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.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for dynamically controlling bearer quality-of-service (QoS) configuration. In an example arrangement, a wireless communication device (WCD) may have a first bearer and a second bearer with a base station, where the first bearer has a first set of one or more QoS parameters defining a first priority level for the base station scheduling communications on the first bearer, and the second bearer has a second set of one or more QoS parameters defining a second priority level for the base station scheduling communications on the second bearer, the second priority level being different from the first priority level. In this arrangement, an example method may involve detecting that the base station is threshold highly loaded, and responsive to the detecting, reconfiguring the second bearer to have the same QoS parameters as the first set of one or more QoS parameters.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically managing a downlink coverage threshold that is used for triggering handover processing of a user equipment device (UE). The downlink coverage threshold is dynamically decreased upon invoking of uplink Transmission Time Interval (TTI) bundling service for the UE.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling TTI bundling in a wireless communication system that includes a base station configured to serve UEs over an air interface, where each UE has a maximum transmit power for air interface transmission, where the UEs include a first class of UEs and a second class of UEs, and where the maximum transmit power of the UEs of the second class is higher than the maximum transmit power of the UEs of the first class. The base station detects a capacity constraint on the air interface, such a threshold high air interface load, and the base station responds by operating in a mode in which the base station differentially controls application of TTI bundling as between the first class of UEs and the second class of UEs, based on the second class of UEs having higher maximum transmit power than the first class of UEs.

Abstract: According to aspects of the present disclosure, a method and system are provided for wireless communication between a user equipment device (UE) and a base station using carrier aggregation and transmission time internal (TTI) bundling. The base station serves the UE with carrier aggregation on multiple carriers and determines, per carrier, a respective bundling size for transmitting a wireless communication between the UE and the base station with transmission TTI bundling on that component carrier. The determined bundling size for at least one of the plurality of component carriers is different than the determined bundling size for another one of the plurality of component carriers. While serving the UE with carrier aggregation on the multiple carriers, the base station invokes TTI bundling to transmit the wireless communication between the UE and the base station on each carrier with the respectively determined bundling size for that component carrier.

Abstract: Example methods and an example controller for controlling a bit rate at which a media server streams media content to a UE are provided. The example controller includes at least one processing unit and data storage having instructions executable by the processing unit to carry out operations. The operations include determining an extent to which the UE provides wireless backhaul connectivity between its serving base station and at least one device other than the UE. Further, the operations include, based on the determined extent, (i) establishing the bit rate and (ii) causing the media server to stream a portion of media content to the UE at the established bit rate.

Abstract: According to aspects of the disclosure, a method and system are provided for managing signaling in a wireless communication network. In accordance with the disclosure, a base station serves a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) via an air interface extending between the base station and the UEs. The base station also receives, on an uplink of the air interface, a report from each UE indicating channel state information (CSI). The base station periodically receives the report from each UE according to a CSI reporting rate specified by the base station for the UE. The base station may determine that a level of loading on the uplink is greater than a threshold load value. Responsive to such determination, the base station selects a subset of the plurality of UEs and reduces the CSI reporting rate for the selected subset of the plurality of UEs to reduce congestion on the uplink.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically controlling when a base station will provide a UE with carrier aggregation service rather than serving the UE on just a single carrier. The base station dynamically invokes carrier aggregation service for the UE in response to detecting simultaneous voice and data communication by the UE. And the base station dynamically discontinues providing carrier aggregation service for the UE, and transitions to serving the UE on just a single carrier, in response to detecting that the UE's simultaneous voice and data communication has ended and that the UE is engaged in just voice communication or just data communication.

Abstract: A base station will determine both that a served device's power headroom is threshold low and that the device's downlink receive signal strength is threshold low. In response to at least determining both that the device's power headroom is threshold low and that the device's downlink receive signal strength is threshold low, the base station will then begin applying an uplink coverage boosting process for the device, including limiting or reducing the number of frequency blocks that the base station allocates to the device for uplink transmission per transmission time interval, to help increase the device's per-frequency-block transmission power and thus the device's uplink communication quality. This could be usefully carried out with respect to voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) uplink coverage boosting (VUCB) for instance, to help improve voice communication quality.

