Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided for high efficiency wireless communications. In an embodiment, a method in a network component for transmitting a frame of two different fast Fourier transform (FFT) sizes includes generating a frame, wherein the frame comprises orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in two different FFT sizes, wherein the frame comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion comprises a first FFT size and the second portion comprises a second FFT size; and transmitting the frame during a single transmission opportunity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for supporting access point (AP) discovery by a handset/station (STA) using a fast initial link setup (FILS) discovery frame. An embodiment method includes transmitting a plurality of FILS discovery frames at faster time intervals than designated for transmitting standard AP beacons, wherein the FILS discovery frames have a smaller size than standard AP beacons. An embodiment apparatus includes a processor and a computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to broadcast a standard AP beacon for advertising a basic service set (BSS) repeatedly at subsequent time intervals, and broadcast a FILS discovery frame for advertising the BSS repeatedly at faster subsequent time intervals than for the standard AP beacon, wherein the FILS discovery frame has a smaller size than the standard AP beacon.

Abstract: Signal (SIF) field capacity can be significantly increased by encoding SIG field data using two streams in accordance with a space-time block code (STBC) encoding scheme. Dual-stream SIG field encoding allows for the utilization of higher order modulation schemes, such as quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), which increases SIG field capacity. Dual-stream encoded SIG fields are transmitted using an omnidirectional beam to allow mobile stations to accurately decode the SIG field irrespective of their spatial location.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided to improve offloading traffic from mobile operators networks via a WiFi network. The embodiments also include schemes to offload traffic between WiFi networks. The embodiments include a network component comprising a WiFi management entity (WiME) configured to serve as an anchor point for a user device at a WiFi network and communicate with a management entity at a wireless network using OpenFlow protocol to handle a plurality of control and mobility functionalities for traffic in the WiFi network, wherein the control and mobility functionalities include offloading traffic for the user device from the wireless network to the WiFi network.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are included to provide various degrees of time allocation fairness to users using varying target transmission opportunity (TXOP) values. In one embodiment, a method for promoting various degrees of fairness for users in a wireless network includes assigning a target TXOP value for one or more users in the wireless network, wherein the target TXOP value indicates a number of time units for transmissions to be met on average over time by the one or more users, and transmitting the target TXOP value to the one or more users. In another embodiment, a method includes receiving a TXOP value from the wireless network, wherein the target TXOP value indicates a number of time units allocated for transmissions, and transmitting traffic over a plurality of time periods that have an average duration about equal to the number of time units.

Abstract: An embodiment method for wireless communication includes grouping a plurality of user equipments (UEs) wirelessly coupled to a cellular base station (BS) into a UE cluster to function as a Wi-Fi virtual station (V-STA), and communicating with an access point (AP) to contend for a Wi-Fi transmission opportunity (TXOP) for the V-STA. In a further embodiment, the cellular BS contends for the TXOP on behalf of the UE cluster using a carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA-CA) procedure. In an alternative embodiment, one UE in the UE cluster is selected as a leader UE to contend for the TXOP on behalf of the UE cluster using a CSMA-CA procedure.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided to enable concurrent uplink transmissions from multiple Wi-Fi stations (STAs) to one or more access points (APs) using Interference Alignment (IA). In an embodiment, the STAs broadcast, to one or more APs, beamforming reports including channel estimation information for downlink. The one or more AP then performs channel estimation using the beamforming reports, and selects at least some of the STAs. The AP also computes beamforming information for IA of uplink transmissions between the selected STAs and sends, to the selected STAs, the beamforming information. The beamforming information is piggy-backed over downlink data packets to the selected STAs. Each selected STA then sends an uplink data frame concurrently with one or more other uplink data frames from one or more other selected STAs to the AP. The uplink data frames are configured for concurrent uplink transmissions according to the beamforming information for IA.

