Abstract: Various communication systems may benefit from an improved signaling protocol. For example, machine type communications may benefit from improved scheduling signaling. A method includes receiving at a user equipment a signal comprising a radio configuration time trace from a base station. The radio configuration time trace parameter defines future, time-limited radio configuration options for a user equipment. The method also includes determining at the user equipment a radio access action based on access action based on the received radio configuration options. In addition, the method includes using the radio configuration options to carry out the determined radio access action.

Abstract: A technique comprising: transmitting one or more radio signals comprising information for use by a communication device camped in idle mode on a first node operating according to a first radio access technology or connected to said first node, which information comprises information facilitating the prioritisation at the communication device of initiating an association with a node operating according to a second radio access technology and having a capability of functioning as a slave node in a radio aggregation technique involving said first node as a master node, over initiating an association with a node operating to said second radio access technology without said aggregation capability.

Abstract: Various communication systems may benefit from improved network access. For example, communication systems may benefit from deriving a radio network temporary identification at both a user equipment and a base station, without requiring additional uplink signaling. A method, in certain embodiments, may include sending a short identification from a user equipment to a base station during a contention based access instance. The short identification is generated based on an initial cell radio network temporary identification. The method may also include receiving at the user equipment a user equipment radio network temporary identification from the base station. The user equipment radio network temporary identification is based on the short identification. In addition, the method may include generating at the user equipment a subsequent cell radio network temporary identification based at least on the short identification and the received user equipment radio network temporary identification.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include estimating a metric value relating to a first user equipment and an access point, without relying on actual data transmitted by the access point to the first user equipment. The method may also include estimating a quality degradation to the at least one second user equipment if at least part of the traffic of the first user equipment is routed to the access point. The method may also include performing routing of at least part of the traffic of the first user equipment based on the estimated metric value and the estimated degradation.

Abstract: Interference coordination is used between neighbouring evolved NodeBs operating on a shared frequency band in a wireless communications network. Improved capacity estimation may be obtained by determining a capacity estimate of an access node of the wireless communications network on the basis of the interference co-ordination. Traffic may be steered with improved accuracy on the basis of the determined improved capacity estimate.