Abstract: In accordance with the disclosed methods and systems, while providing a service that enables user equipment devices (UEs) being served by a first network to engage in signaling with a second network via the first network, a controller or other network entity may detect a failure of paging in the first network. In response to detecting the failure of paging, the first network may then cause one or more UEs being served by the first network to transition from operating in a first mode that uses the given service to operating in a second mode that does not use the given service.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and corresponding system for controlling how a user equipment device (UE) served by a base station of a first network is concurrently served by a second network, where the first network is interconnected with the second network. In an example method, if the UE determines that the UE provides connectivity between at least one other device and the base station, the UE then causes itself to be served by the second network in a first mode in which the UE is registered with the second network via the first network. Whereas, if the UE determines that the UE does not provide such connectivity, the UE then instead causes itself to be served by the second network in a second mode in which the UE is registered with the second network directly via the second network rather than via the first network.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for balancing control channel resource allocations between base stations. As disclosed, a first base station provides a first downlink control channel including a first set of air interface resources and a second base station provides a second downlink control channel including a second set of air interface resources, the first set of air interface resources and the second set of air interface resources being mutually exclusive. Upon detecting a threshold difference between (i) an extent of a capacity of the first downlink control channel being unused and (ii) an extent of a capacity of the second downlink control channel being unused, the system may change allocation resources between downlink control channels such that (i) capacity of one of the first and second downlink control channels is increased and (ii) capacity of the other one of the first and second downlink control channels is decreased.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for dynamically managing carrier aggregation based on operating conditions of small cells in a wireless communication system. A first base station may be configured for providing wireless services on a first wireless carrier band and a second wireless carrier band. One or more additional base stations may each configured for providing wireless services on the second wireless carrier band. A determination can be made that a load on the one or more additional base stations exceeds a threshold level while each is providing wireless coverage within a region that at least partially overlaps with wireless coverage provided by the first base station. In response, the first base can be caused to refrain from aggregating the first and second wireless carrier bands for providing wireless services under operational conditions defined to cause the base station to aggregate the first and second wireless carrier bands.

Abstract: Disclosed is method and apparatus to help reduce PRACH interference. In accordance with the disclosure, when a first base station determines that there is a threshold level of interference from a second base station, the first base station transmits to the second base station a directive that causes the second base station to reduce PUSCH transmission in PUSCH resources that are coincident in frequency with the first base station's PRACH. In a scenario where two base stations provide overlapping coverage and operate on the same frequency as each other, and where coverage of the second base station may interfere with coverage of the first base station, this process may thereby help to minimize or eliminate interference that PUSCH communication in the second base station's coverage area would have on PRACH communication in the first base station's coverage area.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to facilitate handover of a UE away from a primary carrier of a base station, despite a primary carrier having a channel quality that is at or above a channel quality threshold of the primary carrier. In particular, a wireless communication system may serve the UE with carrier aggregation service using (i) a first carrier as a primary carrier for the UE and (ii) a second carrier as a secondary carrier for the UE. During the serving, while a channel quality of the primary carrier is at or above a first threshold quality, the system may make a determination that a channel quality of the secondary carrier is below a second threshold quality. In response to at least making the determination, the system may carry out a handover of the UE from the primary carrier of the first base station to another carrier.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing a mobility-limited user equipment device (UE) are disclosed. While a first base station serves a UE in a first coverage area on a first carrier, either the first base station or the UE makes a first determination that the UE is substantially stationary. Responsive to at least making the first determination, the first base station causes the UE to receive service on a second carrier concurrently with the first base station continuing to serve the UE in the first coverage area on the first carrier. By way of example, the first base station may provide the second carrier in the first coverage area, or a second base station may provide the second carrier in a second coverage area.

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: A method and apparatus to help manage allocation of resources in a wireless communication system. A base station dynamically decides based on a type of bearer communication in which a user equipment device (UE) is engaged whether the base station will apply a buffer status report (BSR) process or a non-BSR process. In the BSR process, the base station responds to a scheduling request from the UE by allocating uplink resources for the UE to transmit a BSR to the base station, and the base station then receives the BSR and uses it as a basis to then allocate uplink resources for the UE to transmit bearer data to the base station. In a non-BSR process, the base station forgoes receipt and use of a BSR and instead responds to the scheduling request by allocating uplink resources for the UE to transmit bearer data to the base station.

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: Data identifying a plurality of wireless coverage areas in a region may be obtained. The data may identify geographic locations of the wireless coverage areas. Possibly based on the data, the wireless coverage areas may be arranged into a plurality of mutually exclusive tracking area groups. Each of the tracking area groups may include multiple wireless coverage areas and may be identified by respective unique tracking area identifiers. The tracking area groups may form a geographically-defined sequence across the region. A numerical sequence of wireless coverage area identifiers may be assigned to the wireless coverage areas in the region, one wireless coverage area identifier per wireless coverage area. The wireless coverage areas of the tracking area groups may be provisioned to use the assigned wireless coverage area identifiers.

