Abstract: A frame configuration is assigned in a relay enabled communication network. A macro coverage latency is determined. The macro coverage latency is a latency of a communication between the wireless device and a network node when the wireless device is not communicating through the relay node. A relay coverage latency is determined. The relay coverage latency is a latency of a communication between the wireless device and the network node when the wireless device is communicating through the relay node. Based on a comparison of the macro coverage latency and the relay coverage latency, a frame configuration is selected for a communication through the relay node.

Abstract: Described embodiments can help a user equipment (UE) participate in a handover procedure that is carried out by the UE's serving base station. In particular, when a neighbor sector is heavily loaded, the base station that serves the neighbor sector may vary the power in at least one reference signal in each subframe in the neighbor sector, thereby providing an indication of the heavy traffic load to UEs that receive the subframe. When a UE is being served by a different base station than the base station that serves the neighbor sector, and the UE detects such load information for a neighbor sector, the UE may report the load information to its serving base station, or may simply refrain from sending a signal strength report that could trigger a handover to the neighbor sector.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically controlling transition of a UE between operating modes based on a consideration of air interface congestion and interruption-sensitivity of communication. The UE operates by default in a first mode such as a circuit-switched-fallback (CSFB) mode. While so operating, a determination is made that the UE's serving air interface is threshold highly congested. In response, if the UE is not engaged in interruption-sensitive communication, the UE then transitions from operating in the first mode to operating in a second mode such as a non-CSFB mode (e.g., a single-radio LTE (SRLTE) mode).

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for compensating excessive delay spread in uplink coordinated multipoint service. An uplink data-unit transmitted by a user equipment device (UE) on a first uplink air interface to a first base station (BS) using a first group of sub-carrier frequencies may be received at a time that is within an alignment-time range for simultaneously decoding uplink data-units from UEs transmitting on the first uplink. A determination is made that the uplink data-unit transmitted simultaneously by the UE on a second uplink air interface using a second group of sub-carrier frequencies will be received at a second BS at a time that is time is beyond the alignment-time range for simultaneously decoding uplink data-units from UEs transmitting on the second uplink. Decoding of the received uplink data-unit at the second BS is then delayed until a start time beyond the end of the alignment-time range.

Abstract: Methods and systems for selective scanning and connecting to a wireless network are described. In an example, a mobile device may be configured to scan for availability of a wireless network and measure, at the mobile device, signal strengths of a wireless signal from the wireless network. Also, the mobile device may be configured to determine a rate of signal strength change for the wireless signal from the wireless network based on the measured signal strengths; and compare the rate of signal strength change to a threshold value. If the rate of signal strength change is less than the threshold value, the mobile device may be configured to establish a connection with the wireless network; if not, the mobile device may be configured to stop scanning for the wireless network.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling which of a plurality of base stations will serve a WCD. Per the disclosure, a base station is selected from the plurality based at least on an extent to which the selected base station can provide MU-MIMO service efficiently to the WCDs that the selected base station is serving. Thus, the base station that will serve the WCD could be selected for effectively serving a lower quantity of WCDs (if MU-MIMO service is enabled) than other base stations of the plurality. And the WCD could then receive service from the selected base station.

Abstract: Multiple relays are different distances from their respective donor access nodes. The donor and relay path selected for a user's traffic is selected based on the priority associated with that user and a ratio of a channel quality indicator and the distance of the donor-relay link. Traffic associated with a higher priority user is routed via a path with a good channel quality indicator to distance ratio whereas traffic for other, lower QoS profile, users does not take channel quality or relay-to-donor distance into account.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for adjusting subframe transmissions based on uplink data rate. Data may be communicated between an access node and a plurality of wireless devices, wherein the data is scheduled for communication according to a first subframe configuration with a first mix of uplink and downlink subframes. An uplink data rate for at least one of the plurality of wireless devices over a first portion of a period of time may be compared to an uplink criteria. A scheduling for a set of subframes over a second portion of the period of time may be adjusted based on the comparison such that the set of subframes comprises a second mix of subframes, wherein the second mix comprises a greater proportion of uplink subframes than the first mix.

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: Systems and methods are described for configuring a scheduler at an access node. At least two regions may be determined for a coverage area of an access node, wherein a first region is bounded by a first distance from the access node and a second region is bounded by a second distance from the access node such that the second distance is greater than the first distance. Wireless transmissions may be scheduled from the access node based on a fairness algorithm such that the fairness algorithm schedules wireless transmissions to wireless devices associated with the first region based on throughput for the wireless devices associated with the first region and the fairness algorithm schedules wireless transmissions to wireless devices associated with the second region based on throughput for wireless devices associated with the second region.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for enhanced multi-antenna transmission. At a multi-antenna system of a first access node, implicit transmit symbols are assigned to a plurality of antennas. At least two antennas are selected from the plurality of antennas to simultaneously transmit explicit symbols to a wireless device. The explicit symbols are used at the wireless device to decode the implicit transmit symbols.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus in which a computing device is configured to present as part of its lock-screen interface an image selected from a user's digital image library, and to receive user input designating a classification of the presented image and respond to that user input by not only recording a classification of the image but also unlocking the device. Further, each time the computing device again presents its lock-screen interface, the computing device may present a next image from the user's image library, thereby allowing the user to concurrently classify that next image as well while unlocking the device. Consequently, as a user repeatedly interacts with the lock-screen interface over time, the user may not only enjoy seeing various images from the user's image library but may also conveniently classify those images as an integral part of the user's repeated unlocking of the device.

