Abstract: In a first aspect, requests for carrier aggregation scheduling for a user equipment are received (S41) from a first cell used for carrier aggregation for the user equipment in a cellular communications network and n second cells of the cellular communications network, used for the carrier aggregation. The requests include a first scheduling decision of the first cell and n second scheduling decisions of the n second cells. It is checked (S42) whether or not the requests exceed limits of the user equipment, and the n second scheduling decisions are modified (S43) according to predefined rules such that the requests do not exceed the limits of the user equipment. In a second aspect, limits of the user equipment are increased by a margin (S51), the increased limits are split onto active cells of the first and n second cells according to a predefined rule (S52), and the margin is controlled (S54) dependent on whether the increased and split limits are exceeded or not by the requests (S53).

Abstract: A method comprising monitoring whether or not an allocation of uplink communication resources on a primary cell of a communication network is successful for a communication element to be scheduled on a downlink channel of at least one secondary cell of the communication network, and incrementing at least one counter according to the monitoring result.

Abstract: A method, user equipment, network device, and software product employ indicators from a plurality of respective cells to indicate a difference, if any, regarding allocation in the respective cell as compared to neighbor cells. Mobility measurements are then performed according to the indicators, and also on the basis of configuration of a cell where the measurements are performed.

Abstract: In a first aspect, requests for carrier aggregation scheduling for a user equipment are received (S41) from a first cell used for carrier aggregation for the user equipment in a cellular communications network and n second cells of the cellular communications network, used for the carrier aggregation. The requests include a first scheduling decision of the first cell and n second scheduling decisions of the n second cells. It is checked (S42) whether or not the requests exceed limits of the user equipment, and the n second scheduling decisions are modified (S43) according to predefined rules such that the requests do not exceed the limits of the user equipment. In a second aspect, limits of the user equipment are increased by a margin (S51), the increased limits are split onto active cells of the first and n second cells according to a predefined rule (S52), and the margin is controlled (S54) dependent on whether the increased and split limits are exceeded or not by the requests (S53).

Abstract: The present invention addresses a method, apparatus and computer program product for managing control channel usage in Carrier Aggregation, which implement defining a time reuse factor for a Physical Uplink Control Channel resource on a Primary Cell for enabling time multiplexing the subframes of the resource, and assigning a Physical Uplink Control Channel resource element to a requesting User Equipment by using colliding resources in different subframes, wherein the time reuse factor is variably set based on at least one of the number of requesting User Equipments and the individual traffic needs of the requesting User Equipment.

Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment, a method includes: inserting an indication of a cyclic prefix length into a transmission; and sending the transmission. In another exemplary embodiment, a method includes: receiving a transmission; and processing the received transmission to obtain an indication of a cyclic prefix length.

Abstract: In one aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a method that includes, prior to confirmation that a network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of a user equipment, operating a user equipment with the network access node in accordance with a first rate matching mode and, only after confirmation to the user equipment that the network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of the user equipment, changing the rate matching mode to a second rate matching mode. In an embodiment the first rate matching mode comprises puncturing a downlink shared channel transmission with a set of resource elements, which may be at least one of reference symbols and muted resource elements, and the second rate matching mode comprises rate matching the downlink shared channel around those resource elements that are members of the set of resource elements. Also described are apparatus and computer readable storage medium storing program code that operate in accordance with the method.

Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment, a method includes: inserting an indication of a cyclic prefix length into a transmission; and sending the transmission. In another exemplary embodiment, a method includes: receiving a transmission; and processing the received transmission to obtain an indication of a cyclic prefix length.

Abstract: An approach is provided for efficient signaling of redundancy version information. A redundancy version signaling module detects the start of a system information radio transmission window and assigns a redundancy version sequence at the start of the transmission window.

Abstract: It is described a method for informing a user equipment of an activity status of a second communication carrier within a cellular network, wherein the user equipment is served by a base station and is adapted to communicate with the base station via a first communication carrier being assigned to the base station. Signals between the base station and the user equipment are transmittable using the first communication carrier and, if the second communication carrier is activated, using in addition the second communication carrier, wherein the first communication carrier is divided into subframes. The method includes sending an activity signal from the base station to the user equipment, wherein the activity signal includes information concerning the activity status of the second communication carrier, and re-sending the activity signal from the base station to the user equipment during predefined subframes.

