Abstract: Allocating resources in a wireless network includes monitoring usage of each of a control channel and a data channel, determining that at least the usage of the data channel exceeds a capacity of the data channel, determining a usage of each of the control channel and the data channel operating in MU-MIMO mode, determining that the usage of the control channel in the MU-MIMO mode exceeds a first capacity of the control channel, determining a usage of each of the control channel and the data channel operating in both the MU-MIMO mode and an enhanced control mode, and adjusting a size of the portion of resources of the data channel allocated for control information upon determining that the second usage of one of the control channel or the data channel exceeds a second capacity of one of the control channel or the data channel.

Abstract: A wireless device is configured to function as a relay on behalf of a donor access node. The wireless device requests to send a buffer status report to the donor access node. The donor access node grants this request with an allocation of air-interface resources. The wireless device responds to the grant by sending a short buffer status report. This short buffer status report is associated with a logical channel group that indicates the buffer status report is communicating the status of the wireless device as a relay, and thus is not asking for additional resource allocations. The buffer size field of the short buffer status report may also, or alternatively, be used to indicate the status of the wireless device functioning as a relay, or other information such as the number of other wireless devices being relayed by the wireless device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a wireless communication system are provided. A network node can determine a number of access nodes transmitting data using a first multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS) mode. A number of retransmission requests received at each access node transmitting data using the first MBMS mode can be determined. At least one access node can be reconfigured to transmit data from the first MBMS mode to a second MBMS mode based on the number of retransmission requests received from each access node.

Abstract: Systems and methods for allocating frequencies based on group delay variation considerations include a base station that operates in a frequency range comprising a first set of frequency groups and a second set of frequency groups, where frequency groups of the first set are less susceptible to group delay variation based impairments than the frequency groups of the second set. In response to a requirement to transmit data between the base station and a particular UE, the base station determines whether the particular UE is receiving wireless service directly from the base station or via a relay associated with the base station, and when the particular UE is receiving wireless service via the relay, the base station allocates one or more frequency groups from the first set of frequency groups to use for transmitting data between the base station and the particular UE to satisfy the requirement.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for scheduling wireless transmissions from an access node based on service provider. Data may be communicated between an access node and a plurality of wireless devices, wherein each of the plurality of wireless devices uses one of a first service provider and a second service provider to communicate with an access node. Transmissions may then be scheduled from the access node to the plurality of wireless devices based on a provider priority for the service providers and a backhaul congestion for each of the service providers.

Abstract: A base station will determine both that a served device's power headroom is threshold low and that the device's downlink receive signal strength is threshold low. In response to at least determining both that the device's power headroom is threshold low and that the device's downlink receive signal strength is threshold low, the base station will then begin applying an uplink coverage boosting process for the device, including limiting or reducing the number of frequency blocks that the base station allocates to the device for uplink transmission per transmission time interval, to help increase the device's per-frequency-block transmission power and thus the device's uplink communication quality. This could be usefully carried out with respect to voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) uplink coverage boosting (VUCB) for instance, to help improve voice communication quality.

Abstract: A method and system for disabling handover of a wireless communication device (WCD) that is acting as a relay WCD in relay base station. The relay WCD may receive from its serving base station a parameter message including one or more sets of handover threshold parameter values, where the relay WCD compares measurements of power received from one or more base stations with one or more handover threshold values to determine if a condition is met for sending receive-power measurement messages to the serving base station. Based on the one or more sets of handover threshold values, the relay WCD may infer what capability the serving base station has for distinguishing between relay WCDs and non-relay WCDs. Based on the inference, the relay WCD may control its reporting to the serving base station of receive-power measurement reports relating to the one or more sets of handover threshold values.

Abstract: A radio access network may determine that a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmission schedule of a wireless air interface defined by the RAN includes time-division-multiplexed slots that are subject to HARQ acknowledgment bundling and time-division-multiplexed slots that are not subject to HARQ acknowledgment bundling. The RAN may assign, to relay base stations served by the RAN, time-division-multiplexed slots of the wireless air interface that are not subject to HARQ acknowledgment bundling. The RAN may also assign, to non-relay wireless communication devices (WCDs) served by the RAN, time-division-multiplexed slots of the wireless air interface that are subject to HARQ acknowledgment bundling. The RAN may transmit, over the air interface, HARQ subpackets according to the transmission schedule and assignments of time-division-multiplexed slots.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and corresponding system for controlling how a user equipment device (UE) is served by a second network while the UE is concurrently served by a base station of a first network, where the first network has an interconnection with the second network. In an example method, if the UE determines that the base station serving the UE is not a relay base station, the UE then causes itself to be served by the second network in a first mode in which the UE is registered with the second network via the first network. Whereas, if the UE determines that the base station is a relay base station, the UE then instead causes itself to be served by the second network in a second mode in which the UE is registered with the second network directly via the second network rather than via the first network.

