Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adaptive mini-slot management in a network, including an element management control unit comprising a set of distribution and central units (DU/CU) to monitor power and channel traffic at a plurality of cell sites in the network; a scheduler unit for user equipment (UE) to enable and disable a set of mini-slots in a downlink (DL) pattern and an uplink (UL) pattern including at least two concatenated patterns jointly repeated with periodicity in a slot configuration period for new radio (NR) communications by users at cell sites in the network; and in response to a request by a user, the scheduler unit reserves a number of mini-slots for use in each slot configuration period wherein a reserved slot number is responsive to at least one of a condition of an AC power outage, and reduced channel traffic based on data received by the DU/CU about the condition.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adaptive bandwidth (BW) management configuring an element management control unit including a set of distribution/central units (DU/CU) for monitoring power and traffic loads at a plurality of cell sites in a network; communicating with a BW management unit coupled to the element management system to adapt BW for users at cell sites by moving users to a set of smaller bandwidth parts (BWPs) at a cell site in response to a set of conditions of AC power outages and reduced traffic loads detected by the BW management unit, and in response to at least one of the detected conditions, instructing based on data from the DU/CU to the BW management unit to move user traffic to a designated lower BWP of the set of smaller BWPs at the cell site while shutting down other BWPs at the cell site to save the power of an operating cell site.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adaptive bandwidth (BW) management configuring an element management control unit including a set of distribution/central units (DU/CU) for monitoring power and traffic loads at a plurality of cell sites in a network; communicating with a BW management unit coupled to the element management system to adapt BW for users at cell sites by moving users to a set of smaller bandwidth parts (BWPs) at a cell site in response to a set of conditions of AC power outages and reduced traffic loads detected by the BW management unit, and in response to at least one of the detected conditions, instructing based on data from the DU/CU to the BW management unit to move user traffic to a designated lower BWP of the set of smaller BWPs at the cell site while shutting down other BWPs at the cell site to save the power of an operating cell site.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adaptive bandwidth (BW) management configuring an element management control unit including a set of distribution/central units (DU/CU) for monitoring power and traffic loads at a plurality of cell sites in a network; communicating with a BW management unit coupled to the element management system to adapt BW for users at cell sites by moving users to a set of smaller bandwidth parts (BWPs) at a cell site in response to a set of conditions of AC power outages and reduced traffic loads detected by the BW management unit, and in response to at least one of the detected conditions, instructing based on data from the DU/CU to the BW management unit to move user traffic to a designated lower BWP of the set of smaller BWPs at the cell site while shutting down other BWPs at the cell site to save the power of an operating cell site.

Abstract: Systems and methods of adaptive bandwidth (BW) management are provided by a control unit of distribution and central units to monitor power and traffic loads at a plurality of nodes in a network; a BW management unit communicating with the control unit to reassign a set of network slices with a set of smaller bandwidth parts (BWPs); the BW management unit configured to define a smaller BWP from a slice mapping for the slice reassignment during a AC power outage, the slicing mapping includes network slices tied to smaller BWPs in the network; and the BW management unit configured to adapt BW for users at the node by reassigning of at least one network slice with a defined smaller BWP at the node in response to a condition determined by the BW management unit, the condition of at least one of a AC power outage, and reduced traffic load at the node.

Abstract: Mitigating interference between access nodes in a wireless network includes determining interference caused to uplink signals received at a first access node by downlink signals transmitted from a second access node, and adjusting a guard period of a special subframe utilized by one or both of access nodes based on determining the interference, by switching special subframe formats to include a longer guard period. Overall interference is mitigated based on mutually-experienced propagation delay, and channel reciprocity. Adjustments are associated with known distances between access nodes.

Abstract: A base station may use another base station's carrier-aggregation policy for a cell and carrier-aggregation capability information for a UE as a basis to control handover of the UE from the base station to the other base station. As one example, a first base station may receive, from a UE, a report that the UE has detected coverage of a target cell. The target cell may be provided by a second base station, and the first base station may determine whether the target cell can be aggregated with one or more other cells and whether the UE supports carrier aggregation. The first base station may then select a handover threshold based on the determination, and use the selected handover threshold as a basis to control handover of the UE from being served by the first base station to being served by the second base station.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for mitigating interference from neighbors. Interference may be monitored at a first access node, wherein the monitoring includes detecting an interference pattern over at least two monitored subframes. The interference pattern may be analyzed to identify one or more interference sources, wherein a first interference pattern indicates interference caused by a neighboring access node and a second interference pattern indicates interference caused by one or more wireless devices communicating with a neighboring access node. The identified interference sources may be instructed to adjust transmissions based on the monitored interference.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for preventing premature processing during beam forming. It may be determined, at an access node, that a wireless device has received data using a beam formed transmission from the access node. A gap may be calculated between a reported signal level for the wireless device and a transmission scheme used to transmit downlink data to the wireless device. A threshold value may then be adjusted based on the calculated gap, where the threshold value is used to determine when the wireless device scans a plurality of frequency bands. The adjusted threshold value may be transmitted to the wireless device.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for load balancing between frequency bands based on bandwidth capacity. A load for a first frequency band and a load for a second frequency band may be determined, wherein a cell communicates with wireless devices over the first and second frequency bands. The determined loads may be adjusted based on a channel width for each frequency band and a duplexing scheme for each frequency band. And the adjusted loads may be balanced between the first frequency band and the second frequency band by instructing wireless devices in communication with the cell to change frequency bands used for communicating with the cell.

