Abstract: The present invention discloses an apparatus, a method and a computer program for mapping and allocating available television white space channels for a terminal requesting resources. The mapping is based on the data of available overlapping TV white space channels within a geographical tracking area and coexistence with other cellular secondary systems within the area. Furthermore, a location for a moving mode II device may be tracked periodically. The geo-location accuracy of the mode II device affects the TV white space resources which can be allocated to the device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided that may enable the provision of machine to machine (M2M) communication in a wireless network environment. In this regard, for example, relatively low power devices (specifically referencing low transmission power) such as sensors or other machines in an M2M system may be enabled to communicate with a mobile terminal via a first carrier when the power ratio between the average received machine power and the average downlink received cellular power is below a threshold value and communicate with the mobile terminal via a second carrier if the power ratio exceeds the threshold value. Thus, only one carrier may be needed by devices in such an environment in order to perform M2M communication.

Abstract: RRC signaling is used to configure a user device for N secondary cells SCells on license-exempt channels wi in a frequency hopping channel set W={wi} where i=1,2, . . . N. Then cross-carrier scheduling is sent on a primary cell PCell to schedule a frequency hopping FH resource block hi on the ith license-exempt channel wi. Based on measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels wi received from at least the user device, parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted. The FH resource block contains M physical resource blocks, scheduled for the SCell during a FH time interval Tu*L+j by a resource grant sent on a PDCCH of the PCell. In an embodiment the RRC signaling is sent by a micro access node/HeNB on the PCell, the cross carrier scheduling is sent also by the micro access node/HeNB on the PCell, and the PCell lies within an LTE licensed frequency band.

Abstract: RRC signaling is used to configure a user device for N secondary cells SCells on license-exempt channels wi in a frequency hopping channel set W={wi} where i=1, 2, . . . N. Then cross-carrier scheduling is sent on a primary cell PCell to schedule a frequency hopping FH resource block hi on the ith license-exempt channel wi. Based on measurements of at least some of the license-exempt channels wi received from at least the user device, parameters for the frequency hopping are adapted. The FH resource block contains M physical resource blocks, scheduled for the SCell during a FH time interval Tu*L+j by a resource grants sent on a PDCCH of the PCell. In an embodiment the RRC signaling is sent by a micro access node/HeNB on the PCell, the cross carrier scheduling is sent also by the micro access node/HeNB on the PCell, and the PCell lies within a LTE licensed frequency band.

Abstract: An apparatus, system and method for determining a location of a wireless communication device employing machine-to-machine devices in a communication system. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a processor 920 and memory 950 including computer program code. The memory 950 and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor 920, cause the apparatus to receive a list of machine-to-machine device identifiers for machine-to-machine devices, produce machine-to-machine measurement reports based of reference signals from the machine-to-machine devices on the list, and prepare the machine-to-machine measurement reports for transmission to a base station to determine a position of the apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing machine-to-machine communication in a wireless network 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 providing wireless network resources to enable direct downlink communication from a wireless network access point to a relatively low power communication device, allocating wireless network resources to enable uplink data to be provided from the relatively low power communication device to a mobile gateway device within communication range of the relatively low power communication device and utilizing wireless network resources to receive the uplink data from the mobile gateway device at the wireless network access point. A corresponding method and computer program product are also provided.

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: Transmitting physical signals precoded at the physical layer, and transmitting via a physical channel precoded at the physical layer decoding information for use in physical layer decoding of said physical signals; wherein said decoding information is incorporated into one or more data units at a layer higher than the physical layer. Transmitting in a single sub-frame one or more physical reference signals for use in physical layer decoding of a physical channel in a plurality of sub-frames.

Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer program can provide scheduling of direct to direct communication by a high speed packet access base station. The method, for example, can include obtaining a direct user equipment communication toggling message (120). The method can also include interpreting physical layer signaling on a first frequency of a first radio system based on the toggling message (220). The method can further include scheduling a direct user equipment pair on a second frequency of a second system based on the interpreting (230). The toggling message can include a triggering message to initiate direct user equipment communication or an exit message to terminate direct user equipment communication.

Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed that comprises receiving a reference signal from each of at least two target neighbor cells via at least one receiving branch at a user equipment; estimating a timing range based at least on one of a timing advance for a serving cell and an inter-cell distance between the target neighbor cell and the serving cell; computing a reference signal time difference for the received reference signal from the target neighbor cell; and screening the computed reference signal time difference using the estimated timing range.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for timed estimation-based positioning of a user equipment in LTE systems. The method includes estimating, by a mobile node, a plurality of reference signal time differences (RSTD) between the mobile node and a network node. The plurality of RSTD estimates define a first correlator. The method further includes determining a second correlator of RSTD estimates, and defining the second correlator with the first correlator based on a mean of the plurality of RSTD estimates. Further, the method includes determining a distribution of the plurality of RSTD estimates, and grouping clusters of RSTD estimates in the distribution. Additionally, the method includes selecting a cluster from the clusters of RSTD estimates. The cluster includes RSTD estimates closest to a center of the second correlator. The cluster is transmitted, by the mobile node, to the network node for positioning the mobile node in a communications network.

Abstract: An apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: determining for a group of symbols at least one candidate transmission symbol position, wherein the group of symbols include a first symbol position part for backhaul downlink symbol positions and a second symbol position part including the at least one candidate transmission symbol position; and generating at least one further backhaul downlink symbol for the at least one candidate transmission symbol position.

Abstract: An approach is provided for scheduling resources for device-to-device communications. A resource of a network is granted to a group designated for device-to-device communications. The group then determines how the resource allocation is utilized to support the communication session and allocates the resource among the user equipment within the group independently of the base station. Further, a user equipment pair in the group determines transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) timeslot configuration to allow TDD mode operations, and further configure the modulation and coding for the device-to-device connection, and error control scheme for the pair via control signaling independently from the group.

Abstract: An apparatus, system and method to dynamically manage an allocation of communication resources for direct device-to-device communications between a plurality of wireless communication devices in a wireless communication system. In one embodiment, the apparatus (410) includes a communication resource allocator (420) configured to: (1) select a master communication device of a plurality of wireless communication devices that form a device-to-device group, (2) provide an allocation of communication resources for device-to-device group that facilitate direct device-to-device communications therebetween. The apparatus (410) also includes a message generator (430) configured to assemble messages that include the allocation of the communication resources.

Abstract: There is transmitted to a user equipment UE in a first subframe of a radio frame a downlink shared channel DSCH according to a first relay-transmission mode (e.g., mode A or A? in the examples); then switch to a second relay-transmission mode (e.g., mode C or C? in the examples) within the radio frame based on a channel quality of the DSCH. After switching, then transmit to the UE, in a subsequent subframe of the radio frame, the DSCH according to the second relay-transmission mode. In this embodiment the HARQ process is synchronous and non-adaptive for mode C: the eNB re-transmits packets to the UE in a predetermined fashion to be concurrent with transmission of those same packets from the relay node, as scheduled by the eNB. In this embodiment the eNB receives the UE's NACK for the data that is to be retransmitted via relay through the relay node.

Abstract: A source sends an encoded data block during a first time interval to a destination and to a relay. The source sends additional parity bits for the encoded data block during a second time interval. The relay partially decodes that encoded data block to a process-defined end point (typically only a partial decoding), such as a fixed number of decoding iterations. After partial decoding the relay forms a modified data block having corrected information bits and the parity bits of the block it received, and sends the modified data block to the destination, during the second time interval. The destination decodes to a results-defined end point the modified data block it received from the relay using the additional parity bits it received from the source. If that end-point cannot be reached, the destination may begin anew decoding the original encoded data block it received from the source.

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 comprises communicating, by a first device, with a second device, using a device-to-device communication on licensed band, determining, by the first device, whether unlicensed band resources are available, and if the unlicensed band resources are available, initiating, by the first device, a set up of a device-to-device communication on unlicensed band.

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: In an exemplary embodiment there are determined which radio resource are to be used for contention based access, and the allocated radio resource is accessed according to a probability function that varies in dependence on at least one of interference measured on the allocated radio resource and a received power level for the allocated radio resource. By example the radio resource is allocated by a cellular base station for use in D2D communications; the base station provides configuration parameters for the D2D communications via common or dedicated signaling; the received power level is a target received power level that is received via broadcast system information or dedicated control signaling; and/or the received power level is itself a function of pathloss on a wireless link to the cellular base station. Embodiments are presented for method, apparatus, and tangibly stored computer program.