Abstract: A cellular communications system is provided in which a user device sends a Service Request to a Mobility Management Entity together with parameter data that depends on the service that is requested. The Mobility Management Entity then determines from the parameter value if AS security is required to provide the requested service. If it is not, then the Mobility Management Entity accepts the Request without providing security parameters for establishing another signalling radio bearer so that an existing signalling radio bearer is used to provide the requested service. If it is, then the Mobility Management Entity accepts the Request and provides security parameters for establishing another signalling radio bearer to be used in providing the requested service.

Abstract: A system is proposed to provide buffer status reporting in a mobile telecommunications environment, particularly applicable to 3GPP networks, which allows the base station to perform Quality of Service aware uplink resource allocation. The system uses two types of buffer status reports—Absolute Buffer Status Reports and Relative Buffer Status Reports. Absolute Buffer Status Reports are sent at application start up or when the buffer level is above or below set threshold values. Otherwise Relative Buffer Status Reports are sent, which encode the present buffer level in terms of the difference from the last transmitted Absolute Buffer Status Report.

Abstract: A mobile communications system is described in which base stations communicate with each other using a Master/Slave protocol to exchange load balancing information that can be used to control the handover of mobile devices amongst neighbouring base stations and/or neighbouring cells. The Master base station requests the Slave base station to provide a load status report to it either at a defined time or periodicity or in response to certain events.

Abstract: A method of determining whether to accept a connection request from a user device requesting connection to a communications network is described. The method includes receiving a connection request from the user device, the connection request including a predefined identifier. A message requesting capability information associated with the user device is then generated and transmitted and the capability information is received in response. The method further includes determining whether to permit a connection to the user device based on the capability information and transmitting a message to release or reject or to establish the connection based on the determining. Apparatus for performing the method, including an eNodeB, gateway and user device are also described and corresponding methods of operation these components are provided.

Abstract: A mobile communications system is proposed in which mobile communications devices are arranged to carry out signal measurements on the signals received from neighbouring cells. The bandwidth over which these signal measurements are carried out is determined in dependence upon the bandwidths of the neighbouring cells and is signalled to the mobile communication device by a serving base station.

Abstract: There is described a method and apparatus for managing security for a connection between a user device and a communications network comprising at least one base station and a core network. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving at the core network security capability information for the user device connecting to the communications network. Security capability information for the base station is then obtained from memory or from the base station itself. The security capability information for the user device and the security capability information for the base station is then processed in the core network to select a security policy for a connection between the user device and the base station and the selected security policy is transmitted to the base station.

Abstract: A system is proposed to provide handover in a mobile telecommunications environment, particularly applicable to 3GPP networks, in which a user device, such as a mobile telephone, receives signalling for persistently allocated resources generated by a target base station via a source base station.

Abstract: A communications system is provided in which persistently allocated resources used by a node to communicate data with another node of the communications system can be reallocated or new dynamic resources can be allocated to allow the node to communicate using both the persistently allocated resources and the dynamically allocated resources. The system does this without changing the structure of a control channel used to communicate resource allocations.

Abstract: A system is proposed to provide buffer status reporting in a mobile telecommunications environment, particularly applicable to 3GPP networks, which allows the base station to perform Quality of Service aware uplink resource allocation. The system uses two types of buffer status reports—Absolute Buffer Status Reports and Relative Buffer Status Reports. Absolute Buffer Status Reports are sent at application start up or when the buffer level is above or below set threshold values. Otherwise Relative Buffer Status Reports are sent, which encode the present buffer level in terms of the difference from the last transmitted Absolute Buffer Status Report.

Abstract: A system is proposed to provide DRX/DTX configuration for mixed real time and non-real time transmission scenarios in a mobile telecommunications environment, particularly applicable to 3GPP networks. The proposed DRX/DTX configuration involves maintaining the DRX/DTX interval the same between the switching of real time VoIP data from an active period to a silence period. The proposed DRX/DTX configuration schedules transmission and/or reception times for a mobile device so that packets for non-real time services are transmitted/received immediately after packets for real time services.

Abstract: A communications device in the form of a base station or communications node such as an eNodeB communications node selects one of a plurality of modulation and coding schemes for a control channel for a user communications device on the basis of the range which is specified by the location or channel condition within a cell of the user communications device. The selected modulation and coding scheme are identified to the user communications device separately from the control channel. In one example, the selected modulation and coding scheme is identified to the user communications device by way of a 2-bit code which may be provided within a MAC control block or appended to a MAC Data PDU.

Abstract: A system is proposed to provide handover in a mobile telecommunications environment, particularly applicable to 3GPP networks, which does not increase signalling overhead but minimises user data loss during handover. In the modified system, PDCP SDUs with Sequence numbers are buffered and retransmitted as necessary. At the time of handover, SDUs not received by the user device are forwarded to the target base station for forward transmission to the UE. The handover procedure is designed to minimise packet loss whilst keeping to a minimum the duplication of packet transmission over the air interface.

Abstract: In a method of facilitating handover of a mobile communication device from a source node to a target node, the method includes buffering received user data packets in the target node during handover prior to sending to the mobile device.

Abstract: A system is proposed to provide handover in a mobile telecommunications environment, particularly applicable to 3GPP networks, in which a user device, such as a mobile telephone provides a buffer status report to the target base station during a handover procedure. The target base station uses this status report to allocate appropriate resources for uplink data to be transmitted from the user device to the target base station.

Abstract: A communication method for reducing Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection setup time in an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) includes the step of using an inclusive Signalling Radio Bearer (iSRB) in place of a plurality of individual Signalling Radio Bearers (indSRBs) for transferring signals from Radio Resource Control (RRC) to Medium Access Control (MAC). A Protocol Discriminator (PD) is added to the tail (right side) of each indSRB at the RRC for allowing the MAC to identify each indSRB as received in the iSRB. The PD is needed because the MAC would otherwise be unable to place each indSRB into the appropriate prioritizing queue for trans-mission to the physical layer. The PD is stripped off at the MAC. A preferred embodiment uses the iSRB in place of four individual indSRBs (SRB1, SRB2, SRB3 and SRB4), but in an alternative form the Unacknowledged Mode SRB (SRBi) would not be present in the system and therefore not included in the iSRB.