Abstract: Upon a determination that a relay backhaul link of a relay node is using excessive resources of a donor access node, wireless devices attached to the relay node are offloaded to other access nodes such as neighbor access nodes or to a different frequency band deployed by the donor access node or its neighbors. A donor access node transmits a congestion indicator to the relay node. The relay node transmits updated measurement parameters to end-user wireless devices connected thereto. An end-user wireless device reports back to the relay node in the event it measures a signal strength that is stronger than the current signal strength. This measurement event triggers a handoff of the end-user wireless device, thereby helping to alleviate the resource utilization of the air-interface of the donor access node.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system to help manage handover of a UE based on data buffering. In accordance with the disclosure, when a base station receives data destined for a UE, the base station may record the received data into a data buffer for temporary storage and retrieve the data at some later time to transmit the data to the UE. The base station may then determine, based at least in part on an amount of elapsed time from recording the data to retrieving the data, whether to invoke handover of the UE from being served by the base station to being served by a different, neighboring base station.

Abstract: A method and system for bit-level protection in concurrent downlink coordinated multipoint transmission of bit groups to multiple user equipment devices (UEs) from multiple base stations. Multiple base stations each serving a respective UE and each having a separate bit stream to communicate to its respective served UE will define bit groups across the bit streams, such that each bit group includes at least one bit from each base station's bit stream. Each bit group will be transmitted as a multi-bit data symbol modulated onto a subcarrier frequency. Susceptibility to pairwise confusion between different data symbols due to misidentification of particular bits will be used to determine bit-level protection for various bit positions of the data symbols. Assignment of particular bits of each bit group to particular UEs will include consideration of bit-level protection, such that UEs with lower quality downlink properties will be assigned bits providing higher bit-level protection, and vice versa.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for coordinating transmissions from a multiple access nodes in a communication network. A relay-capable status of wireless devices connected to an access node may be determined. Relay capable wireless devices are dynamically selected from the connected wireless devices for assignment of coordinated transmissions from an access node. Scheduling between the selected relay capable wireless devices and the access node is conducted.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for controlling paging by a radio access network (RAN), where the RAN provides multiple cells in which to serve wireless client devices (WCDs). In an example method, if the RAN determines that a WCD is configured to provide connectivity between at least one other device and the RAN, the RAN then pages the WCD using a first mode in which an initial page attempt of a sequence of page attempts is in just the WCD's cell of last registration and a subsequent page attempt of the sequence is in at least a wider region around the WCD's cell of last registration. Whereas, if the RAN determines that the WCD is not configured to provide such connectivity, the RAN instead pages the WCD using a second mode in which each page attempt of the sequence is in just the WCD's cell of last registration.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for extending coverage of a wireless device. A handover trigger threshold may be established for a plurality of wireless devices located in a coverage area of an access node. An attachment request may be received at the access node from at least one wireless device having a power class different from a common power class of the plurality of wireless devices. Based on the reported power class, the access node may adjust a handover trigger threshold for the at least one wireless device. The access node may instruct the at least one wireless device to extend its coverage until the adjusted handover trigger threshold is met.

Abstract: In an example method, a UE receives modulated data transmitted from a base station in a given subframe, and searches through the received modulated data to find the physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) of the given subframe. The searching is based on the PCFICH having a predefined structure. Upon thereby finding the PCFICH of the given subframe, the UE determines the control format indicator (CFI) carried by the PCFICH of the given subframe. The UE then uses the CFI carried by the PCFICH of the given subframe as a basis to read a portion of a downlink control channel of the given subframe.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for cross scheduling transmissions from an access node. Data may be communicated between an access node and a wireless device over a first frequency band. A first application and a second application associated with the wireless device may be determined, where each of the applications comprises an application type. Based on the application type one of the first frequency band and a second frequency band may be selected for the first application and the second application, where the selected frequency bands are different. Transmissions associated with the first application may then be scheduled over the frequency band selected for the first application and transmissions associated with the second application may then be scheduled over the frequency band selected for the second application.

Abstract: A multi-mode mobile station includes a first interface for communicating with a first wireless network, such as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), and a second interface for communicating with a second wireless network, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN). While the multi-mode mobile station has a first connection with the first wireless network, the multi-mode mobile station establishes a second connection with the second wireless network. When the second connection is established, the second wireless network transmits an acknowledgement signal to the multi-mode mobile station. In response to the acknowledgment signal, the multi-mode mobile station disables the first connection with the first wireless network and powers down the first interface.

Abstract: Retransmission parameters are determined for a wireless device based on a desired retransmission success rate, that is, a probability that subsequent random access requests transmitted from the wireless device re-initiating a contention-based random access procedure with an access node will reach the access node. The retransmission parameters are determined based on at least a quality of service associated with the wireless device, a distance of the wireless device from the access node, and a cell load of the access node. The retransmission parameters include a retransmission power and a retransmission backoff window size. A product of the power and backoff window is scaled such that it can be equated with a retransmission success rate.

Abstract: A relay wireless device is configured to function as a relay on behalf of a donor access node. The relay wireless device determines a preferred donor access node from among a plurality of candidate donor access nodes based on a comparison with a number of thresholds for reliable and efficient provision of services to end-user wireless devices via the relay wireless device. Any access node that meets the threshold requirements is added to a list of candidate donor access nodes. The candidate donor access node that best meets the thresholds may be selected as the preferred donor access node, and a connection request submitted to the preferred donor access node.