Abstract: A wireless feeder network comprises feeder base stations coupled to the communications network and feeder terminals coupled to associated access base stations of the access network. A group of wireless network components form elements of a feeder cluster and the elements of the feeder cluster are connected by an additional communications resource configured to be operated in parallel with the wireless resource of the wireless feeder network. Both a primary and secondary element of the feeder cluster seek to decode at least one resource block allocated to the primary element for reception of data. Information derived from the secondary decoded data is transmitted from the secondary element to the primary element via the additional communications resource. The primary element then performs a revised decoding process additionally using the information received from said secondary element to improve its own decode probability.

Abstract: An antenna apparatus for use in a wireless network and method of operating such an antenna apparatus are provided. A wireless network controller provides a configuration of such an antenna apparatus, a method of operating such a wireless network controller, and a resulting wireless network. The antenna apparatus comprises a directional antenna and a uniform circular antenna array. The directional antenna can be rotatably positioned about an axis with respect to a fixed mounting portion of the apparatus in dependence on wireless signals received by the antenna array. The antenna array allows the antenna apparatus to receive wireless signals isotropically and thus to accurately monitor the wireless signal environment in which it finds itself. The antenna apparatus can thus monitor and characterise incoming signals, both from external interference sources and from other network nodes, and the directional antenna can then be positioned in rotation to improve the network throughput.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus comprising a location receiver to receive a signal indicative of a location of the location receiver. A movement mechanism rotates the location receiver about an axis and provides an angle of the location receiver about the axis from a known point. Calculation circuitry produces an output value indicative of an absolute bearing of the known point about the axis, based on a plurality of given angles of the location receiver about the axis from the known point, and a plurality of associated locations of the location receiver indicated by the signal received when the location receiver is at each of the given angles.

Abstract: A method and apparatus configures a wireless network comprising a plurality of nodes to mitigate effects of an external interference source. A subset of the nodes simultaneously participate in an external interference sampling process in which each node of the subset samples signals received by an antenna array of that node. A measurement report, comprising a signal source angle and a received signal strength, is received from a node. A location of the external interference source is estimated using the measurement report. The external interference source is then characterised using the estimated location of the external interference source and the received signal strength to calculate for the external interference source at least one of: a source power; a beam width; an antenna bearing; and a front-to-back transmission ratio. The nodes are configured to mitigate effects of the external interference source in dependence on a result of the characterising step.

Abstract: An antenna apparatus for use in a wireless network and method of operating such an antenna apparatus are provided. The antenna apparatus has omnidirectional antenna elements and RF chains, where there are fewer RF chains than omnidirectional antenna elements. A subset of the omnidirectional antenna elements are coupled to the RF chains and sampling circuitry coupled to the RF chains samples the signals received by the subset of the omnidirectional antenna elements. This forms part of a signal detection process in which different subsets of the omnidirectional antenna elements are iteratively coupled to the RF chains. A signal sample spatial covariance matrix for the omnidirectional antenna elements is constructed from the signals sampled by the sampling circuitry at each iteration and a beamforming algorithm applied to the signal sample spatial covariance matrix parameterises the signals received by the omnidirectional antenna elements.

Abstract: A method and corresponding apparatus are provided for network configuration selection in a wireless network comprising a plurality of nodes. A subset of the nodes are configured to simultaneously participate in a sounding process, in which a node of the subset omni-directionally transmits a predetermined signal and in which other nodes of the subset of nodes sample the predetermined signal as received by an omni-directional antenna array of that node. Measurement reports are received from the subset of nodes, each measurement report comprising a signal source angle and a received signal strength. A path loss is determined in dependence on each measurement report to generate a set of path losses covering a plurality of transmitter node receiver node pairs. Then a directional configuration is selected for a directional antenna of each node of the subset of nodes for data transmission in dependence on the set of path losses.

