Abstract: A method and system for proactively reconfiguring communication to a user equipment device (UE) in anticipation the UE experiencing a coverage-throughput reduction when the UE is receiving streaming media. An example method includes (i) predicting, when the UE is receiving streaming media, that the UE is going to experience the coverage-throughput reduction and (ii) based at least in part on the predicting, proactively increasing a quality-of-service (QOS) level of a bearer through which the UE is receiving the streaming media, the proactively increasing occurring before the UE experiences the coverage-throughput reduction so that the QoS level is increased by when the UE experiences the coverage-throughput reduction.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for dynamic beam sweeping a synchronization signal based on user device activity. An average synchronization signal transmission periodicity may be modified in response to determinations about the mobility of user devices, in response to determinations about the synchronization sensitivity of content being transmitted to user devices, or both. The modified beam sweeping protocol may responsively increase or decrease the average periodicity of a series of synchronization signals that are transmitted to a distinct portion of a sector using one or more distinct beamforms, increasing the synchronization efficiency of limited synchronization signals being transmitted to the cell.

Abstract: A voice coding rate is selected for a voice call involving a user equipment (UE) device based on an air interface efficiency of the base station serving the UE device. The air interface efficiency of the base station is determined based on at least one of (i) a beamforming capability of the base station, (ii) a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) capability of the base station, or (iii) an antenna configuration of the base station. The voice coding rate could be selected by either the UE device or by the base station. The UE device transmits to the base station during the voice call one or more voice frames that convey voice data coded at the selected voice coding rate. During the voice call, a new air interface efficiency may be determined, and a new voice coding rate may be selected based on the new air interface efficiency.

Abstract: A method of managing handovers between a plurality of relay access nodes, the method includes monitoring a latency of a donor access node communicating with the plurality of relay access nodes; determining that a quality of service corresponding to a wireless device communicating with a relay access node of the plurality of relay access nodes meets a quality of service criteria; and in response to the latency meeting a threshold, instructing the relay access node to handover the wireless device to a target access node, or instructing the donor access node to handover the relay access node to the target access node, where the target access node is the donor access node, a neighboring access node, or a second relay access node served by the neighboring access node.

Abstract: Performing inter-band carrier aggregation based on device capability includes monitoring a dominant type of wireless devices in a wireless sector based on whether or not they are capable of inter-band carrier aggregation, and enabling or disabling inter-band carrier aggregation in the sector based on the dominant type. Enabling/disabling inter-band carrier aggregation can include allowing or preventing usage of usage of a low-frequency carrier as a primary component carrier aggregated with a high-frequency carrier as a secondary component carrier. Carriers using FDD and TDD duplexing modes are included.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for selecting User Equipment(s) (UEs) for pairing in a cellular network. A channel orthogonality of one or more UEs located within a radio range of a first Access Node (AN) may be determined. The one or more UEs may be prioritized for Uplink (UL) Multi-User Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) pairing when a channel orthogonality meets a set channel orthogonality condition. A second AN located within the radio range of the first AN may be detected. At least one of the prioritized UEs located within a radio range of the second AN may be selected for de-prioritization. The prioritized UEs may be paired to share a same set of resource blocks.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling application of TTI bundling on a carrier on which an access node provides service, the carrier defining air-interface resources. An example method includes detecting that at least a predefined threshold number of devices of a predefined class (e.g., IoT devices) are connected with the access node on the carrier. Further, the example method includes, responsive to the detecting that at least the predefined threshold number of devices of the predefined class are connected with the access node on the carrier, proactively reserving a portion of the air-interface resources for use to serve communications between the access node and the devices of the predefined class and, in view of the proactive reserving of the portion of the air-interface resources, imposing a reduction in the application of the TTI bundling by the access node on the carrier.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to facilitate management of carriers to help ensure QoS for single-carrier UEs. In particular, a base station may serve one or more first user equipment devices (UEs) on just a first carrier. While doing so, the base station may determine that each of the one or more first UEs being served on just the first carrier is receiving threshold low quality of service from the base station on the first carrier. Responsive to this determining, the base station may (i) select one or more second UEs based on the one or more second UEs being served by the base station on both the first carrier and one or more other carriers and (ii) discontinue serving each selected second UE on the first carrier while continuing to serve each selected second UE on one or more other carriers.