Abstract: Method and systems for assigning resources to user equipment devices (UEs) from a base station are disclosed. In accordance with the disclosure, the base station operates in a first mode in which the base station gives a UE a first scheduling priority level for resource assignment from the base station. The base station then makes a determination that a packet drop rate for the UE exceeds a threshold packet drop rate. Based on the determination, the base station switches from operating in the first mode to operating in a second mode in which the base station gives the UE a second scheduling priority level for resource assignment from the base station, where the second scheduling priority level is higher than the first scheduling priority level.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for handoff of a wireless device. A total delay budget may be configured to a first access node. Scheduler delays associated with each of multiple scheduling buffers can be measured. An average scheduling delay for multiple wireless devices may be calculated based on the measured scheduler delays. The average scheduling delay may be compared to the total delay budget for the first access node and, when the average scheduling delay exceeds the total delay budget, a second access node may be selected for offload of at least one wireless device of the multiple wireless devices.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for mitigating interference from neighbors. Interference may be monitored at a first access node, wherein the monitoring includes detecting an interference pattern over at least two monitored subframes. The interference pattern may be analyzed to identify one or more interference sources, wherein a first interference pattern indicates interference caused by a neighboring access node and a second interference pattern indicates interference caused by one or more wireless devices communicating with a neighboring access node. The identified interference sources may be instructed to adjust transmissions based on the monitored interference.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for selectively muting default downlink transmission of particular reference signals in order to reduce interference experienced by user equipment devices (UEs) receiving user data. In scheduling transmission of a downlink resource block (RB), a base station may select a particular transmission mode (TM) that does not require transmission of the particular reference signal. The base station may also determine that no condition exists that requires default transmission of the particular reference signal during a time interval allocated for transmission of the RB and on sub-carrier frequencies allocated to the RB. With particular TM selected and the absence of other requirements for default transmission of the particular reference signal, the base station can then mute transmission of the particular reference signal during transmission of the downlink RB. The base station may also coordinate scheduling with a neighboring base station to achieve further interference reduction.

Abstract: When a base station is serving a user equipment device (UE) that tunes away from the base station during recurring tune-away periods, the base station will determine that the base station did not receive a communication expected to be received at a particular time from the UE. Based on the determining, the base station will estimate a first tune-away period of the UE's recurring tune-away periods to be a time period that encompasses the particular time. And based on the estimated first tune-away period, the base station will estimate times of subsequent tune-away periods. The base station will then configure itself such that it avoids communicating with the UE during the estimated times of the subsequent tune-away periods.

Abstract: When a base station is using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication defining multiple layers of communication to serve a user equipment device (UE) over an uplink channel, and the base station detects that its backhaul connection is threshold highly congested, the base station will responsively reduce the number of communication layers used to serve the UE over the uplink channel. In some examples, the base station could reduce the number of communication layers to a single layer, thereby transitioning from serving the UE using uplink MIMO communication to serving the UE using uplink single-input single-output (SISO) communication.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide individual idle-mode cell reselection priority lists to wireless devices dynamically, based on real-time load conditions for frequency bands deployed within a wireless network. Load equalization operations include classifying frequency bands into congested, target, or non-congested bands, grouping similar bands, comparing loads across the various bands in to a threshold, and adjusting the priority of each frequency band accordingly. The adjusted priorities are transmitted to each wireless device as the wireless device enters idle mode.

Abstract: Network nodes including relays and access nodes are configured to transport data packets by identifying the type of data packet and correspondingly compressing a header portion of the data packet. Operations described herein may be implemented in a network that is capable of transporting voice over LTE (VoLTE) data packets using the GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP). A unique value is marked to an IP header of the voice data packet, and the GTP headers may be mapped to a unique bearer that is different from a standard voice bearer used in the network. The compression uses a robust header compression (RoHC), which includes compressing a RTP header portion along with a GTP header portion using existing or new compression profiles.

Abstract: A base station or a UE may use another base station's carrier-aggregation policy for a cell provided by the other base station as a basis to control handover of the UE from being served by the base station to being served by the other base station. As one example, a first base station may use a second base station's carrier-aggregation policy for at least one of multiple co-located cells provided by the second base station as a basis to control handover of the UE from being served by the first base station to being served by the second base station. As another example, a UE may use a second base station's carrier-aggregation policy for one of multiple co-located cells provided by the second base station as a basis to control cell reselection.