Abstract: An Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to provide communication services to mobile nodes. A short message service gateway (SMS-GW) in the IMS network receives a request to deliver a message to a mobile node. The SMS-GW determines whether the mobile node is IMS registered. If the mobile node is IMS registered, the SMS-GW may transmit a SIP MESSAGE request to a call session control function (CSCF) serving the mobile node in order to deliver the message to the mobile node. If the mobile node is SIP-capable but is not IMS registered, the SMS-GW may instead transmit a SIP MESSAGE request to the mobile node's IP address. To obtain the mobile node's IP address, the SMS-GW may query a domain name server (DNS) that stores associations between hostnames and IP addresses of mobile nodes.

Abstract: A method of controlling a system for transmitting data. The method includes transmitting data using a plurality of transmit paths, receiving at the access node a transmit power and an available transmit power of a wireless device, monitoring at the access node the received transmit power and the received available transmit power over a period of time, determining at the access node the received transmit power meets a first criteria and the received available transmit power meets a second criteria, and reducing transmit paths from the access node in response to determining the received transmit power meets the first criteria and the received available transmit power meets the second criteria.

Abstract: A method and system to help manage air interface resources for communication between a user equipment device (UE) and a base station. As disclosed, a UE or base station detect a situation where a transport block that the base station would allocate to the UE would be too small to hold carry a packet that the UE would seek to transmit, and the UE and base station responsively switch to a mode of operation in which the UE will receive a multi-TTI transport block allocation rather than a single-TTI transport block allocation. Given a per-TTI limitation of available air interface resources, the allocation of a transport block spanning multiple TTIs may thus provide the UE with increased air interface capacity for transmission, thus optimally allowing the UE to transmit without a need for segmentation.

Abstract: When an upper layer of a device is going to initiate an exchange of two or more messages with a corresponding upper layer of another device, the initiating device will provide from its upper layer to a lower layer such as a MAC layer an indication of how many messages the devices will be exchanging. In response to that indication, the lower layer of the initiating device will then cause the lower layer of the other device to forgo checking for and confirming availability of the channel for transmission of the next message of the exchange from the other device to the initiating device. Further, the lower layer of the initiating device may also responsively forgo for and confirming availability of the channel for a subsequent message of the exchange.

Abstract: To determine a cause of a customer experience event (e.g., dropped call or choppy video) passively collected measures from various network layers (e.g., internet, transport, application, etc.) are used to establish user activity across multiple service types (a.k.a., contexts). These contexts are monitored across parallel contexts, services, and/or sockets. The multiple contexts are aggregated for analysis. The multiple contexts can be analyzed to determine a cause of the customer experience event.

Abstract: A radio access network (RAN) may determine that a quality-of-service (QOS) load of a first base station exceeds a QOS load high threshold. The RAN may further determine that a set of wireless communication devices (WCDs) served by the first base station are located within a geographic area nearby a second base station. The RAN may additionally determine that the set of WCDs are responsible for at least a predefined portion of the QOS load of the first base station, and may power on the second base station. If at some point a second QOS load of the second base station falls below a QOS load low threshold, the RAN may facilitate handover of at least one of the WCDs served by the second base station from the second base station to the first base station, and may power off the second base station.

Abstract: A method of operating a communication system includes communicating a traffic channel information stream with a wireless device using a first air-interface scheme while communicating control channel information with the wireless device using the first air-interface scheme. The control channel information is communicated with the wireless device using the first air-interface scheme is used to handover the wireless device from the first air-interface scheme to a second air-interface scheme. After the handover of the wireless device from the first air-interface scheme to the second air-interface scheme, the traffic channel information stream is communicated with the wireless device using the second air-interface scheme while still communicating control channel information with the wireless device using the first air-interface scheme.

Abstract: A wireless communication device (WCD) can communicate with either a first radio access network (RAN) that uses a packet-switched network under the control of a call server for voice calls, or a second RAN that uses a circuit-switched network for voice calls. When served by the first RAN, the WCD determines whether it should be served by a relay base station of the first RAN (a base station that has a wireless backhaul to a donor base station), a non-relay base station of the first RAN, or a base station of the second RAN, by measuring a communication latency with the call server. If the latency is greater than a threshold latency for voice calls, the WCD initiates a handover to a non-relay base station (if served by a relay base station) or to a base station of the second RAN (if served by a non-relay base station).