Abstract: Efficient decoding in IEEE 802.11ah networks can be achieved by transmitting the signal (SIG) preamble field without interleaving bits within the SIG field. This may allow channel equalization and decoding steps to be performed contemporaneously upon reception of the frame, which allows for the implementation of non-linear channel equalization techniques (e.g., maximum likelihood (ML) equalization, etc.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided to improve offloading traffic from mobile operators networks via a WiFi network. The embodiments also include schemes to offload traffic between WiFi networks. The embodiments include a network component comprising a WiFi management entity (WiME) configured to serve as an anchor point for a user device at a WiFi network and communicate with a management entity at a wireless network using OpenFlow protocol to handle a plurality of control and mobility functionalities for traffic in the WiFi network, wherein the control and mobility functionalities include offloading traffic for the user device from the wireless network to the WiFi network.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are included to provide various degrees of time allocation fairness to users using varying target transmission opportunity (TXOP) values. In one embodiment, a method for promoting various degrees of fairness for users in a wireless network includes assigning a target TXOP value for one or more users in the wireless network, wherein the target TXOP value indicates a number of time units for transmissions to be met on average over time by the one or more users, and transmitting the target TXOP value to the one or more users. In another embodiment, a method includes receiving a TXOP value from the wireless network, wherein the target TXOP value indicates a number of time units allocated for transmissions, and transmitting traffic over a plurality of time periods that have an average duration about equal to the number of time units.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided herein for implementing a user cooperation protocol for interference alignment (IA) in wireless local area network (WLAN) or a Wi-Fi hotspot. The embodiments allow collecting knowledge of the channels from user stations (STAs) and sending this information to the corresponding access points (APs) in the network. This information is then used by the APs to pre-code their signals such as to remove interfering signals to non-intended STAs. An AP transmits to the STAs a group identifier (GrpID) indicating an order of STAs for transmitting channel state information (CSI) and an AP index indicating an order of STA groups of the APs for transmitting the CSI. When a STA detects a CSI transmission from another STA preceding the STA in the order of transmission as indicated by the AP index and GrpID, the STA transmits its CSI.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided herein for improving carrier aggregation for wireless networks. A plurality of bandwidth channels are assigned to a basic service set (BSS) for transmissions. Specifically, the bandwidth channels are divided into multiple channel segments corresponding to multiple primary or alternate primary channels. A channel segment possibly further includes one or more additional secondary channels. The locations of the primary or alternate primary channels that correspond to the channel segments of the BSS are then broadcasted in the network. When a station or AP receives this BSS information, it searches for an available primary or alternate primary channel of the BSS to begin transmission. Upon detecting an available primary channel or alternate primary channel that is not used for another transmission, the station or AP transmits data on the channel segment corresponding to the detected primary or alternate primary channel.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided for interference alignment in a wireless local area network (LAN) with an overlapping basic service set (OBSS). In an embodiment, a method includes instructing a first access point (AP) in the wireless LAN to broadcast a null data packet (NDP) sounding packet to a plurality of stations when no other AP is broadcasting, wherein the NDP sounding packet comprises a plurality of long training field (LTFs), and wherein a total number of LTFs is equal to a total number of transmission streams, receiving channel beamforming (BF) information and a signal plus interference to noise ratio (SINR) from each of the stations, wherein each of the stations computes the channel BF information and the SINR from sounding packets received from each of the APs in the wireless LAN, and determining a transmission schedule according to the SINRs and the channel BF information.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a collaborative service set (CSS) includes a controller access point (AP) configured to be associated with a first plurality of stations and a first member AP, where the first member AP is associated with a second plurality of stations, where the controller AP is configured to coordinate transmissions between the first member AP and the second plurality of stations with transmissions between the controller AP and the first plurality of stations, where the controller AP and the first member AP are configured to transmit messages simultaneously.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for relaying frames including receiving, by a repeater from a first station, a first frame, where the first frame has a first header having a first indicator and determining whether the first frame will be relayed in accordance with the first indicator. The method also includes transmitting, by the repeater to an access point, the first frame when the first frame is determined to be relayed.

Abstract: Various methods and communications devices to improve association and handoff performance of a wireless network are provided. By way of example, a modified state machine that permits reduced security requirements for authentication in order to achieve fast authentication is employed. The modified state machine providing fast authentication remains compatible with the classic state machine implementing the wireless fidelity (WiFi) standard.

Abstract: An access point (AP) hashes its SSID/BSSID according to a hashing function H and transmits wirelessly the hashed SSID/BSSID within a physical layer frame/packet to a user station (STA). The hashed SSID/BSSID uniquely identifies the AP. In one embodiment, the hashed SSID/BSSID is transmitted within a SIGNAL field of a preamble with the frame/packet. Upon receipt, the user station recovers the hashed SSID/BSSID and compares it to an expected hashed SSID/BSSID (calculated using the same hashing function H and a desired SSID/BSSID). In response to the comparison, the user station performs one or more actions.

Abstract: A joint set of linear precoder designs is provided for single cell uplink multiuser space-time block coded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with multi-packet reception by exploiting outdated channel state information. By deriving the pairwise error probability with respect to both minimum and average codeword distance design metrics, the technique solves an optimization problem subject to transmit power constraint for each user and dependent on the outdated channel state information. Due to the non-convex nature of the optimization problem, an iterative technique based on alternating minimization and projected gradient can be used to solve for a joint linear preceding structure for general space-time block coding. The linear precoding structure is then sent from the base station to various consumer premise equipment for use in later transmissions. For orthogonal space-time block code, a simplified distributed technique is provided to solve for a closed-form solution of the optimization problem.

Abstract: A method of communication comprising: determining whether a mobile station (MS) is within a collaborative zone with respect to a first base station (BS1), if the MS is within the collaborative zone (704): the BS1 transmitting one or more collaboration parameters to a network coordinator (706), the network coordinator determining one or more collaborative base stations depending on the collaboration parameters, the network coordinator transmitting control parameters to the BS1 and the one or more collaborative base stations (BS2) (708), and the BS1 transmits via wired backhaul the data to be transmitted to the MS and channel information between the MS and the BS1 in accordance with the control parameters to the BS2 (710), the BS1 and the BS2 collaboratively transmitting data to the MS in accordance with the control parameters (712). Also an integrated circuit, a mobile station, a base station and a network coordinator.

Abstract: A method for sensing channel availability in a wireless network includes receiving a measurement request message which includes a channel interval list. A first channel interval in the list includes information associated with a first starting channel number, a first number of channels, and first linkage information of the channel interval list. The method includes processing information associated with the message, generating a first list of contiguous channels, and performing at least first channel measurement to determine a first channel availability for each of the first list of contiguous channels. The method also includes determining whether the channel interval list further includes a second channel interval that needs to be processed based on at least first linkage information, and if needed, generating a second list of contiguous channels and performing at least second channel measurement to determine a second channel availability for each of the second list of contiguous channels.