Abstract: When a first throughput between the wireless device and a first access node meets a threshold, an application requirement of an application running on the wireless device is determined. Measurements are received of a first signal level of the communication link between the wireless device and the first access node and a second signal level of a signal from a second access node received at the wireless device. A first data rate is estimated using a first communication scheme between the wireless device and the first and second access nodes, and a second data rate is estimated using a second communication scheme between the wireless device and the first and second access nodes. One of the communication schemes is selected for use by the wireless device and the first and second access nodes based on the estimated first data rate and the estimated second data rate and the application requirement.

Abstract: A wireless air interface may be defined for communication with a wireless communication device (WCD). The wireless air interface may include paired low-frequency channels and paired high-frequency channels, where the paired low-frequency channels include a low-frequency downlink channel and a low-frequency uplink channel, and where the paired high-frequency channels include a high-frequency downlink channel and a high-frequency uplink channel. It may be determined that, on at least one of the downlink or uplink channels, the WCD is experiencing a quality of wireless coverage below a threshold wireless coverage value. Possibly in response to the WCD experiencing the quality of wireless coverage below the threshold wireless coverage value, the downlink and uplink channels may be reconfigured so that the paired low-frequency channels include two low-frequency uplink channels and the paired high-frequency channels include two high-frequency downlink channels.

Abstract: In systems and methods of determining a transmission order of packets in a wireless communication network, one method includes determining an efficiency of time frequency frame allocations performed by a network node over a predetermined period of time. The method also includes determining when the efficiency of the time frequency frame allocations is below a threshold. The method further includes rearranging two or more time frequency frames in one or more time transmission intervals when the efficiency of the time frequency frame allocations is determined to be below the threshold.

Abstract: A system and method of providing wireless communications to a wireless device is provided. A scanning report can be received from each of a plurality of wireless devices in communication with a first access node using a first radio access technology. A second access node can be selected from among one or more second access nodes to initiate communications with the first access node over a communication link based on the scanning report from each of the plurality of wireless devices. The plurality of wireless devices can be instructed to establish communications with the second access node using a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology. A bandwidth allocation of the communication link can be adjusted based on the plurality of wireless devices.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for coordinating interference mitigation techniques and beamforming. Information about transmissions made by at least one access node neighboring a first access node is obtained. Further, profile data for a wireless device within a transmission range of the first access node is obtained. The systems and methods contemplate determining that transmissions from the first access node to the wireless device will utilize beamforming, based upon the profile data for the wireless device. The first access node is instructed to schedule wireless transmissions to the wireless device utilizing beamforming, based upon the determination to use beamforming.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for scheduling transmissions between an access node and wireless devices. A location may be determined for a plurality of small cells within an access node signal area. Based on the determined locations, a frame structure may be selected for the access node used to communicate with a plurality of wireless devices. Data may then be communicated between the access node and a plurality of wireless devices based on the selected frame structure.

Abstract: A database is maintained that maps source cell regions to channel condition on the neighbor cell(s) coverage. The database also tracks whether the neighbor cell has better, weaker, or similar signal strength than the source cell. The channel condition and bitrate requirement of each wireless device being served by the source cell are also tracked. Once a particular neighbor cell has been selected for traffic offload (i.e., handover of one or more wireless devices), the source cell uses the database to select which wireless devices should send measurement reports. Those wireless devices with channel conditions that are mapped in the database to the target cell's coverage are designated for possible selection. Among these wireless devices, either the wireless devices with the highest or lowest bitrate requirements are selected to provide measurement reports for the target cell.

Abstract: Aspects of selecting a base station or coverage area for a UE device are described. The UE device or a wireless network component (e.g., a base station) can determine RF uplink use values of a coverage area sector or cell. The RF uplink use values can be received from one or more base stations and can be based on a subframe or other time segment. The UE device can determine an average and variation of the RF uplink use values, and a load metric. The load metric can indicate a load pattern of an RF uplink. A selection of the base station or coverage area can be based on the load metric and whether the UE device is located or operating at an edge of a cell or coverage area. The UE device, while idle, can continue or switch to camping on the selected base station or coverage area.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system to help manage data buffering, which may in turn help manage air interface resources. In accordance with the disclosure, when a base station detects transmitting data transmission to a WCD at a rate exceeding a defined rate cap, the base station may then predict how long it will be before a data buffer that would hold excess data for transmission to the WCD would reach a threshold fill level where the base station would increase air interface resources used for transmission to the WCD. The base station may then determine, based at least on that predicted duration, whether and/or to what extent to the increase the threshold fill level of the buffer, to help defer the buffer from reaching the threshold fill level, and thus to help defer increasing of air interface resources used for transmission to the WCD.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for determining a broadcast transmission scheme for an area. Channel quality indicators may be received from a plurality of wireless devices. For each of the plurality of wireless devices, a location may be determined. A geographic area may be classified as a first broadcast classification based on the channel quality indicators received from wireless devices that comprise a location proximate to the geographic area. A transmission scheme may be determined for a broadcast transmission to wireless devices proximate to the geographic area based on the first broadcast classification, where the transmission scheme may comprise a least a modulation and coding scheme. One or more access nodes may then be instructed to broadcast using the determined transmission scheme for the geographic area.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system of imposing a policy rule for excessive usage in an access network. According to the disclosure, a policy enforcement point (PEP) may detect that usage by a given client device is threshold high and responsively request, from a policy decision point (PDP), a policy directive that specifies a policy rule to apply to the given client device. However, thereafter, the PEP may determine that the requested policy directive has not been received from the PDP and then responsively apply, to the given client device, a default policy rule for threshold-high usage.