Abstract: A communications schedule routes data between relay nodes forming a wireless relay network and interconnects relay nodes by an ordered sequence of communications links established over a wireless resource comprising resource blocks. Candidate connectivity patterns for the ordered sequence of communications links and candidate resource allocations are provided. For each candidate connectivity pattern, a level of a performance characteristic is calculated for a selected combination of the candidate resource allocations. Based on a desired level of the performance characteristic, a candidate connectivity pattern and associated selected combination of candidate resource allocations whose calculated level of the performance characteristic meets the desired level, is selected as the communications schedule.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for determining modulation control information and a reference signal design to be used by a transmitter node when generating a transmit signal to transmit from a transmitter (logical antenna) of the transmitter node over a channel of a wireless link to a recipient node. The modulation control information is used by the transmitter node to convert source data into an information bearing signal, and the information bearing signal is combined with a reference signal conforming to the reference signal design in order to produce the transmit signal.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for determining modulation control information and a reference signal design to be used by a transmitter node when generating a transmit signal to transmit from a transmitter (logical antenna) of the transmitter node over a channel of a wireless link to a recipient node. The modulation control information is used by the transmitter node to convert source data into an information bearing signal, and the information bearing signal is combined with a reference signal conforming to the reference signal design in order to produce the transmit signal.

Abstract: A wireless network, connecting network users to a communications network, comprises base stations connected to the communications network and terminals connected to the network users, each terminal having a link with a base station to form a base station/terminal pair, the links established over a wireless resource comprising resource blocks. The method comprises: determining, for each base station/terminal pair, a set of resource utilization fractions; determining a set of co-channel interference matrices for each network component, distributing, to each base station, corresponding elements from the sets of resource utilization fractions and the sets of co-channel interference matrices; suppressing, in each network component, co-channel interference in dependence on the determined co-channel interference matrix; and dynamically establishing links required to handle the network traffic for each base station by selecting from the resource blocks in accordance with the resource utilization fractions.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for controlling a wireless feeder network which connects access base stations to a communications network. The wireless feeder network comprises a plurality of feeder base stations connected to the communications network and a plurality of feeder terminals connected to the plurality of access base stations. A sounding schedule is determined for the wireless feeder network in dependence on a visibility matrix, the visibility matrix indicative of visibility via the wireless feeder network between each of the plurality of feeder base stations and each of the plurality of feeder terminals. Then a sounding procedure within the wireless feeder network is controlled in accordance with the sounding schedule. The visibility matrix enables a coordinated sounding procedure to be carried out, allowing more accurate channel metrics for the wireless channels of the network to be determined which are not adversely affected by interference between elements of the network.

Abstract: A wireless feeder network comprises feeder base stations coupled to the communications network and feeder terminals coupled to associated access base stations of the access network. A group of wireless network components form elements of a feeder cluster and the elements of the feeder cluster are connected by an additional communications resource configured to be operated in parallel with the wireless resource of the wireless feeder network. Both a primary and secondary element of the feeder cluster seek to decode at least one resource block allocated to the primary element for reception of data. Information derived from the secondary decoded data is transmitted from the secondary element to the primary element via the additional communications resource. The primary element then performs a revised decoding process additionally using the information received from said secondary element to improve its own decode probability.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for controlling a wireless feeder network used to couple access base stations of an access network with a communications network. The wireless feeder network comprises a plurality of feeder base stations coupled to the communications network and a plurality of feeder terminals coupled to associated access base stations. Each feeder terminal has a feeder link with a feeder base station, and the feeder links are established over a wireless resource comprising a plurality of resource blocks. Sounding data obtained from the wireless feeder network is used to compute an initial global schedule to allocate to each feeder link at least one resource block, and the global schedule is distributed whereafter the wireless feeder network operates in accordance with the currently distributed global schedule to pass traffic between the communications network and the access base stations.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for controlling a wireless feeder network used to couple access base stations of an access network with a communications network. The wireless feeder network connects base stations coupled to the communications network and feeder terminals coupled to associated access base stations. Each feeder terminal has a feeder link with a feeder base station. The method includes allocating resource blocks for the feeder base stations and feeder terminals to establish the feeder links. The resource blocks are allocated between a centrally administered schedule and at least one feeder base station administered schedule. Network traffic being carried by the feeder links is monitored to determine at least one characteristic. The resource blocks are reallocated between the centrally administered schedule and the at least one feeder base station administered schedule in dependence on the at least one characteristic of the network traffic.

