Abstract: A system and method of operating a device in a wireless communication network including a plurality of user equipment UEs and a BS, including a first device generating a signaling message defining resource elements (REs) as an encoded time slot (TS) and subcarrier pairing. A subset of the REs is encoded, such as to create a discovery signal configured to enable discovery of the first UE by a second UE or the BS. The UE is configured to engage in device-to-device communications, including device centric UEs operable in 5G networks.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided to support network communications with groups of UEs. The embodiments include a two-level group-based hybrid-automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism and acknowledgement (ACK)/negative ACK (NACK) feedback. An embodiment method includes receiving, at a UE within a virtual multi-point (ViMP) comprising UEs, a data packet for a target UE (TUE) that is broadcasted from a base station (BS) to the ViMP node, decode the data packet, and upon successfully decoding the data packet, broadcasting the data packet to the UEs within the ViMP node until a timer pre-established by the BS expires or an ACK message is received from the TUE or the ViMP node. In an embodiment, broadcasted data received in the ViMP node is re-broadcasted upon receiving a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message from the TUE, a beacon UE, or any of the UEs within the ViMP node.

Abstract: An embodiment method includes receiving, by a first user equipment (UE), a message, for a second UE, transmitted over a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) on behalf of a communications controller and determining a plurality of log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) in accordance with the received plurality of RBs. The method also includes transmitting, a subset of the determined LLRs to the second UE.

Abstract: Assigning traffic to be transported over either the primary band or the complementary band of a unified air interface based on quality of service (QoS) constraints of the traffic may allow for improved network resource utilization efficiency. In one example, traffic having deterministic QoS constraints is assigned to the primary band, while traffic having statistical QoS constraints is assigned to the complementary band when the complementary band is capable of satisfying the statistical QoS constraints of the traffic. If a condition on the complementary band prevents it from satisfying the statistical QoS constraint of the traffic, then the traffic is assigned to the primary band.

Abstract: Transporting different sets of encoded packets generated from the same traffic flow over the respective licensed and unlicensed bands may provide bandwidth utilization efficiencies in addition to enabling more robust data streaming. More specifically, a transmit point may encode a traffic flow using a fountain code to obtain encoded packets, and then transmit different subsets of the encoded packets over the respective licensed and unlicensed bands. The fountain code may be applied at the physical layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, or the application layer. The respective subsets of packets may be transmitted over the licensed and unlicensed bands at different rates. Different coding rates may be used over the respective bands.

Abstract: Performing wireless transmissions over a unified air interface that span portions of both the primary band and the complementary band may provide improved throughput and spectral efficiency in next generation networks. Wireless transmissions spanning both the licensed and unlicensed spectrum carry data in different frame formats over the respective primary and complementary bands. For example, frames communicated over the primary band may have a different channel structure (e.g., different size, placement, orientation, etc.) than frames communicated over the complementary band. Wireless transmissions spanning the licensed and unlicensed spectrum may also utilize different access schemes and/or waveforms over the respective primary and complementary bands. Embodiment unified air interfaces may be dynamically configurable via software defined radio (SDR) signaling instructions.

Abstract: Dynamically varying transmission rates of a traffic flow over respective portions of a primary band and a complementary band may allow a transmit point to satisfy quality of service (QoS) requirements over a unified air interface. The QoS requirement may stipulate that an overall transmission rate of the traffic flow over the unified air interface exceeds a threshold. Transmission rates may be varied based on a contention level of the complementary band. For instance, during periods of high contention, the transmission rate on the primary band may be ramped up to compensate for a lower effective transmission rate over the complementary band. Likewise, during periods of low contention, the transmission rate on the primary band may be stepped down to compensate for a higher effective transmission rate over the complementary band.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided to support network communications with groups of UEs. The embodiments include a two-level group-based hybrid-automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism and acknowledgement (ACK)/negative ACK (NACK) feedback. An embodiment method includes receiving, at a UE within a virtual multi-point (ViMP) comprising UEs, a data packet for a target UE (TUE) that is broadcasted from a base station (BS) to the ViMP node, decode the data packet, and upon successfully decoding the data packet, broadcasting the data packet to the UEs within the ViMP node until a timer pre-established by the BS expires or an ACK message is received from the TUE or the ViMP node. In an embodiment, broadcasted data received in the ViMP node is re-broadcasted upon receiving a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message from the TUE, a beacon UE, or any of the UEs within the ViMP node.

Abstract: User equipment (UE) cooperation can be improved by relaying partial soft information to target UEs. More specifically, a cooperating UE may relay a subset of log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) to the target UE. The subset of LLRs may correspond to fewer than all resource blocks of the original transmission. This may allow UE cooperation to be effective when the cooperating UE was only able to decode a portion of the original transmission. This may also allow fewer network resources (e.g., bandwidth, etc.) to be used when the target UE does not need all of the soft information to decode the original transmission. Multiple cooperating UEs can provide different subsets of LLRs, and the subsets may or may not overlap with one another.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes compiling, by a network device, a cooperation candidate set (CCS) and determining a cooperation active set (CAS). The CCS includes a plurality of potential cooperating user equipment (CUEs) for selection to the CAS, and the plurality of potential CUEs is selected from a plurality of user equipment (UEs) in the network. The CAS is a set of CUEs selected from the CCS. A target user equipment (TUE) and the set of CUEs form a virtual multipoint transceiver.

