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: Methods and systems for providing an enhanced best-effort quality of service (QOS) are provided. As third-party real-time applications may be unable to explicitly signal QOS requests in some environments, this enhanced best-effort QOS may be applied to real-time flows associated with third-party applications. For instance, devices in an access network may determine that a packet is part of a real-time flow of packets, and is associated with a third-party application. In response to this determination, these devices may forward the packet according to the enhanced real-time QOS.

Abstract: In order to provide wireless service to wireless communication devices (WCDs) at different altitudes (e.g., on different levels of a high-rise structure), a radio access network (RAN) may include antennas aimed to direct coverage at different heights. The RAN may advertise the presence of wireless coverage areas that provide elevated coverage primarily to the WCDs above a threshold altitude. Similarly, the RAN may advertise the presence of wireless coverage areas that provide ground floor coverage primarily to WCDs below the threshold altitude. In this way, when a WCD is handed off to a new wireless coverage area, that wireless coverage area may be suited to provide coverage at the WCD's altitude.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a method of operating a wireless access system. The method includes exchanging wireless communications with a plurality of user devices using a first communication mode that uses a first frequency spectrum and a second communication mode that uses a second frequency spectrum. The method also includes transferring a first bit sequence using the first communication mode to a first set of the user devices to indicate the presence of first pages pending on a paging channel portion of the first communication mode. The method also includes transferring a second bit sequence using the second communication mode to a second set of the user devices to indicate the presence of second pages pending on a paging channel portion of the second communication mode, where the second set of the of user devices tune away from the first communication mode to the second communication mode to receive the second bit sequence.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system to manage paging channels in a wireless communication network. When the network encounters a situation where the network is to transmit an access response message in a coverage area to a mobile station, the network will determine whether the mobile station is in an access handoff state. If not, the network will transmit the message to the mobile station on a paging channel selected based on the mobile station's identifier. Otherwise, the network will transmit the message to the mobile station on both that paging channel and a default paging channel (e.g., primary channel) selected without consideration of the mobile station's identifier. This process can help avoid an access handoff failure. Further, a radio access network may opt to use the default paging channel in response to the wireless coverage area having a different number of paging channels than an adjacent coverage area.

Abstract: In one aspect, an exemplary method involves a WCD: (i) determining a likelihood of roaming, wherein the likelihood of roaming indicates a likelihood that the WCD will be handed off from a preferred coverage area to a non-preferred coverage area; and (ii) using the likelihood of roaming as a basis for managing an active set of the WCD. In particular, the WCD may manage its active set by setting at least one active-set parameter affecting the number of active sectors in an active set of the WCD, and then maintaining its active set according to the setting of the at least one active-set parameter. According to an exemplary embodiment, a WCD will make an effort to increase the number of sectors in its active set when the likelihood of roaming is greater, and vice versa.

Abstract: In system and method of prioritizing a voice mail message, a voice mail message is received comprising caller information and chronological information, a voice mail priority is associated with the first voice mail message based on at least one of a matching criteria, a call history criteria, a chronological criteria, a frequency metric, and a missed call value, and a voice mail list is ordered according to the voice mail priority.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a method of operating a wireless communication device. The method includes entering a first wireless communication mode with a wireless access node that requires tuning to a first frequency spectrum, and receiving congestion information of the wireless access node for overhead communications of the first wireless communication mode. In response to entering the first wireless communication mode, the method includes setting a timer for monitoring a second wireless communication mode based on the congestion information. When the timer expires, the method includes tuning away from the first frequency spectrum to a second frequency spectrum for the second wireless communication mode and monitoring information for the second wireless communication mode.

Abstract: A mobile station requests origination of a call and reports signal strength measurements of pilot signals from multiple sectors, where some of the sectors support a preferred air interface configuration (such as RC 11) and some do not. The signal strength measurements may be evaluated to determine which sectors to use for the call and whether to use RC 11 or a default air interface configuration (such as RC 3 or RC 4) for the call. Sectors that support the preferred air interface configuration may be evaluated using a first threshold, and sectors that do not support the preferred air interface configuration may be evaluated using a second threshold. The first threshold can be greater than the second threshold, in order to favor the use of sectors that support the preferred air interface configuration over sectors that do not.

Abstract: A cellular wireless communication network transmits spread spectrum signals that are spread by a pseudonoise (PN) code with any of a plurality of PN offsets, such that different coverage areas use different PN offsets. In each coverage area, the network transmits a plurality of forward link channels, each defined by a respective Walsh code, without transmitting a pilot signal. A wireless communication device (WCD) begins operating in a given coverage area and determines the PN offset used in the given coverage area by receiving a forward link signal having a Walsh code of a sync channel, paging channel, or other channel that transmits a broadcast message. The WCD selects a target bit sequence that would be expected to be included in the broadcast message. The WCD finds an effective PN offset that enables the WCD to despread the forward link signal and recover the target bit sequence.

Abstract: A method of operating a wireless communication device is disclosed. The method includes determining signal quality for wireless communications received over each of a first antenna element and a second antenna element, and processing the signal quality and a power status of the wireless communication device to determine a first multipath search window for the first antenna element and a second multipath search window for the second antenna element.