Abstract: A method and system to help manage wireless communication with a UE in a manner that takes into account a predicted impact of data bundling, such as TTI bundling, with respect to communication of data during a session. When a radio access network (RAN) is going to serve a UE with data communication for a VoLTE call or other session that would trigger such bundling, the RAN will predict the extent of other data that will be communicated during the session, and the RAN will predict the impact, such as increased air interface load, that would result from data bundling of at least that other data communication. If the RAN thereby predicts that the impact of data bundling with respect to at least that other data communication will exceed a predefined threshold level, then the RAN will responsively take action to limit its air interface communication with the UE.

Abstract: A method and system for resolving handover in the presence of coverage area identifier conflict is disclosed. In a market area in which an LTE RAN and CDMA RAN operate, a base station receives a PCI that indicates a particular one of the LTE coverage areas detected by a mobile terminal. The base station determines that at least two of the LTE coverage areas have the particular PCI. Thereafter, the base station determines which one of the LTE coverage areas is the particular LTE coverage area that was indicated by the particular PCI based at least in part on a particular PN offset that indicates a particular CDMA coverage area of the CDMA RAN. The base station then arranges for handover to the particular LTE coverage area.

Abstract: A method to dynamically configure a base station based on evaluation of whether nearby and/or neighboring base stations operate on a preferred coverage frequency. For instance, the base station could be configured to broadcast as a start-scanning threshold value a relatively high value in response to determining that a base station operating on the preferred coverage frequency is located within a predefined threshold distance. Further, the base station could be configured to broadcast as the start-scanning threshold value an intermediate value in response to determining that no nearby base station operates on the preferred coverage frequency but at least one base station that is a handover neighbor operates on the preferred coverage frequency. And the base station could be configured to broadcast as the start-scanning threshold value a relatively low value in response to determining that no nearby base stations or handover neighbors operate on the preferred coverage frequency.

Abstract: A computing device may obtain n values of a first performance indicator of a network and n values of a second performance indicator of the network. The ith value of the first performance indicator may be based on a measurement of the first performance indicator within an ith time period, and the ith value of the second performance indicator may be based on a measurement of the second performance indicator within the ith time period. A set of aggregate weighted rank values of the first and second performance indicators may be determined. A jth entry in the set of aggregate weighted rank values may be selected, and the jth value of the first performance indicator and the jth value of the second performance indicator may be used to provision the network.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for allocating power among concurrent transmission attempts from a radio access network (RAN). In practice, the RAN encounters a situation where the RAN is going to engage concurrently in at least a transmission attempt of a first message and a transmission attempt of a second message. The RAN then determines an attempt number of the first transmission attempt and an attempt number of the second transmission attempt. The RAN then compares the determined attempt numbers and, based on the comparison, allocated a limited quantity of transmission power among the first transmission attempt and the second transmission attempt. For instance, based the comparison a greater portion of the transmission power may be allocated to one of the transmission attempts and a correspondingly lesser portion of the transmission power may be allocated to the other transmission attempt.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for disambiguating a reported pilot signal so as to facilitate handoff of a mobile station. When a radio access network (RAN) receives from a mobile station a handoff request carrying a parameter that ambiguously identifies at least two sectors as the potential handoff target, the RAN will send a test probe on at least one of the potential handoff target sectors and will determine, based on mobile station response to the test probe, which sector the mobile station received the test probe on and thus which sector was the intended handoff target. The RAN may then direct the mobile station to hand off to that sector if appropriate. Further, the RAN may add the identified sector into a neighbor list of a similarly situated other mobile station, to allow the other mobile station to more efficiently hand off to the same sector if appropriate.

Abstract: Disclosed in this document is an improved mechanism for notifying mobile stations that they should not seek to initiate a communication in a given wireless coverage area. The solution is to use a specially designated PN-offset as the indicator that a problem situation exists in the coverage area and that a mobile station should not seek to initiate communication in the coverage area. When a RAN detects a problem condition in a coverage area, the RAN changes the PN-offset of the coverage area to be a reserved PN-offset, and mobile stations are programmed to not seek service on any reserved PN-offset. Advantageously, the process helps stop mobile stations from operating in a problem coverage area without requiring the mobile stations to first lock onto the PN-offset of the coverage area and to then receive some sort of overhead message directing the mobile stations to not operate in the coverage area.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method to condition removal of a carrier frequency from a wireless coverage area. The method involves evaluating handoff statistics for the coverage area, and applying results of past carrier frequency removal (preferably from a morphologically similar cluster) to predict a net change in hard handoffs that will result if the carrier frequency is removed. The method then involves using the predicted net change in hard handoffs as a basis to determine whether to remove the carrier frequency. The predicted net change in hard handoffs may be converted to a corresponding predicted net change in call drops, and the carrier frequency may then be removed only if the predicted net change in call drops does not exceed a threshold.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method to condition removal of a carrier frequency from a wireless coverage area. The method involves evaluating handoff statistics for the coverage area, and applying results of past carrier frequency removal (preferably from a morphologically similar cluster) to predict a net change in hard handoffs that will result if the carrier frequency is removed. The method then involves using the predicted net change in hard handoffs as a basis to determine whether to remove the carrier frequency. The predicted net change in hard handoffs may be converted to a corresponding predicted net change in call drops, and the carrier frequency may be removed only if the predicted net change in call drops does not exceed a threshold.