Abstract: A method for operating a cooperating user equipment (CUE) includes receiving a plurality of video packets that are hierarchically modulated (HM), with each video packet corresponding to a separately encoded video layer that is encoded with a rateless code, and decoding the plurality of video packets. The method also includes generating one or more supplemental packets to assist in the decoding of the plurality of video packets, and transmitting the one or more supplemental packets.

Abstract: An embodiment method includes selecting, by a network infrastructure manager, a first user equipment (UE) as a destination UE and selecting a second UE as a relay UE for the destination UE. The method further includes negotiating installation of a virtual range extender (vREX) UE on the destination UE, and negotiating installation of a vREX forwarding agent (FA) on the relay UE. The vREX FA is configured to act as a FA for the vREX UE.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe a novel solution to enhance network service to devices with limited or no connectivity. Embodiments include network-aware nodes deployed by an end-user or operator which are configured by a network to achieve enhanced coverage, enhanced throughput, enhanced battery life, and mitigation of cell boundary experiences, etc. Embodiments provide these benefits to a specified or non-specified set of user equipment (e.g., neighboring user equipment). The service expansion terminal can be an available user equipment that is idle and that has been volunteered, assigned, or is a dedicated node with limited user interface and designed for carrying out enhanced coverage, enhanced throughput, enhanced battery life, and the mitigation of cell boundary experiences, etc. Embodiments may therefore provide low-cost, flexible deployment, and mobility thereby enabling boundaryless service.

Abstract: A method for partitioning a communications network includes selecting, by a controller, a starting communications controller for a first region in the communications network according to an interference level. The method also includes including, by the controller, a first neighboring communications controller in the first region if an average inter-cell interference level of the starting communications controller and the first neighboring communications controller exceeds a first threshold and closing the first region if the average inter-cell interference level of the starting communications controller and the first neighboring communications controller fails to exceed the first threshold. The method further includes storing information about the first region in a memory.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for a cooperative cross-tier precoding (CTP) and intra-tier precoding (ITP) scheme for two-tier networks. The cooperative precoding scheme allows exploitation of extra transmit dimensions at the second-tier network, thereby increasing the achievable throughput at the second-tier network. The embodiments allow significant increase in throughput of the second-tier network due to both CTP between the second-tier network and the first-tier network, and efficient ITP between the second-tier network transmitters. The increase in transmit dimension allows for efficient linear inra-tier precoding, which significantly reduces the intra-tier interference. A processor coupled to the second-tier network transmitters is configured to perform CTP of transmit signals in the second-tier network for cancelling signal interference from the second-tier network transmitters to a first-tier network receiver, thereby generating CTP matrix information.

Abstract: Virtualized group-wise communications between a wireless network and a plurality of user equipments (UEs) are supported using UE cooperation. UE cooperation includes receiving, at a cooperating UE (CUE), downlink information from the wireless network destined for a target UE (TUE) and associated with a group identifier (ID). The group ID indicates a virtual multi-point (ViMP) node that includes the TUE and the CUE. The UE cooperation also includes sending the downlink information to the TUE. The UE or UE component can have a processor configured to forward between the wireless network and a TUE at least some information that is associated with a group ID indicating a ViMP node that groups the TUE and the UE.

Abstract: User equipment (UE) cooperation can be improved by relaying partial soft information to target UEs. More specifically, a cooperating UE may relay a subset of log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) to the target UE. The subset of LLRs may correspond to fewer than all resource blocks of the original transmission. This may allow UE cooperation to be effective when the cooperating UE was only able to decode a portion of the original transmission. This may also allow fewer network resources (e.g., bandwidth, etc.) to be used when the target UE does not need all of the soft information to decode the original transmission. Multiple cooperating UEs can provide different subsets of LLRs, and the subsets may or may not overlap with one another.

Abstract: A method for partitioning a communications network includes selecting, by a controller, a starting communications controller for a first region in the communications network according to an interference level. The method also includes including, by the controller, a first neighboring communications controller in the first region if an average inter-cell interference level of the starting communications controller and the first neighboring communications controller exceeds a first threshold and closing the first region if the average inter-cell interference level of the starting communications controller and the first neighboring communications controller fails to exceed the first threshold. The method further includes storing information about the first region in a memory.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided to serve user equipments (UEs) that experience, for example persistently, inter-transmission point group (TPG) interference in a wireless or cellular network. The embodiments include steps to serve edge UEs (EUs) such as persistent EUs (PEUs) using a set of transmission points (TPs) in one or more TPGs. The selected set of TPs used for serving the EUs or PEUs are dynamically determined based on a UE-centric metric. The metric involves the PEUs and surrounding UEs. The UE-centric metric is used to partition the network to multiple TPG sets. For each one of multiple assigned resource units (RUs), a TPG set that maximizes or improves a network-wide utility is used for scheduling transmissions. Further, for each RU, the UEs are associated with an optimized or improved TPG in the used TPG set.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for a cooperative cross-tier precoding (CTP) and intra-tier precoding (ITP) scheme for two-tier networks. The cooperative precoding scheme allows exploitation of extra transmit dimensions at the second-tier network, thereby increasing the achievable throughput at the second-tier network. The embodiments allow significant increase in throughput of the second-tier network due to both CTP between the second-tier network and the first-tier network, and efficient ITP between the second-tier network transmitters. The increase in transmit dimension allows for efficient linear inra-tier precoding, which significantly reduces the intra-tier interference. A processor coupled to the second-tier network transmitters is configured to perform CTP of transmit signals in the second-tier network for cancelling signal interference from the second-tier network transmitters to a first-tier network receiver, thereby generating CTP matrix information.