Abstract: The exemplary embodiments of this invention provide, in one aspect thereof, a method that includes operating a first wireless communications device in a role as a cluster head in a device-to-device communication mode cluster; and autonomously transferring the role of the cluster head to a second wireless communications device in the device-to-device communication mode cluster. In this method only a wireless communications device that is operating in the role of the cluster head has authority to transmit new data to another wireless communications device in the device-to-device communication mode cluster.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed that facilitate discontinuous reception via a primary cell and one or more secondary cells that have different TDD UL/DL subframe configurations including overlapping subframes, such as in an instance in which a UL subframe of a secondary cell overlaps with a corresponding DL subframe of the primary cell. A method may define an active state of a primary cell to be larger than an active state of a secondary cell in a TDD network that supports carrier aggregation. The method may also provide for discontinuous reception via the primary cell and the secondary cell in accordance with different TDD UL/DL subframe configurations and also in accordance with the respective active states of the primary and secondary cells.

Abstract: A method is provided for facilitating device-to-device communication. The method may include causing a message to be sent to a first device to trigger the first device to transmit a reference signal to transmit a reference signal. The method may further include causing a request for a channel quality indication to be sent to a second device. The request may indicate that the channel quality indication is to be based on measurement of the reference signal. The method may additionally include receiving the channel quality indication in response to the request. The channel quality indication being indicative of a link quality between the first device and the second device. The method made also include determining based on the received channel quality indication whether to cause establishment of a device-to-device link between the first device. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods, devices and computer programs arranged to control access to a cell in a communication network. One embodiment comprises an apparatus comprising a processing system arranged to cause the apparatus to: receive a plurality of Closed Subscriber Group identifiers (CSG IDs) assigned to the cell; select and transmit a first CSG ID from the plurality of CSG IDs on the basis of a first load condition on the cell; and select and transmit a second, different, CSG ID from the plurality of CSG IDs on the basis of a second, different, load condition on the cell.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to facilitate the establishment of device-to-device communications, such as non-cellular communications or cellular communications in a licensed exempt band. A method and apparatus receive cellular signals including one or more beacon transmission parameters, such as a beacon transmission interval and an identifier, and a beacon transmission status flag. The method and apparatus may also determine that the beacon transmission status flag is set to authorize beacon transmissions and then cause non-cellular beacon signals to be repeatedly transmitted in accordance with the one or more beacon transmission parameters. The method and apparatus may also cause a device-to-device connection to be established following transmission of the beacon signals. The device-to-device connection may be either a non-cellular device-to-device connection or a cellular device-to-device connection.

Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (50) includes: means for determining (52) a source timing parameter for a source node (70) and a relay timing parameter for a relay node (60), wherein the relay node (60) is disposed between the source node (70) and the apparatus (50); first means for transmitting (56) the relay timing parameter to the relay node (60); and second means for transmitting (56) the source timing parameter and the relay timing parameter to the source node (70). In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus (70) includes: first means for receiving (76) a first timing parameter; second means for receiving (76) a second timing parameter; first means for transmitting (76) a message to a first node (60) in accordance with the first timing parameter; and second means for transmitting (76) the message to a second node (50) in accordance with the first and second timing parameters.

Abstract: A user equipment and corresponding method detect a frequency division permanent common pilot and include a controller configured to use a sliding correlator with a frequency division phase-shift, an averaging unit configured to average a peak magnitude output of the sliding correlator over a predetermined number of sub-frames for each of possible reference pilot sequence and each sample shift of the sliding correlator, and a maximum peak storing unit configured to store first and second maximum peaks depending on corresponding ratios and a threshold. The user equipment and method thereof also include a pilot sequence index candidate storing unit configured to store a pilot sequence index candidate for each shift of the sliding correlator. The user equipment and method thereof include a selector configured to select the pilot sequence index candidate with a lowest peak ratio to shift the sliding correlator.

Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method comprises obtaining at a network node a scheduling reference point with a fluctuation range based at least in part on at least one metric for a plurality of cellular user equipments (UEs) and at least a pair of device-to-device (D2D) UEs; signaling the scheduling reference point and the fluctuation range to the at least pair of D2D UEs; allocating radio resources to the pair of D2D UEs according to one or more allocation criteria; receiving metrics updates from the pair of D2D UEs and the plurality of cellular users; and adjusting the scheduling reference point and the fluctuation range according to the received metric updates.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided to facilitate communications with MTC devices. An apparatus may include processing circuitry configured at least to receive a broadcasted triggering message and to determine whether the triggering message identifies a machine-type communication (MTC) gateway or another device within a capillary network supported by the MTC gateway. The processing circuitry may cause at least a portion of the triggering message to be provided to a device within the capillary network in an instance in which the triggering message identifies the device within the capillary network. The processing circuitry may also be configured to determine an action requested by the triggering message in an instance in which the triggering message identifies the MTC gateway.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium are provided for implementing a control channel on a backhaul link of a relay system. The method can include, for example, hybrid time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing a relay-physical downlink control channel and relay-physical downlink shared channel of a backhaul link for a relay node as a hybrid multiplexed set of symbols. The relay-physical downlink control channel can include a semi-statically configured searching space to be searched by the relay node. The method can also include transmitting the hybrid multiplexed set of symbols to the relay node.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatuses, a method, computer program and computer-readable medium.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are therefore provided according to an example embodiment to provide a cellular based ITS environment. In this regard, a method includes causing a secondary cell carrier (SCC) to be configured for a mobile terminal located in a vehicular target area. The method of this embodiment may also include causing the SCC to be activated by signaling a vehicular fast activation block (VFAB). The method of this embodiment may also include causing the SCC to deactivate based on a signal strength measurement, received from a road side unit (RSU), in an instance in which the signal strength measurement does not satisfy a predetermined threshold over a measurement period based on a timer.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are therefore provided according to an example embodiment to distributed communications. In this regard, a method includes causing an actual channel and a shadow channel to be configured to carry information for a logical channel. In some example embodiments, the logical channel is configured for at least one QCI class. The method of this embodiment may also include configuring an actual channel on a secondary link and a shadow channel on a primary link. The method of this embodiment may also include causing the shadow channel and the actual channel to be swapped such that the actual channel is configured on the primary link and the shadow channel is configured on the secondary link in an instance in which it is determined that the secondary link is no longer available.

Abstract: An apparatus (20) for providing facilitation of mobile gateway operation may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured, with the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least causing provision of configuration instructions (210) to one or more machines (42) where the configuration instructions define at least a discontinuous reception period and beaconing instructions for the one or more machines relative to machine communications utilizing network defined resources, and causing provision of connection information (220) to a mobile terminal (10) to identify connection parameters that correspond to the configuration instructions provided to the one or more machines where the connection information enables establishment of communication between the mobile terminal and the one or more machines. A corresponding method is also provided.

Abstract: The exemplary embodiments of this invention provide, in one aspect thereof, a method that includes sending a mode switch command from a network access node to a first node of a pair of nodes operating in a device-to-device (D2D) communication mode. The method further includes receiving at least one acknowledgment of the reception of the mode switch command at the network access node, where the at least one acknowledgment is received from a second node of the pair of nodes. In one embodiment the mode switch command is an explicit mode switch command sent using layer 1 (L1) signaling to a master node of the pair of nodes.

Abstract: At a cluster head/first device there is received, from each of at least two other devices with which the cluster head has a respective wireless link, a quality indicator for the respective link observed by the respective other device. The cluster head compiles those received quality indicators into a compressed report, and sends the compressed report to a network entity. In a specific embodiment the cluster head also determines an additional quality indicator of each of those respective links observed by the cluster head by listening to a sounding reference signal sent by the respective other device to the network entity on a PUCCH. Those additional quality indicators are also compiled into the compressed report, as are further quality indicators received from the devices for D2D links between pairs of those other devices that exclude the cluster head. The compressed report can inform how many indicators are above/below a threshold.

Abstract: A method for distributed carrier aggregation on unlicensed bands is described. The method includes tuning an antenna of a user equipment to a first carrier. The method includes transmitting, from an access point on a first carrier, information regarding a second carrier. The method also includes receiving, on the first carrier via the antenna, the information regarding the second carrier. The first carrier and the second carrier are in an unlicensed band. The method includes retuning the antenna to the second carrier and communicating data on the second carrier via the antenna. A maximum transmission power for the second carrier is based at least in part on a bandwidth of the second carrier. Apparatus and computer readable media are also described.

Abstract: Various methods for enabling D2D connections to exchange P2P data so as to reduce traffic on a network. One example method may comprise constructing a local topology of one or more mobile terminals. The method of this embodiment may also include determining that a mobile terminal of the one or more mobile terminals has initiated a peer to peer session. The method of this embodiment may also include determining, based on the local topology, one or more mobile terminals to act as one or more seeder devices for the peer to peer session. The method of this embodiment may also include causing the local topology to be transmitted to the mobile terminal that has initiated the peer to peer session. In some example embodiments, the mobile terminal is configured to use the local topology to initiate a device to device connection for the peer to peer session.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program for controlling device-to-device connections and associated quality-of-service parameters are presented. The quality-of-service parameters of an end-to-end connection through a plurality of different radio access networks are aligned in connection with changing a communication mode to a direct device-to-device connection.

Abstract: A method of controlling device-to-device communications between user equipment, including using a network control element, which is common to a plurality of networks, including controlling any of the following functions: network access control functions, connection set-up, resource allocation, mode switching, handover, security and/or charging. Also a method of controlling handovers or connections in a device-to-device communications between a first and a second user equipment wherein the control is performed, at least in part, said first or second user equipments. Alternatively the user equipment may send reports a handover/connection is initiated/controlled based on said report.