the guaranteed prefetching mode.

Abstract: A system (20) includes one or more interfaces and multiple processors. The one or more interfaces are configured to communicate over a communication network (40). At least a first processor from among the processors is included in a user device (24) and at least a second processor from among the processors is included in a server (52) external to the user device. The processors are configured to track content items that are provided by one or more content sources (36) and to deliver the content items to one or more applications (32) installed in the user device.

Abstract: A user device (28) includes an interface and a processor (42). The interface is configured for communicating over a communication network (36, 40) with an electronic-commerce (“e-commerce”) server (24). The processor is configured to run within the user device a local instance (44) of the e-commerce server, wherein the local instance (i) stores locally in the user device at least part of data available to the e-commerce server, and (ii) carries out locally in the user device at least part of a business logic of the e-commerce server, to run an e-commerce agent (46), which conducts e-commerce transactions by interacting over the communication network with the e-commerce server, and locally with the local instance of the e-commerce server.

Abstract: A method includes detecting, by a plurality of user devices (28) that access content on one or more content sources (24), content updates that occurred on the content sources, and reporting the content updates to a content-tracking processor (68). The content updates, which are reported by the plurality of user devices, are collected at the content-tracking processor, and at least some of the collected content updates are distributed to at least some of the user devices. The content is accessed by the user devices responsively to the content updates distributed by the content-tracking processor.

Abstract: A method includes determining available prefetch updates for a user device. Prefetch notifications, which notify the user device of the available prefetch updates, are sent to the user device. At least a portion of the prefetch updates is embedded in one or more of the prefetch notifications.

Abstract: A method for content delivery includes selecting one or more time intervals. During each time interval among the selected time intervals, given content is prefetched from a content source to a communication terminal using a guaranteed prefetching mode, by continuously tracking the given content on the content source, so as to detect changes to the given content as they occur during the selected time interval, and maintaining the communication terminal continuously synchronized with the content source with respect to the given content, throughout the selected time interval, notwithstanding the changes that occur during the selected time interval, by continuously prefetching at least part of the given content from the content source to the communication terminal. Outside of the one or more selected time intervals, the given content is prefetched using a best-effort prefetching mode, by tracking the given content less frequently than the guaranteed prefetching mode.

Abstract: A method includes sending to a user device prefetch notifications, which notify the user device of available prefetch updates. Requests are received from the user device for one or more first prefetch updates, selected by the user device in response to the prefetch notifications. Selected prefetch updates are delivered to the user device, including both (i) one or more of the requested first prefetch updates, and (ii) one or more second prefetch updates selected from among the available prefetch updates not in response to any request from the user device.

Abstract: A method includes identifying interference mitigation capabilities of a first communication unit in a first cell of a cellular communication network. Transmissions of a second communication unit in a second cell of the cellular communication network are scheduled based on the identified interference mitigation capabilities of the first communication unit in the first cell.

Abstract: A method for communication includes, in a transmitter, generating a signal for transmission to a receiver over a frequency sub-band assigned within a predefined system bandwidth, using a selected transmitter carrier frequency. The signal is converted into a phase-compensated signal by applying to the signal, using a phase compensator in the transmitter, a phase compensation that compensates for phase discontinuities caused to the signal due to a frequency difference between the transmitter carrier frequency and a center frequency, which is used by the receiver for down-converting the predefined system bandwidth. The phase compensation depends on the frequency difference. The phase-compensated signal is transmitted to the receiver over the frequency sub-band, using a transmitter front-end module.

Abstract: A method in a receiver includes receiving from a transmitter a signal including at least first and second frames that carry same data. First and second data symbols are identified in the respective first and second frames, wherein the first symbol has a same data value as the second data symbol. A frequency offset between the transmitter and the receiver is estimated based at least on the identified first and second data symbols. A frequency of the receiver is adjusted based on the estimated frequency offset.

Abstract: A system includes a network interface and one or more processors. The processors are configured to track a first pattern with which a user terminal consumes one or more data services while served by a home network specified for the user terminal, to track a second pattern with which the user terminal consumes the one or more data services while served by one or more networks other than the home network, to estimate a reduction in usage of the one or more data services between the first and second patterns, and to selectively enable at least one data service to the user terminal by the networks other than the home network, based on the estimated reduction in usage.

Abstract: A method in a receiver includes receiving a signal that traversed a multipath channel having a channel response, so as to produce a received sequence of samples that are indicative of the channel response. Using a predefined similarity measure, multiple metrics between the received sequence of samples and multiple respective candidate sequences of samples are calculated by the receiver. Each candidate sequence includes a combination of one or more dominant signal components having respective sample delays, and each candidate sequence corresponds to a channel multipath candidate that has one or more channel paths at the respective sample delays. The channel response is estimated by the receiver, by selecting the candidate sequence that best matches the received sequence, the selecting being based on the similarity measure.

Abstract: A method includes caching content items in a cache memory of a communication terminal connected to a communication network. A content item, which is cached in the cache memory, is presented to a user of the communication terminal. An extent of freshness of the cached content item presented to the user is assessed. Presentation of the cached content item is conditionally modified depending on the assessed extent of freshness.

Abstract: A method for communication includes receiving in a first cellular communication terminal signals from a cellular communication network, and deriving by the first cellular communication terminal, from the received signals, one or more parameters for assisting in establishing communication with the cellular communication network. The one or more parameters are relayed from the first cellular communication terminal to a second cellular communication terminal that is not currently associated with the cellular communication network, over a direct device-to-device (D2D) link between the first and second cellular communication terminals, the D2D link not traversing the cellular communication network.

Abstract: A method includes identifying interference mitigation capabilities of a first communication unit in a first cell of a cellular communication network. Transmissions of a second communication unit in a second cell of the cellular communication network are scheduled based on the identified interference mitigation capabilities of the first communication unit in the first cell.