Abstract: Carrier aggregation may occur in wireless networks when multiple carriers from either contiguous frequency bands or non-contiguous frequency bands are aggregated together as component carriers. Wireless computing devices (WCDs) may use these aggregated component carriers as a single, logical channel for wireless communication. Such a WCD may determine that an amount of carrier aggregation used by a wireless interface of the WCD has increased. The WCD may receive data packets from a correspondent device by way of the wireless interface, and the WCD may transmit, in response to receiving the data packets, acknowledgment packets to the correspondent device by way of the wireless interface. Possibly based on the amount of carrier aggregation increasing, the WCD may reduce an extent of the acknowledgment packets transmitted to the correspondent device.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed that support the aggregation of acknowledgement messages and control messages. Advantageously, acknowledgement and negative acknowledgement indications for multiple client nodes are combined into a single aggregated message which is broadcast or multicast to the multiple client nodes. Based on unique identifiers assigned to each client node, client nodes are grouped such that the aggregated acknowledgement messages can be efficiently encoded to conserve both network capacity when they are transmitted, as well as processing capacity when they are parsed by the client nodes. If code division multiple access (CDMA) technology is used, the aggregated acknowledgment message can be transmitted without CDMA spreading to effectively broadcast or multicast it to multiple client nodes. A similar technique can be employed for the efficient broadcast or multicast of aggregated control messages.

Abstract: Example methods and an example controller for controlling a bit rate at which a media server streams media content to a UE are provided. The example controller includes at least one processing unit and data storage having instructions executable by the processing unit to carry out operations. The operations include determining an extent to which the UE is configured to tune away from a first RAN to a second RAN to check for pages. Further, the operations include, based on the determined extent, (i) establishing the bit rate and (ii) causing the media server to stream the media content to the UE at the established bit rate.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling which of a plurality of base stations will serve a WCD. Per the disclosure, a base station is selected from the plurality based at least on an extent to which the selected base station can provide MU-MIMO service efficiently to the WCDs that the selected base station is serving. Thus, the base station that will serve the WCD could be selected for effectively serving a lower quantity of WCDs (if MU-MIMO service is enabled) than other base stations of the plurality. And the WCD could then receive service from the selected base station.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically controlling transition of a UE between operating modes based on a consideration of air interface congestion and interruption-sensitivity of communication. The UE operates by default in a first mode such as a circuit-switched-fallback (CSFB) mode. While so operating, a determination is made that the UE's serving air interface is threshold highly congested. In response, if the UE is not engaged in interruption-sensitive communication, the UE then transitions from operating in the first mode to operating in a second mode such as a non-CSFB mode (e.g., a single-radio LTE (SRLTE) mode).

Abstract: A radio access network (RAN) may determine that a quality-of-service (QOS) load of a first base station exceeds a QOS load high threshold. The RAN may further determine that a set of wireless communication devices (WCDs) served by the first base station are located within a geographic area nearby a second base station. The RAN may additionally determine that the set of WCDs are responsible for at least a predefined portion of the QOS load of the first base station, and may power on the second base station. If at some point a second QOS load of the second base station falls below a QOS load low threshold, the RAN may facilitate handover of at least one of the WCDs served by the second base station from the second base station to the first base station, and may power off the second base station.

Abstract: A method and system for managing capacity of a base station's air interface. The base station identifies a served user equipment device (UE) based at least in part on the UE being located in an area of overlap between coverage of the base station and coverage of another base station. The base station then increases an order of modulation of air interface communication between the base station and the identified UE, so as to help free up some air interface capacity. Further, in view of the possible decrease in reliability of communication due to the increased order of modulation, the base station may also invoke use of Coordinated Multipoint Communication (CoMP) for the UE to help improve air interface communication between the base station and the UE.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to facilitate selection of a donor base station to serve a relay node (RN). In particular, a base station system (BSS) may include a plurality of base stations each operable to serve user equipment devices (UEs) and operable to serve an RN. The RN is in turn operable to serve UEs. According to the disclosure, a controlling entity may determine both (i) a type of content communicated between the BSS and UEs served by the BSS (BSS-served content type) and (ii) a type of content communicated between the RN and UEs served by the RN (RN-served content type). Based on both the determined BSS-served content type and the determined RN-served content type, the controlling entity may select one of the plurality of base stations to serve the RN and may cause the selected base station to serve the RN.

Abstract: A method and system for managing voice codec rate used for voice communication by a user equipment device (UE). In accordance with the disclosure, the voice codec rate will be established (e.g., set or modified) based on a consideration of what type or types of non-voice communication the UE will engage in or is engaging in concurrently with the voice communication.

Abstract: A method and system for managing quantity of carriers to aggregate together in carrier aggregation service, based at least in part on consideration of the type of content that will be communicated to or from the user equipment device (UE) at issue. A base station serving the UE may determine a type of content that will be communicated between the base station and the UE and, based at least on the determined type of content, may decide whether to apply carrier aggregation and, when the decision is to apply carrier aggregation, determine, based at least on the determined type of content, how many component carriers to aggregate together in the carrier aggregation service of the UE. The base station may then modify an air interface connection with the UE to encompass the determined number of component carriers.