Abstract: In one aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a method that includes, prior to confirmation that a network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of a user equipment, operating a user equipment with the network access node in accordance with a first rate matching mode and, only after confirmation to the user equipment that the network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of the user equipment, changing the rate matching mode to a second rate matching mode. In an embodiment the first rate matching mode comprises puncturing a downlink shared channel transmission with a set of resource elements, which may be at least one of reference symbols and muted resource elements, and the second rate matching mode comprises rate matching the downlink shared channel around those resource elements that are members of the set of resource elements. Also described are apparatus and computer readable storage medium storing program code that operate in accordance with the method.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for initialization and mapping of reference signals in a communication system. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a processor and memory including computer program code. The memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to generate a reference signal employable with a plurality of physical resource blocks corresponding to a bandwidth of a communication system, and allocate resource elements of an assigned physical resource block from the plurality of physical resource blocks to a user equipment. The memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to generate a dedicated reference signal for the user equipment by allocating elements of the reference signal in accordance with allocated resource elements of the assigned physical resource block.

Abstract: An approach is provided for efficient signaling of redundancy version information. A redundancy version signaling module detects the start of a system information radio transmission window and assigns a redundancy version sequence at the start of the transmission window.

Abstract: In one aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a method that includes, prior to confirmation that a network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of a user equipment, operating a user equipment with the network access node in accordance with a first rate matching mode and, only after confirmation to the user equipment that the network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of the user equipment, changing the rate matching mode to a second rate matching mode. In an embodiment the first rate matching mode comprises puncturing a downlink shared channel transmission with a set of resource elements, which may be at least one of reference symbols and muted resource elements, and the second rate matching mode comprises rate matching the downlink shared channel around those resource elements that are members of the set of resource elements. Also described are apparatus and computer readable storage medium storing program code that operate in accordance with the method.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for conveying information regarding the antenna configuration and/or the transmission diversity scheme to a recipient, such as a mobile device. In particular, information regarding the antenna configuration and/or the transmission diversity scheme can be conveyed by masking, such as cyclic redundancy check masking, to provide information regarding the antenna configuration and/or the transmission diversity scheme. In this regard, a set of masks can be determined based upon hamming distances between the masks and bit diversities between the masks and where each of the masks within the set is associated with an antenna configuration and a transmission diversity scheme.

Abstract: There is provided a method, including detecting, by a network node of a first cell, whether or not there is any output power unused in a second cell during a predefined time period, wherein the un-used output power is originally reserved for a transmission on a specific channel in the second cell; upon detecting that there is at least some of the output power unused, determining the amount of the unused output power in the second cell; and applying at least part of the unused output power to boost a predetermined transmission in the first cell.

Abstract: In one aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a method that includes, prior to confirmation that a network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of a user equipment, operating a user equipment with the network access node in accordance with a first rate matching mode and, only after confirmation to the user equipment that the network access node has correctly acquired capabilities of the user equipment, changing the rate matching mode to a second rate matching mode. In an embodiment the first rate matching mode comprises puncturing a downlink shared channel transmission with a set of resource elements, which may be at least one of reference symbols and muted resource elements, and the second rate matching mode comprises rate matching the downlink shared channel around those resource elements that are members of the set of resource elements. Also described are apparatus and computer readable storage medium storing program code that operate in accordance with the method.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for conveying information regarding the antenna configuration and/or the transmission diversity scheme to a recipient, such as a mobile device. In particular, information regarding the antenna configuration and/or the transmission diversity scheme can be conveyed by masking, such as cyclic redundancy check masking, to provide information regarding the antenna configuration and/or the transmission diversity scheme. In this regard, a set of masks can be determined based upon hamming distances between the masks and bit diversities between the masks and where each of the masks within the set is associated with an antenna configuration and a transmission diversity scheme.

Abstract: Requests for carrier aggregation scheduling for a user equipment are received from a first cell used for carrier aggregation and n second cells. The requests include a first scheduling decision of the first cell and n second scheduling decisions of the n second cells. It is checked whether or not the requests exceed limits of the user equipment, and the n second scheduling decisions are modified according to predefined rules such that the requests do not exceed the limits. Limits of the user equipment are increased by a margin, the increased limits are split onto active cells of the first and n second cells according to a predefined rule, and the margin is controlled dependent on whether the increased and split limits are exceeded or not by the requests. If they are exceeded, the n second scheduling decisions may be modified.

Abstract: It is described a method for informing a user equipment of an activity status of a second communication carrier within a cellular network, wherein the user equipment is served by a base station and is adapted to communicate with the base station via a first communication carrier being assigned to the base station. Signals between the base station and the user equipment are transmittable using the first communication carrier and, if the second communication carrier is activated, using in addition the second communication carrier, wherein the first communication carrier is divided into subframes. The method includes sending an activity signal from the base station to the user equipment, wherein the activity signal includes information concerning the activity status of the second communication carrier, and re-sending the activity signal from the base station to the user equipment during predefined subframes.