Abstract: The invention relates to methods for establishing a radio bearer between a network element terminating radio resource control protocol and a mobile terminal. The invention provides RNC for establishing a radio bearer between the RNC and a mobile terminal, especially adapted mobile terminals and a system comprising the network element and at least one mobile terminal. In order to reduce the delays implied by the signaling in the procedure the invention proposes two mechanisms. The first mechanism aims at reducing the delay implied by setting up the radio link for the radio bearer by preconfiguring a pool of resources comprising a set of at least radio bearer configuration and making the available radio bearer configurations known to the mobile terminals. The second mechanism aims at avoiding the delay implied by the explicit assignment of a radio network temporary identifier by signaling a set of available identifiers from which the mobile terminal may choose an identifier.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for configuring an acknowledgement mode of an HARQ re-transmission protocol used for acknowledging the delivery of data packets of a service provided from a transmitting entity to a receiving entity in a wireless communication system comprising a controlling entity in a radio access network. To improve the overall transmission efficiency while providing transmission robustness, the controlling entity configures, based on at least one of a QoS attribute or physical layer parameter, one of a first and second acknowledgement mode.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for transmitting data packets from a mobile terminal to a base station using a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol and soft combining of received data. Further, the present invention provides a base station and a mo-bile terminal both configured to perform the respective method steps. Moreover, a communication system is provided which comprises at least one base station and at least one mobile terminal. In order to decrease the interference caused by retransmissions, the present invention suggests the use of separated channels for initial transmissions and their retransmissions. In order to decrease the interference caused by retransmissions, the present invention suggests the use of separated channels for initial transmissions and their retransmissions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for relocating control plane functionality of a serving base station in a mobile communication system comprising a mobile terminal and a plurality of base stations. Further, the present invention relates to a base station in a mobile communication system and to the mobile communication system. To tackle potentially intolerable delay of control signaling due to frequent serving network element relocations in the network architecture the present invention suggests a partial relocation of a serving network element wherein the control plane functionality is relocated but connection to the core network via a gateway is maintained through the previous serving network element. A further aspect of the present invention suggests a total relocation, where control plane functionalities are relocated and where a new connection to the core network is established between the new serving network element and the gateway.

Abstract: A method, a base station and a wireless communication system are provided which allow to provide optimized Quality of Service to each of a plurality of services belonging to different QoS classes and different users, transmitted over shared physical channels. Data packets are assigned to service categories. To each service category only packets are assigned exclusively belonging to services associated with one user or user group and exclusively belonging to one of said Quality of Service classes. Based on information about the packets, the service categories and/or the shared physical channels, scheduling metrics are calculated, based upon the scheduling metrics, it is decided which of said service categories is to be served next.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method for controlling the transmission timing of data retransmissions in a wireless communication system wherein a HARQ retransmission protocol, is used to retransmit data from a transmitting entity to a receiving entity via a data channel. Further the present invention relates to a base station, a mobile terminal and a communication system employing the present invention. To overcome problems resulting from synchronous retransmissions in interference critical situations, the present invention introduces additional feedback signaling to a new HARQ protocol. The new NACK-S indicates to the transmitting entity to stop the synchronously transmitting retransmissions but to await a scheduling assignment for the retransmission from the receiving entity instead.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for use in wireless communication systems employing dynamic resource allocation schemes (Dynamic Channel Allocation, DCA) together with Link Adaptation (LA) schemes. The method allows to provide individually optimized Quality of Service to each of a plurality of services. This is achieved by exclusively mapping data belonging to one single service to a Physical Data Block. Based on information about the packets, the services and/or the shared physical channels, scheduling metrics are calculated, based upon the scheduling metrics it is decided which of said services is to be served next. Therefore, it is possible to adapt the transmission parameters of physical channels individually to the required Quality of Service of data transmitted over the channel. As a further advantage, the transmission capacity of the physical channel can be economically utilized.

Abstract: A method of determining feedback in a communication system, wherein data is transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver, and in response to data reception at the receiver, feedback is generated based on the received data comprising the step of classifying the data into data entities of different levels of importance and the step of determining feedback based on at least one data entity of one level of importance. The invention further relates to a corresponding receiver, transmitter and a respective communication system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for transmitting data packets from a mobile terminal to a base station using a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol and soft combining of received data. Further, the present invention provides a base station and a mobile terminal both adapted to perform the respective method steps. Moreover, a communication system is provided which comprises at least one base station and at least one mobile terminal. The present invention also provides a computer-readable medium for storing instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to transmit data packets from a mobile terminal to a base station using a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol and soft combining of received data. In order to restrict the interference caused by retransmissions, the present invention suggests controlling the amount of information in the retransmissions and thus the transmission power required for their transmission by TFCS restriction.

Abstract: In a mobile terminal of a wireless communication system, such as UMTS or any future communication system, the quality of service of received multimedia broadcast multicast service data is controlled by determining the error rate or error ratio of the received service data units in the radio link layer. This allows quality of service control for MBMS services received over a PTM transmission.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and base station in a mobile communication system for relocating from a controlling base station to another base station within a mobile communication network resource management control functionality of shared channels in a plurality of cells, each cell being controlled by a base station, wherein each of the shared channels is shared by a plurality of mobile terminals within a cell. Further, the present invention relates to a mobile communication system. To enable controlling network element relocation for distributed radio access network the present invention suggests estimating at the controlling base station the signaling load between the controlling base station and each reporting base station or the processing load at each reporting base station, determining whether to relocate resource management control functionality for at least a part of said plurality of cells and performing the relocation if it has been decided to relocate same.