Abstract: During a first time interval, an access point transmits orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals using a first cyclic prefix length. The access point selects a second cyclic prefix length based, at least in part, on the load of the access point. The access point transmits OFDM signals using the second cyclic prefix length during a second time interval. The load of the access point may be determined based on the amount of downlink data being buffered in the access point for transmission to one or more user devices.

Abstract: Exemplary methods and systems are disclosed herein to adjust active-set parameters based on the remaining battery life of a mobile station, generally in order to conserve battery power when the battery is low. An exemplary method involves: (a) a mobile station determining a battery-power level of the mobile station; (b) the mobile station using the determined battery-power level as a basis for setting at least one active-set parameter affecting the number of active sectors in an active set of the mobile station; and (c) the mobile station maintaining the active set according to the at least one active-set parameter. In an exemplary embodiment, the mobile station may set a maximum number of active sectors that the mobile station can include in the active set and/or parameters affecting whether a sector is included in the active set.

Abstract: A communication system comprises a wireless access node having a plurality of ports and a control system. The wireless access node is configured to exchange wireless communications over the ports with wireless communication devices that are individually identified by device identifiers. The control system is configured to individually allocate the wireless communication devices into categories based on the device identifiers and determine one of the categories having a majority of the wireless communication devices.

Abstract: A method and corresponding system is disclosed for enhanced resource allocation in a wireless communication system. According to the method, when an idle wireless device seeks to initiate a call in a given coverage area, the device will provide with its initiation request to the serving radio network a motion specification indicating an extent of movement of the device, based on the device's tracking of its own movement. The network will then use that motion specification provided with the initiation request as a basis to determine whether to select a resource to allocate for the call in the given coverage area based on resource implementation in at least one neighboring coverage area or whether to instead select the resource to allocate without regard to resource allocation in the at least one neighboring coverage area.

Abstract: In a communication system, a core network interface receives user data for a wireless communication device and transfers the user data to the device over a first access network. A second access network receives a service request from the wireless communication device and transfers a buffer initiation signal to the core network interface. The second access network establishes a wireless link to the wireless communication device and transfers a packet connection request to the core network interface. The core network interface receives more user data for the wireless communication device, buffers the additional user data responsive to the buffer initiation signal, and transfers the user data to the first access network for delivery to the device. The core network interface establishes a packet connection to the wireless communication device and transfers the buffered user data to the device over the second access network.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and corresponding system to help a wireless communication device (WCD) stay within a home system's network coverage after an access attempt failure. According to one embodiment of the method, a WCD receives a channel list message (CLM) in a given coverage area and transmits an access attempt on a carrier listed in the received CLM. Upon the failure of such an access attempt, the WCD may transmit an additional access attempt on another carrier listed in the received CLM, rather than switching over to a roaming system. According to another embodiment, a WCD receives a channel list message (CLM) in a given coverage area and transmits an access attempt on a carrier listed in the received CLM. Upon the failure of such an access attempt, the WCD may transmit an additional access attempt on another carrier not listed in the received CLM, rather than switching over to a roaming system.

Abstract: A radio access network (RAN) includes a plurality of reverse-link channel elements for receiving signals and a plurality of forward-link channel elements for transmitting signals. The RAN may detect a fault condition in a signal transmitted by a mobile station and received through a reverse-link channel element or in a signal transmitted through a forward-link channel element and received by a mobile station, for example, based on a frame error rate in the received signal exceeding a threshold. The RAN may determine whether a radio frequency (RF) condition accounts for the fault condition. If the RF condition does not account for the fault condition, the RAN may allocate a second channel element such that the signal is received or transmitted through two different channel elements. If the second channel element improves the quality of the received signal, the BTS may discontinue use of the first channel element.

Abstract: Methods and devices for transmission of communications during a silence interval are described. A base station (BS) provides timing data to an access terminal (AT) and AT uses timing data to synchronize with BS to carry our silence and non-silence intervals for an RF air interface. AT attempts to initiate communications by transmitting an access probe (AP) to BS during a non-silence interval. Other ATs may transmit communications to BS during non-silence interval. If BS acknowledges AP during non-silence interval, AT does not transmit during a subsequent silence interval. If AP was for an emergency communication and BS does not acknowledge AP sent during non-silence interval, AT transmits another AP during the subsequent silence interval to initiate emergency communication. If AP was not for emergency communication, AT does not transmit AP during the subsequent silence interval. The other ATs do not transmit communications to BS during the subsequent silence interval.

Abstract: During an initial part of a communication session, a transmitting node transmits digital data over a first air interface channel to a receiving node, using a first data rate and a first level of repetition. A degradation in quality of the communication session is detected. During a subsequent part of the communication session, the transmitting node transmits digital data over the first air interface channel as before but also transmits the digital data over a second air interface channel, using a second data rate and a second level of repetition. The second data rate is higher than the first data rate, and the second level of repetition is higher than the first level of repetition. Thus, during a given transmission period, the transmitting node may transmit a voice frame once over the first air interface channel and N times over the second air interface channel.