Abstract: The air interface between a first node and a second node will span a frequency bandwidth defining two distinct portions, and acknowledgement message transmission such as Hybrid-ARQ message transmission will make use of those distinct portions to distinguish ACKs from NACKs. In particular, ACKs may be restricted to being transmitted within one portion of the frequency bandwidth, while NACKs may be restricted to being transmitted in different portion of the frequency bandwidth. Consequently, when the first node transmits data to the second node and receives an acknowledgement message sent in response from the second node, the first node may determine, based on which portion of the frequency bandwidth the first node received the acknowledgement message in, whether the acknowledgement message is an ACK or rather a NACK.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for facilitating mitigation of interference using beamforming techniques are provided. In some embodiments, interference periodicity and interference duration associated with interference of a radar beam are used to determine an extent of time during which a lobe of a communication tower is to be modified in power, direction, or a combination thereof. Upon an occurrence of the extent of time, the lobe of the communication tower is modified in power, direction, or a combination thereof so that the lobe does not interfere with a radar beam emitted from a radar remote from the communication tower.

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for dynamic swapping of uplink and downlink base stations. A user equipment device (UE) may engage in a communication session with a downlink from a first base station (e.g., eNodeB) and an uplink to second, different base station. If a determination is made that more favorable operating conditions for transmitting session communications to the UE are available on a downlink air interface from the second base station than on the downlink air interface from the first base station, the uplink and downlink may be swapped, such that after swapping, the UE may have a downlink from second base station and an uplink to the first base station.

Abstract: A method and a communication device for accessing a communication system are disclosed. The method includes determining that an application requesting access to the communication system requires preferred access to the communication system and requesting access to the communication system using a least preferred access channel from a preferred roaming list comprising a plurality of access channels. An access node of a communication system is further disclosed. The access node includes a processor to determine whether the communication system supports a preferred access to the communication system by at least one authorized communication device of the plurality of communication devices, and transmit an indication that the communication system supports the preferred access to the communication system by the at least one authorized communication device.

Abstract: A wireless communication device (WCD) may determine that the WCD has bearer traffic queued for transmission to a radio access network (RAN). The WCD may be configured to transmit the bearer traffic and neighbor reports over a reverse-direction channel of the RAN. The neighbor reports may contain information related to wireless coverage areas. One or more characteristics of the bearer traffic may also be determined. Based on the one or more characteristics of the bearer traffic, the neighbor reports may be scheduled to be transmitted over the reverse-direction channel at a particular rate. The WCD may transmit the neighbor reports over the reverse-direction channel at the particular rate.

Abstract: A base station that serves a plurality of wireless communication devices (WCDs) will group the WCDs into physical hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) channel (PHICH) groups based on channel quality reported by the WCDs and will then differentially allocate transmission power among the PHICH groups, so as to provide higher transmission power for transmission to PHICH groups of WCDs that reported lower channel quality, while providing lower transmission power for transmission to PHICH groups of WCDs that reported higher channel quality.

Abstract: In systems and methods of selecting an access node for wireless device communication, it is determined that a first loading of a first access node meets a first loading criteria, and a wireless device is selected which is in communication with the first access node and which detects a second access node. A request is sent to the second access node to accept a handover of the wireless device, and a timer is started comprising a first timer value when the request is rejected by the second access node. A second request is sent to the second access node to accept a handover of the wireless device to the second access node when the timer expires, and the wireless device is instructed to change from communicating with the first access node to communicating with the second access node when the second request is accepted by the second access node.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for providing enhanced access class barring in LTE are provided. In embodiments, the method includes receiving, on a mobile device, a SIB2 message. A barring factor associated with the SIB2 message is identified. In embodiments, the barring factor is dynamic based on traffic parameters associated with a network. An upper limit for a random number is set on the mobile device and the random number is generated. The random number is generated and compared to the barring factor. If the random number is less than the barring factor, access to the network is provided to the mobile device. In embodiments, an additional random number is generated for special users or devices if the random number is greater than or equal to the barring factor.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for managing transmission of air interface measurement reports from a UE to its serving base station. In accordance with the disclosure, a UE will generally transmit such measurement reports on subcarriers having particular subcarrier spacing. However, if and when the UE detects threshold poor air interface performance, such as threshold weak signal strength from its serving base station, the UE will responsively transition to instead transmit measurement reports to its serving base station on subcarriers having smaller subcarrier spacing.

Abstract: A method for managing access channel traffic during congested network conditions is disclosed. A wireless connection device (WCD) sends a service request to a particular base station for a particular quantity of network resources. Upon the particular base station determining that it is too loaded with network traffic to accommodate the service request, the base station saves an indication of the WCD's connection request, and responds with a communication to instruct the WCD to idle and wait for a page from the base station. The WCD, upon receiving the communication, does not send a service request for a greater quantity of network resources than the particular quantity until the WCD receives a page. Once the base station determines it has sufficient network resources to allocate to the WCD, the base station sends a page to the WCD, which causes the WCD to send another service request.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically controlling the transmission of reverse-link control signals to help reduce interference on the reverse link. A RAN identifies a mobile device whose transmission of reverse-link control signals best represents the reverse-link air interface condition of each other mobile device in a plurality of mobile devices. Then the RAN causes each mobile device in the plurality other than the identified mobile device to not send its respective reverse-link control signal at a given time, thereby reducing the number of mobile devices that transmit reverse-link control signals at the given time.