Abstract: According to the present disclosure, a base station may be configured to serve a user equipment device (UE) over two or more beams using different modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) in response to determining that another base station is concurrently serving another UE at nearly the same location. For instance, a first base station may initially serve a first UE over two beams using the same MCS on both beams. The first base station may then determine that a second base station is serving a second UE at nearly the same location. And in response, the first base station may then change the MCS on at least one of the two beams so that the first base station then serves the first UE using different MCSs on the two beams. Serving the first UE with different MCSs concurrently on multiple beams may help to improve the first UE's reception.

Abstract: A base station and a user equipment (UE) device may communicate over an air interface using a frequency division duplexing (FDD) configuration that provides a time sequence of consecutive subframes for both uplink and downlink communications. A transmitter (either the UE device or the base station) may select a sequence of N subframes for N transmissions of the same data to a receiver using transmission time interval (TTI) bundling, wherein successive subframes in the sequence are separated by one or more subframes. The transmitter may transmit the data M times (where M<N) and may receive an acknowledgement during the one or more subframes between subframe M and subframe M+1 in the sequence that the receiver has successfully received the data. In response to the acknowledgement, the transmitter may cancel transmission of the data in each subframe of the sequence occurring after subframe M.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for improved paging in a wireless communication system. In a scenario where base stations broadcast congestion indicators to prevent mobile stations from registering in coverage areas that are experiencing threshold congestion, the method provides for a new form of zone based paging that accounts for the possibility that a mobile station has entered into a new zone but has not yet registered due to a threshold congestion state. According to the method, a paging attempt will be directed to the mobile station's zone of last registration and to only those coverage areas in at least one adjacent paging zone that are deemed to be experiencing threshold congestion.

Abstract: In accordance with the disclosed methods and systems, while providing a service that enables user equipment devices (UEs) being served by a first network to engage in signaling with a second network via the first network, a controller or other network entity may detect an error condition associated with the service, such as a threshold-high level of signaling or an interface failure. In response to detecting the error condition, base stations in the first network may then direct one or more UEs being served by the first network to refrain from using the given service. As a result, the one or more UEs may refrain from using the given service and may instead use another approach to engage in signaling with the second network, which may enable the one or more UEs to circumvent the error condition until it gets remedied.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for reducing the load on a downlink control channel of a given carrier of a plurality of carriers in a coverage area. As disclosed, a base station may determine that the downlink control channel of the given carrier is threshold loaded. In response to this determination, the base station may then (a) identify a particular subset of the UEs that are currently designated for DCI transmission on the downlink control channel of the given carrier and then (b) take action to de-designate the identified subset of UEs for DCI transmission on the given carrier and instead designate the identified subset of UEs for DCI transmission only on one or more other carriers in the coverage area.

Abstract: An example embodiment may involve defining an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexed (OFDM) wireless air interface that contains time-division multiplexed subframes. A primary signaling channel may be formed by modulation symbols that are statically allocated to fixed time positions of each subframe, and span contiguous subcarrier frequencies. A secondary signaling channel may be defined in the OFDM wireless air interface. The secondary signaling channel may be formed by modulation symbols that are dynamically allocated to time positions of one or more subcarrier frequencies, and span at least two consecutive subframes of the OFDM wireless air interface. A signaling message may be transmitted, on the primary signaling channel, to one or more WCDs. The signaling message may be transmitted in a first subframe of the consecutive subframes, and may identify the secondary signaling channel.

Abstract: An example embodiment may involve determining a quality of service level for network traffic associated with a WCD. The WCD may be served by an air interface of a RAN. The air interface may include a primary signaling channel and a secondary signaling channel, where the primary signaling channel simultaneously spans all of a plurality of contiguous subcarrier frequencies and the secondary signaling channel does not simultaneously span all of the plurality of contiguous subcarrier frequencies. The example embodiment may further involve, possibly based on the quality of service level for the network traffic associated with the WCD, selecting the primary signaling channel or the secondary signaling channel for transmission of a signaling message to the WCD. The example embodiment may also involve transmitting the signaling message to the WCD via the selected signaling channel.

Abstract: A mobile station receives a neighbor list from a base station in an area of a public wireless network that borders a private wireless network. The neighbor list includes encrypted channel identifiers corresponding to private network channels transmitted by the private wireless network and unencrypted channel identifiers corresponding to public network channels transmitted by the public wireless network. If the mobile station does not subscribe to the private wireless network, the mobile station does not recognize the encrypted channel identifiers and simply ignores them. However, if the mobile station subscribes to the private wireless network, the mobile station decrypts the encrypted channel identifiers and determines whether it is able to initiate a handoff to any of the corresponding private network channels.