Abstract: A base station or an associated control entity determines when base station's air interface is threshold highly loaded or is predicted to be threshold highly loaded, and the base station responsively reduces the number of transmit antennas that the base station uses. Further, the base station or associated control entity could determine when the base station's air interface is no longer actually or predicted to be threshold highly loaded, and the base station could responsively increase the number of transmit antennas that the base station uses, such as by reverting to use a default number of antennas. Reducing the number of transmit antennas that the base station uses when its air interface is threshold highly loaded may help to increase air-interface capacity by reducing resource consumption from transmission of reference signals associated with the transmit antennas.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling wireless service of a user equipment device (UE) by an access node. The access node serves the UE with uplink carrier-aggregation over a connection that encompasses encompassing multiple uplink channels including a primary uplink channel (uplink PCell) and a secondary uplink channel (uplink SCell). Further, the access node dynamically sets a channel-quality threshold (e.g., an RSRP threshold) applicable to control when to deconfigure the uplink SCell from service of the UE, with the dynamically setting of the channel-quality threshold including iteratively adjusting the channel-quality threshold based on uplink spectral efficiency of the access node. And the access node applies the dynamically set channel-quality threshold to control when to deconfigure the uplink SCell from service of the UE.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for dynamic beam sweeping a synchronization signal based on user device activity. An average synchronization signal transmission periodicity may be modified in response to determinations about the mobility of user devices, in response to determinations about the synchronization sensitivity of content being transmitted to user devices, or both. The modified beam sweeping protocol may responsively increase or decrease the average periodicity of a series of synchronization signals that are transmitted to a distinct portion of a sector using one or more distinct beamforms, increasing the synchronization efficiency of limited synchronization signals being transmitted to the cell.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling uplink air-interface communication over an air interface from a given user equipment device (UE) to the access node, where the uplink air-interface communication normally operates with a modulation order corresponding with a most recently determined channel quality of the given UE. An example method includes (i) detecting at least a threshold high rate of uplink voice muting on the air interface, and (ii) responsive to at least the detecting of the threshold high rate of uplink voice muting on the air interface, suppressing the modulation order used for the uplink air-interface communication from the given UE to the access node over the air interface.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for dynamic beam sweeping a synchronization signal based on user device activity. An average synchronization signal transmission periodicity may be modified in response to determinations about the mobility of user devices, in response to determinations about the synchronization sensitivity of content being transmitted to user devices, or both. The modified beam sweeping protocol may responsively increase or decrease the average periodicity of a series of synchronization signals that are transmitted to a distinct portion of a sector using one or more distinct beamforms, increasing the synchronization efficiency of limited synchronization signals being transmitted to the cell.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling air-interface connectivity of a user equipment device (UE). A computing system detects, when the UE has dual connectivity including a first air-interface connection with a first access node and a second air-interface connection with a second access node, and when the first air-interface connection is defined on a first carrier, that the UE is moving toward a geographic area where UEs that were served by the first access node on the first carrier as part of dual connectivity lost their dual connectivity due to their having insufficient aggregate dual-connectivity throughput. And based at least on the detecting, the computing system reconfigures the first air-interface connection of the UE's dual connectivity to be defined on a lower-frequency second carrier, to help avoid having the UE lose its dual connectivity.

Abstract: Performing handovers based on RACH capabilities includes instructing neighboring access nodes to share RACH capabilities with each other, identifying a RACH capability of wireless devices attached to a serving access node, and selecting a target access node based on matching the RACH capabilities. The RACH capabilities are associated with a format and/or a range or distance of RACH transmissions.

Abstract: Performing inter-band carrier aggregation based on device capability includes monitoring a dominant type of wireless devices in a wireless sector based on whether or not they are capable of inter-band carrier aggregation, and enabling or disabling inter-band carrier aggregation in the sector based on the dominant type. Enabling/disabling inter-band carrier aggregation can include allowing or preventing usage of usage of a low-frequency carrier as a primary component carrier aggregated with a high-frequency carrier as a secondary component carrier. Carriers using FDD and TDD duplexing modes are included.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling operation of a first access node that supports operation according to a first radio access technology (RAT) but does not support dual-connectivity operation according to the first RAT and a second RAT. A controller detects a high extent of occurrences of dual-connectivity-capable user equipment devices (UEs) being connected with the first access node when the dual-connectivity-capable UEs could instead connect with a second access node that supports the dual-connectivity operation. And in response, the controller suppresses coverage of the first access node, such as by reducing a maximum signal delay that the first access node applies for determining whether to accept random-access requests from UEs and/or (ii) reducing reference-signal transmission power of the first access node.

Abstract: Performing inter-band carrier aggregation based on device capability includes monitoring a dominant type of wireless devices in a wireless sector based on whether or not they are capable of inter-band carrier aggregation, and enabling or disabling inter-band carrier aggregation in the sector based on the dominant type. Enabling/disabling inter-band carrier aggregation can include allowing or preventing usage of usage of a low-frequency carrier as a primary component carrier aggregated with a high-frequency carrier as a secondary component carrier. Carriers using FDD and TDD duplexing modes are included.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling wireless service of a user equipment device (UE) by an access node. The access node serves the UE with uplink carrier-aggregation over a connection that encompasses encompassing multiple uplink channels including a primary uplink channel (uplink PCell) and a secondary uplink channel (uplink SCell). Further, the access node dynamically sets a channel-quality threshold (e.g., an RSRP threshold) applicable to control when to deconfigure the uplink SCell from service of the UE, with the dynamically setting of the channel-quality threshold including iteratively adjusting the channel-quality threshold based on uplink spectral efficiency of the access node. And the access node applies the dynamically set channel-quality threshold to control when to deconfigure the uplink SCell from service of the UE.

Abstract: Monitoring a MIMO pairing efficiency of a sector to determine whether or not to enable/disable inter-band carrier aggregation. If the pairing efficiency (whether predicted or actual) is high, inter-band carrier aggregation is disabled, and if the pairing efficiency is low, then inter-band carrier aggregation is enabled. The inter-band carrier aggregation utilizes a low-frequency carrier as a primary component carrier and a high-frequency carrier as a secondary component carrier. The MIMO mode of operation utilizes the high-frequency carrier for control transmissions.