Abstract: A radio channel estimation technique is described for use in a OFDM-based radio communications system. A block of OFDM symbols is transmitted from multiple antennas over multiple sub-carrier frequencies. The block of OFDM symbols includes known pilot symbols as well as data symbols to be determined by a receiver. The pilot symbols are transmitted in a predetermined pattern at periodic times on periodic sub-carriers. A pilot channel estimate is determined for each pilot symbol in the received block of OFDM symbols. An N×M matrix of points corresponding to the received OFDM symbol block is formed. N is the number of sub-carriers and M is the number of OFDM symbols in the OFDM symbol block. The matrix is formed by inserting pilot channel estimates at predetermined positions in the N×M matrix according to the predetermined pilot pattern and inserting zeros in remaining positions in the N×M matrix.

Abstract: A wireless network, connecting network users to a communications network, comprises base stations connected to the communications network and terminals connected to the network users, each terminal having a link with a base station to form a base station/terminal pair, the links established over a wireless resource comprising resource blocks. The method comprises: determining, for each base station/terminal pair, a set of resource utilisation fractions; determining a set of co-channel interference matrices for each network component, distributing, to each base station, corresponding elements from the sets of resource utilisation fractions and the sets of co-channel interference matrices; suppressing, in each network component, co-channel interference in dependence on the determined co-channel interference matrix; and dynamically establishing links required to handle the network traffic for each base station by selecting from the resource blocks in accordance with the resource utilisation fractions.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for controlling a wireless feeder network used to couple access base stations of an access network with a communications network. The wireless feeder network connects base stations coupled to the communications network and feeder terminals coupled to associated access base stations. Each feeder terminal has a feeder link with a feeder base station. The method includes allocating resource blocks for the feeder base stations and feeder terminals to establish the feeder links. The resource blocks are allocated between a centrally administered schedule and at least one feeder base station administered schedule. Network traffic being carried by the feeder links is monitored to determine at least one characteristic. The resource blocks are reallocated between the centrally administered schedule and the at least one feeder base station administered schedule in dependence on the at least one characteristic of the network traffic.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for controlling a wireless feeder network used to couple access base stations of an access network with a communications network. The wireless feeder network comprises a plurality of feeder base stations coupled to the communications network and a plurality of feeder terminals coupled to associated access base stations. Each feeder terminal has a feeder link with a feeder base station, and the feeder links are established over a wireless resource comprising a plurality of resource blocks. Sounding data obtained from the wireless feeder network is used to compute an initial global schedule to allocate to each feeder link at least one resource block, and the global schedule is distributed whereafter the wireless feeder network operates in accordance with the currently distributed global schedule to pass traffic between the communications network and the access base stations.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for controlling a wireless feeder network which connects access base stations to a communications network. The wireless feeder network comprises a plurality of feeder base stations connected to the communications network and a plurality of feeder terminals connected to the plurality of access base stations. A sounding schedule is determined for the wireless feeder network in dependence on a visibility matrix, the visibility matrix indicative of visibility via the wireless feeder network between each of the plurality of feeder base stations and each of the plurality of feeder terminals. Then a sounding procedure within the wireless feeder network is controlled in accordance with the sounding schedule. The visibility matrix enables a coordinated sounding procedure to be carried out, allowing more accurate channel metrics for the wireless channels of the network to be determined which are not adversely affected by interference between elements of the network.

Abstract: A radio channel estimation technique is described for use in a OFDM-based radio communications system. A block of OFDM symbols is transmitted from multiple antennas over multiple sub-carrier frequencies. The block of OFDM symbols includes known pilot symbols as well as data symbols to be determined by a receiver. The pilot symbols are transmitted in a predetermined pattern at periodic times on periodic sub-carriers. A pilot channel estimate is determined for each pilot symbol in the received block of OFDM symbols. An N×M matrix of points corresponding to the received OFDM symbol block is formed. N is the number of sub-carriers and M is the number of OFDM symbols in the OFDM symbol block. The matrix is formed by inserting pilot channel estimates at predetermined positions in the N×M matrix according to the predetermined pilot pattern and inserting zeros in remaining positions in the N×M matrix.