Abstract: A method and system for controlling wireless connectivity between a user equipment device (UE) and an access node, where the access node supports operation on an FDD carrier and a TDD carrier, where FDD carrier has an uplink bandwidth, and where the TDD carrier has an effective uplink bandwidth that is defined based on an actual bandwidth of the TDD carrier limited by how often the TDD carrier is uplink (e.g., per a frame configuration). A method includes detecting, when the UE is connected with the access node on the TDD carrier, that the UE will engage in a threshold great extent of uplink data communication to the access node and, responsive to at least the detecting, reconfiguring the UE's connection by replacing the TDD carrier with the FDD carrier, based on the uplink bandwidth of the FDD carrier being greater than the effective uplink bandwidth of the TDD carrier.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to facilitate management of carriers to help ensure QoS for single-carrier UEs. In particular, a base station may serve one or more first user equipment devices (UEs) on just a first carrier. While doing so, the base station may determine that each of the one or more first UEs being served on just the first carrier is receiving threshold low quality of service from the base station on the first carrier. Responsive to this determining, the base station may (i) select one or more second UEs based on the one or more second UEs being served by the base station on both the first carrier and one or more other carriers and (ii) discontinue serving each selected second UE on the first carrier while continuing to serve each selected second UE on one or more other carriers.

Abstract: When a user equipment device (UE) is served with standalone connectivity by a first access node on a first carrier, the first access node could detect a trigger for transitioning the UE from the standalone connectivity to dual connectivity. In response to at least the trigger, the first access node could then (i) transition the UE from the first carrier to a second carrier selected based on the second carrier being lower in frequency than the first carrier, so as to help facilitate quality communication in the dual connectivity service, and then (ii) transition the UE from the standalone connectivity to the dual connectivity.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and corresponding apparatus to help manage wireless communication between a base station and a device served by the base. In accordance with the disclosure, when a base station transitions from serving the device on just a first carrier to serving the device on a combination of the first carrier and a second carrier, the base station will responsively take action to improve downlink communication to the device on the first carrier. In particular, the base station will respond to the occurrence of that transition by starting to beamform downlink transmission to the device on the first carrier.

Abstract: When a user equipment device (UE) is served with standalone connectivity by a first access node on a first carrier, the first access node could detect a trigger for transitioning the UE from the standalone connectivity to dual connectivity. In response to at least the trigger, the first access node could then (i) transition the UE from the first carrier to a second carrier selected based on the second carrier being lower in frequency than the first carrier, so as to help facilitate quality communication in the dual connectivity service, and then (ii) transition the UE from the standalone connectivity to the dual connectivity.

Abstract: A voice coding rate is selected for a voice call involving a user equipment (UE) device based on an air interface efficiency of the base station serving the UE device. The air interface efficiency of the base station is determined based on at least one of (i) a beamforming capability of the base station, (ii) a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) capability of the base station, or (iii) an antenna configuration of the base station. The voice coding rate could be selected by either the UE device or by the base station. The UE device transmits to the base station during the voice call one or more voice frames that convey voice data coded at the selected voice coding rate. During the voice call, a new air interface efficiency may be determined, and a new voice coding rate may be selected based on the new air interface efficiency.

Abstract: Given first and second base stations that have at least partially geographically-overlapping coverage on at least partially frequency-overlapping carriers, a determination could be made that the first base station supports voice-interworking service in which served UEs could separately receive voice-over-circuit service but that the second base station does not support voice-interworking service. And in response to at least that determination, the second base station could be given priority over the first base station for providing voice-over-packet service.

Abstract: When multiple user equipment devices (UEs) are served with dual connectivity, with each UE being served by a first access node on a respective first connection according to a first RAT and all of the UE's respective first connections having a first carrier as anchor carrier for the dual connectivity, the first access node will detect that load on the first carrier is threshold high. And in response, the first access node will (i) select one or more of the UEs based on each of the selected one or more UEs being within uplink range of the first access node on a second carrier higher in frequency than the first carrier and (ii) for each selected UE, reconfigure the UE's respective first connection from having the first carrier as the anchor carrier for the dual connectivity to instead having the second carrier as the anchor carrier for dual connectivity.

Abstract: A method and system for proactively managing a base station neighbor list. A base station or other network node tracks changes to the base station's neighbor list and identifies a recurring pattern of changes, in correspondence with a particular time of day for instance. The base station or other node then proactively changes the base station's neighbor list in anticipation of a recurrence of the identified pattern, such as in anticipation of recurrence of the time of day for instance. Advantageously, this method can help to reduce the extent to which the base station engages in an automatic neighbor relation process, and thus reduce the extent of signaling and other issues associated with engaging in that process.

Abstract: When a UE is served with dual-connectivity service on a first radio access technology (RAT) concurrently with a second RAT, and when a serving base station faces a choice of which additional carrier to add to the UE's connection according to the first RAT for carrier-aggregation service of the UE according to the first RAT, the selection of an additional first-RAT carrier will be made based on a consideration of the carrier's load attributable to first-RAT-only service as compared with dual-connectivity service. For instance, the base station could select an additional first-RAT carrier based on the carrier's load attributable to first-RAT-only service, perhaps for high-priority first-RAT-only service, being threshold low. Or the base station could exclude from the selection a candidate first-RAT carrier based the carrier's load attributable to such first-RAT-only service being threshold high. The base station could then configure carrier-aggregation service of the UE accordingly.