Abstract: A system and method for reuse of identifiers for contention-free random access requests by wireless communication devices (WCDs) to a network are disclosed. A base station can configure two or more air-interface resources for concurrent, non-interfering transmissions by two or more different WCDs of identical random access requests to the base station. The base station may then assign an identical identifier for contention-free random access requests to two or more WCDs, while assigning the WCDs different ones of the two or more air-interface resources configured for the concurrent, non-interfering transmissions. The two or more WCDs can then concurrently transmit identical contention-free random access requests that do not interfere with one another. By way of example, the air-interface resources can be different instances of a physical random access channel, each instance corresponding to a different resource block of a common uplink subframe in a long-term evolution (LTE) system.

Abstract: A radio access network (RAN) may be configured to manage paging of a wireless communication device (WCD). The RAN may initiate a paging process to page the WCD, and the paging process may comprise the RAN transmitting to the WCD a defined sequence of page attempts until the RAN receives a page response from the WCD or the RAN has transmitted a final page attempt of the sequence. After the RAN has transmitted at least one page attempt of the sequence but before the final page attempt of the sequence has been transmitted, the RAN may determine that the RAN has not received the page response from the WCD, and that the WCD is currently engaged in active data communication, and the RAN may responsively discontinue the paging process.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a method and a corresponding apparatus that provides a tethering alert if the apparatus is tethering data. In one example, a method for providing a tethering alert by an apparatus having a first network communication interface and a second network communication interface is disclosed. The method includes i) receiving incoming data via one of the first network communication interface and the second network communication interface, ii) sending outgoing data via the other of the first network communication interface and the second network communication interface, iii) making a determination that there is a threshold similarity between the incoming data and the outgoing data, and iv) responsive to making the determination, the apparatus providing a tethering alert indicating that the apparatus is tethering data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing page-response intervals. When a network entity receives a paging trigger signal, the entity determines a page-response interval to use for paging the mobile station, based on one or more factors such as (i) whether the communication is to be provided to the mobile station over the same air interface and/or same air interface protocol that will carry the paging to the mobile station and/or (ii) what network, interface, or other entity the trigger signal comes from and/or what network communication module receives the trigger signal. The network entity then uses the determined page-response interval when paging the mobile station, waiting that determined period of time after each page attempt before attempting to page again or before concluding that the paging effort failed.

Abstract: A method and system for allocating frequency bandwidth between a relay backhaul link and a donor access link, based at least in part on the PLMN(s) to which UE(s) served by the relay node subscribe. The donor base station or another controlling entity may determine the PLMN(s) to which one or more UEs currently served by the relay node subscribe and, based at least in part on the determined PLMN(s), may assign a PLMN-priority level to the relay. Based at least in part on the PLMN-priority level assigned to the relay, the controlling entity may then establish an allocation of the frequency bandwidth between the relay backhaul link and the donor access link, and the donor base station may apply that established allocation.

Abstract: A primary mobile station engaged in a communication session via a radio access network (RAN) may receive forward link communications over a forward link channel and transmit reverse link communications over a reverse link channel. If the quality of the communication session degrades, the primary mobile station may involve a secondary mobile station by establishing a short-range wireless communication link with the secondary mobile station, e.g., using Bluetooth™, IEEE 802.11, or other wireless communication protocol. The primary mobile station may then transmit reverse link communications to the RAN over the reverse link channel and also transmit the reverse link communications to the secondary mobile station, via the short-range wireless communication link, for transmission to the RAN. The RAN may receive the reverse link communications from the primary and secondary mobile stations as two distinct reverse link signals, which the RAN may combine together to achieve a diversity gain.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein may help to provide a delayed zone-update process. An exemplary method may involve a user entity, which is initially operating in a first of a plurality of multi-coverage-area zones in a radio access network (RAN), subsequently determining that the user entity has moved into a second multi-coverage-area zone of the RAN, wherein the user entity is located in a first coverage area of the second multi-coverage-area zone. In response, the user entity may refrain from sending a registration message to register in the second multi-coverage-area zone until the earlier of: (i) a threshold period of time elapsing and (ii) the user entity moving into another coverage area in the second multi-coverage-area zone that is different from the first coverage area.

Abstract: A method and system for circuit-switched fallback (CSFB) is disclosed. A first wireless network may receive from a wireless communication device (WCD) a report including an indication of radio frequency (RF) quality of a second wireless network. The first wireless network may make a determination of whether the reported indication of RF quality exceeds a threshold. If the determination is that the reported indication of RF quality exceeds the threshold, the first wireless network may send the reported indication of RF quality to the second wireless network. However, if the determination is that the reported indication of RF quality does not exceed the threshold, the first wireless network may direct the WCD to hand off to the second wireless network and refrain from sending the reported indication of RF quality to the second wireless network.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to use multiple pilot signals of different transmission power levels in a wireless communication system. A base station may broadcast in its coverage area at least two different pilot signals concurrently with each other but at different transmission power levels than each other. One of these pilot signals, transmitted at a normal pilot transmission power level for instance, may be for receipt and evaluation by certain UEs served by the base station, such as UEs that are not set to receive beamformed transmission of bearer traffic from the base station. Whereas another one of these pilot signals, transmitted at an increased pilot transmission power level for instance, may be for receipt and evaluation by other UEs served by the base station, such as UEs that are set to receive beamformed transmission of bearer traffic from the base station.