Abstract: A hybrid ARQ method for packet data transmission in a mobile communication system wherein previously transmitted packets are combined with retransmitted packets. The packets are segmented into a plurality of protocol data units (PDUs), and each PDU is assigned a sequence number for identification purposes. The sequence number is transmitted on a control channel which is separate from the data channel for transmitting the PDUs.

Abstract: The invention provides an ARQ scheme where data packets are transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver in first predetermined time intervals, and positive (ACK) and negative (NAK) acknowledgement messages are transmitted from the receiver to the transmitter in second predetermined time intervals. For each data packet that has been transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver, at least two second time intervals can be used for transmitting the acknowledgement message. The invention therefore improves over synchronous feedback transmission schemes by adding flexibility without incorporating the drawback of asynchronous transmission schemes that are known to have a high signalling overhead. The invention is preferably applicable to UMTS and HSDPA systems but can also be applied in any other communications system. The feedback channel may be uplink or downlink.

Abstract: The invention relates to method and apparatus for reconfiguring a MAC entity of a MAC layer of the apparatus receiving protocol data units from a mobile terminal via on uplink upon reconfiguration of the uplink channel. Further, the invention relates to methods and mobile terminals for triggering the transmission of a status report from an RLC entity configured for an uplink channel of a network element in a radio access network, as well as a method and terminal for configuring the MAC layer of the mobile terminal. In order to enable an efficient and fast generation of RLC status reports after an uplink channel reconfiguration the invention suggests new mechanisms to trigger the transmission of status reports upon uplink reconfiguration as well a new operation and configuration of radio access network elements and UEs upon uplink channel reconfiguration, in particular a transmission time interval (TTI) reconfiguration.

Abstract: The invention relates to method and apparatus for reconfiguring a MAC entity of a MAC layer of the apparatus receiving protocol data units from a mobile terminal via on uplink upon reconfiguration of the uplink channel. Further, the invention relates to methods and mobile terminals for triggering the transmission of a status report from an RLC entity configured for an uplink channel of a network element in a radio access network, as well as a method and terminal for configuring the MAC layer of the mobile terminal. In order to enable an efficient and fast generation of RLC status reports after an uplink channel reconfiguration the invention suggests new mechanisms to trigger the transmission of status reports upon uplink reconfiguration as well a new operation and configuration of radio access network elements and UEs upon uplink channel reconfiguration, in particular a transmission time interval (TTI) reconfiguration.

Abstract: A hybrid ARQ method for packet data transmission in a mobile communication system wherein previously transmitted packets are combined with retransmitted packets. The packets are segmented into a plurality of protocol data units (PDUs), and each PDU is assigned a sequence number for identification purposes. The sequence number is transmitted on a control channel which is separate from the data channel for transmitting the PDUs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for communicating information relating to the scheduling of uplink data transmissions for a mobile terminal transmitting data on the uplink to a plurality of base stations during soft handover of the mobile terminal in a mobile communication system. Further at least one base station of said plurality of base stations schedules uplink data transmissions of the mobile terminal in soft handover. The different embodiments of the invention provide a communication system, a radio resource controller, a base station and mobile terminal which may perform different tasks of the method disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for transmitting data from a mobile terminal to a radio access network of a mobile communication system, the mobile terminal comprising a medium access control entity and to a mobile terminal. In order to enhance data transmission dependent on the scheduling mode, the present invention provides individual priorities depending on the scheduling mode which are used by the mobile terminal to schedule the transmission data or to multiplex different transmission data of different radio bearers onto a transport channel. Further the invention relates to a method and mobile terminal allowing a scheduling mode dependent scheduling of data transmissions by foreseeing and setting a flag for each logical channel depending on the scheduling mode of the associated radio bearer.

Abstract: A hybrid ARQ retransmission method in a communication system, wherein data packets being encoded with a forward error correction (FEC) technique prior to transmission, are retransmitted based on an automatic repeat request and subsequently soft-combined with previously received erroneous data packets either on a symbol-by-symbol or a bit-by-bit basis The symbols of said erroneous data packets are modulated by employing a predetermined first signal constellation. The symbols of the retransmitted data packets are modulated by employing at least a predetermined second signal constellation. Each symbol bit has a mean bit reliability defined by the individual bit reliabilities over all symbols of the predetermined signal constellation. According to the invention, the predetermined first and the at least second signal constellation are selected such that the combined mean bit reliabilities for the respective bits of all transmissions are averaged out.

Abstract: A method of combining soft-handoff with a hybrid ARQ scheme to maximize throughput and gain in a communications system. After receiving a frame from the MS (110), the BTSs (104 and 106) will process the frame and communicate to the MS over a forward control channel whether the frame contained any errors. If all BTSs communicate that the frame contains errors, the MS will retransmit the same frame to all BTSs with a flush bit set to instruct the BTSs 104 and 106 to combine the retransmitted frame with the original frame. If only some BTSs communicate that the frame contains errors, the MS will transmit the next frame to all BTSs that successfully decoded the frame with the flush bit set to instruct the BTSs to erase the previous frame from memory and not to combine the previous frame with the current frame. The MS will retransmit the frame to the BTSs that did not successfully decode the frame with the flush bit set to instruct the BTSs to combine the previous frame with the retransmitted frame.