Abstract: When a UE is served by a first radio access network (RAN) and is engaged in a voice call such as a VoIP call, a determination will be made that the UE is at an edge of coverage (e.g., threshold poor coverage) of the first RAN and that there is no other adjacent coverage of the first RAN that could support the voice call. In response, signaling will cause a second RAN to page the UE via the first RAN so as to cause the UE to transition from being served by the first RAN to being served by the second RAN. More generally, when a UE has poor coverage of its serving RAN, another RAN will pull the UE to the second RAN by paging the UE to trigger transition of the UE from to the second RAN.

Abstract: A method and system to limit voice-filter bandwidth based for a device model based on observed sound quality trend. A system monitors sound quality of voice-call communications coming from various devices and detects based on the monitoring that the sound quality of voice-call communications coming from devices of a particular model tends to be threshold low even when the devices have threshold high quality wireless coverage. In response the system then imposes a policy for devices of that model to restrict the voice-filter bandwidth that they apply—such as by limiting the devices to use a voice-filter bandwidth that is no wider than a designated bandwidth.

Abstract: A method and system for proactively managing a base station neighbor list. A base station or other network node tracks changes to the base station's neighbor list and identifies a recurring pattern of changes, in correspondence with a particular time of day for instance. The base station or other node then proactively changes the base station's neighbor list in anticipation of a recurrence of the identified pattern, such as in anticipation of recurrence of the time of day for instance. Advantageously, this method can help to reduce the extent to which the base station engages in an automatic neighbor relation process, and thus reduce the extent of signaling and other issues associated with engaging in that process.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling wireless communication over an air interface between a base station and a user equipment device (UE) served by the base station. In examples, the base station is configured to use a particular modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to transmit downlink control signals over the air interface to the UE without the base station beamforming the downlink control signals to the UE. Responsive to the base station determining that the UE is experiencing threshold poor RF conditions on the air interface, the base station reconfigures itself to beamform downlink control signals to the UE. And, given that the base station is reconfigured to beamform downlink control signals to the UE, the base station further reconfigures itself to use a higher-order MCS to transmit downlink control signals to the UE.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and system for controlling base station buffering of data. In an example method, the base station serves a wireless communication device (WCD) over an air interface, where the air interface encompasses a quantity of channels on which the base station serves the WCD, where the base station is configured to buffer, in a data buffer, data awaiting transmission to the WCD, where the buffer has a fullness-threshold defining a maximum quantity of data that the base station will buffer for the WCD, and where the base station is configured to respond to the quantity of data in the buffer meeting the fullness-threshold by increasing the quantity of channels. Then, while serving the WCD, the base station determines an extent to which the WCD provides connectivity between at least one other device and the base station, and sets and applies the fullness-threshold based on the extent.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and corresponding apparatus to help manage wireless communication between a base station and a device served by the base. In accordance with the disclosure, when a base station transitions from serving the device on just a first carrier to serving the device on a combination of the first carrier and a second carrier, the base station will responsively take action to improve downlink communication to the device on the first carrier. In particular, the base station will respond to the occurrence of that transition by starting to beamform downlink transmission to the device on the first carrier.

Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling service by a base station when the base station is serving both a first UE without carrier aggregation and a plurality of second UEs with carrier aggregation. As a basis for invoking carrier aggregation service for the first UE, the base station selects one of the second UEs to transition from being served by the base station with carrier aggregation to being served by the base station without carrier aggregation. The base station makes such a selection based at least in part on a modulation and coding scheme that the base station uses to serve the selected one of the second UEs. The base station transitions from serving the selected second UE with carrier aggregation to serving the selected second UE without carrier aggregation. And the base station transitions from serving the first UE without carrier aggregation to serving the first UE with carrier aggregation.

Abstract: A base station may manage transmissions between the base station and wireless communication devices (WCDs), where the base station serves the WCDs over an air interface, and where the base station is configured to engage in downlink transmission using a particular quantity of transmit antennas. In one example, the base station determines that each of at least one WCD currently being served by the base station is configured to support a particular modulation scheme. And in responsive to the determining, the base station reduces the quantity of transmit antennas and engages in the downlink transmission using the reduced quantity of transmit antennas.

Abstract: Methods and systems to help manage wireless communication with UEs in a manner that takes into account an extent of TTI bundling on a given carrier frequency. When a base station is serving a threshold high number of TTI-bundling-UEs on a first carrier frequency, the base station will reduce the number of TTI-bundling-UEs on the first carrier frequency by offloading one or more of the TTI-bundling-UEs from the first carrier frequency to a second carrier frequency. Further, to avoid increasing the number of TTI-bundling-UEs served on the first carrier frequency, when the base station detects a trigger event for enabling TTI bundling for an additional UE served on the first carrier frequency, the base station will offload the additional UE from the first carrier frequency to the second carrier frequency.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for controlling air interface communication in a wireless communication system that supports multiple TDD configurations. In a disclosed example, a base station's cell is initially configured to operate with a particular TDD configuration. The base station then detects a trigger to reduce uplink latency in the cell, such as by detecting a threshold number of devices being served with latency-sensitive communication such as voice-over-packet communication. And the base station responsively reconfigures the cell to operate with a different TDD configuration having lower uplink latency, where uplink latency of each TDD configuration is based average wait to uplink subframe of the TDD configuration.