Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems to facilitate use of a single channel for voice communications and of multiple channels for non-voice communications. In particular, a transmitting node may determine that data is to be communicated from the transmitting node to a receiving node and may then make a determination of whether the data is to be communicated as part of a voice communication. If the determination is that the data is not to be communicated as part of a voice communication, then the transmitting node may responsively communicate the data to the receiving node over two or more channels. Whereas, if the determination is that the data is to be communicated as part of a voice communication, then the transmitting node may responsively communicate the data to the receiving node over just one channel rather than communicating the data to the receiving node over two or more channels.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus to help manage communication on a wireless channel when transmitting and receiving nodes will engage in a sequence of data-ACK exchanges with each other on the channel. As disclosed, the transmitting node and/or receiving node may include in at least one of the data-ACK exchanges an indication of how many data-ACK exchanges remain in the sequence and may further include indicia of how often each data-ACK exchange will occur and how long each data-ACK exchange will last. A neighboring node that is observing the channel to determine whether the channel is available may thus determine, based at least in part on the indication in the data-ACK exchange how many times to refrain from transmitting on the channel, how often to so refrain, and how long to refrain in each instance.

Abstract: A method and system to help facilitate efficient use of frequency spectrum. A base station will provide service on two carriers that partially overlap with each other in frequency. To facilitate this, the base station could shift the frame timing of one carrier in relation to the other carrier, so as to minimize or avoid overlap of the carriers' downlink control channels. Further, the base station could control service on each carrier in a manner that helps avoid resource conflicts within the overlapping frequency region.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for transmitting multicast content via a unicast mode of transmission. An access node schedules wireless transmissions to a plurality of wireless devices to transmit separate control and header information to each of the wireless devices. The access node also schedules wireless transmissions to the plurality of wireless devices to transmit a single multicast content payload that is commonly used by all of the wireless devices.

Abstract: When a UE is being served by a base station over a first air interface in a client-server relationship and the UE receives from the base station a HARQ NACK for a transmission over the first air interface, the UE will responsively engage in the HARQ re-transmission to the base station over a second, different air interface, such as through a peer-to-peer communication to the base station. The first air interface may be an OFDMA air interface such as LTE, and the second air interface may be a WLAN air interface such as WiFi. Engaging in re-transmission via the second air interface may enable the base station to complete receipt of the data from the UE and thereby provide the UE, via the first air interface, with a HARQ ACK. This arrangement may help reduce delay in re-transmission, which may be particularly useful for delay-sensitive communications such as VoIP communications.

Abstract: In an example method, a UE receives modulated data transmitted from a base station in a given subframe, and searches through the received modulated data to find the physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) of the given subframe. The searching is based on the PCFICH having a predefined structure. Upon thereby finding the PCFICH of the given subframe, the UE determines the control format indicator (CFI) carried by the PCFICH of the given subframe. The UE then uses the CFI carried by the PCFICH of the given subframe as a basis to read a portion of a downlink control channel of the given subframe.

Abstract: A method and system for coordinated multipoint transmission concurrently to multiple user equipment devices (UEs) from multiple base stations. When multiple base stations each serve a respective UE and each base station has a separate bit stream to communicate to its respective served UE, bit groups will be defined across the base station's bit streams, such that each bit group includes at least one bit from each base station's bit stream. And the base stations will then engage in CoMP transmission of each bit group, with all of the base stations transmitting the bit group at the same time and frequency as each other, such as on the same resource element, using the same modulation scheme. Each UE may then receive that transmitted bit group and process just the appropriate bit(s) destined to the UE, discarding the others.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus to help manage data communication in a manner that increases downlink capacity. As disclosed, a base station may transmit, in a downlink traffic channel of a given sub-frame, bearer data to a particular wireless communication device (WCD). After transmitting the bearer data, the base station may transmit, in the downlink control channel of another sub-frame, a signaling message that directs the particular WCD to read the previously transmitted bearer data. The signaling message may include an indication of the given sub-frame having the previously transmitted bearer data. When the WCD receives and reads the signaling message, the WCD may use the indication as a basis to read the previously transmitted bearer data in accordance with the signaling message.

Abstract: A method for prioritized transmission of redundancy data in a voice-over-packet call. A sending device applies a variable rate codec to generate a sequence of encoded voice frames having varying sizes, and the sending device inserts the encoded voice frames into a sequence of fixed-size packets, one encoded voice frame per packet, resulting in varying left-over payload capacity per packet. The sending device further generates based on each encoded voice frame multiple redundancy blocks to help facilitate recovery of the encoded voice frame. And on a per packet-basis, the sending device selects, from a sliding-window set of recently generated redundancy blocks, one or more redundancy blocks to add into the left-over payload capacity of the packet, with the selecting of each redundancy block being based at least on importance of the voice frame based on which the redundancy block was generated, and the age and size of the redundancy block.

Abstract: When a base station has just a small amount of data to transmit to a served UE, the base station will transmit the data to the UE in a DCI message on a PDCCH, rather than using the DCI message to allocate PDSCH resources to carry the data and transmitting the data on the allocated PDSCH resources. Further, the base station could advantageously make use of a standard DCI message format but could transmit the data in DCI message fields that would otherwise be used to allocate PDSCH resources or otherwise to facilitate PDSCH transmission, since those DCI message fields would not be needed when the data is transmitted in the DCI message itself.

Abstract: When an upper layer of a device is going to initiate an exchange of two or more messages with a corresponding upper layer of another device, the initiating device will provide from its upper layer to a lower layer such as a MAC layer an indication of how many messages the devices will be exchanging. In response to that indication, the lower layer of the initiating device will then cause the lower layer of the other device to forgo checking for and confirming availability of the channel for transmission of the next message of the exchange from the other device to the initiating device. Further, the lower layer of the initiating device may also responsively forgo for and confirming availability of the channel for a subsequent message of the exchange.

Abstract: An improved method for controlling how long a device will occupy a wireless channel, based on consideration of QoS class of communication on the channel. With respect to a communication that the device detects on the channel, the device could determine QoS class by detecting a sequence of energy levels in association with the detected communication, the sequence of energy levels indicating the QoS class. The disclosed method could be applied by a cellular base station to control how long the base station will provide cellular service on the channel, where the channel is also used for other communications such as WiFi communications for instance.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for management of control channel capacity to help reduce control channel congestion over time. As disclosed, a first base station provides a first downlink control channel including a first set of air interface resources and a second base station provides a second downlink control channel including a second set of air interface resources, the first set of air interface resources and the second set of air interface resources being mutually exclusive. Upon making a determination that the first downlink control channel is threshold loaded (i.e., congested), temporary reconfiguration of the wireless communication system is carried out by transferring a portion of the second set of air interface resources from the second downlink control channel to the first downlink control channel such that (i) capacity of the first downlink control channel is increased and (ii) capacity of the second downlink control channel is commensurately decreased.

Abstract: Aspects of selecting a base station or coverage area for a UE device are described. The UE device or a wireless network component (e.g., a base station) can determine RF uplink use values of a coverage area sector or cell. The RF uplink use values can be received from one or more base stations and can be based on a subframe or other time segment. The UE device can determine an average and variation of the RF uplink use values, and a load metric. The load metric can indicate a load pattern of an RF uplink. A selection of the base station or coverage area can be based on the load metric and whether the UE device is located or operating at an edge of a cell or coverage area. The UE device, while idle, can continue or switch to camping on the selected base station or coverage area.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system in which a PDSCH segment assigned to a UE in a particular TTI not only carries data to the UE but also carries an assignment to the UE of a PDSCH in a subsequent TTI for carrying additional data to the UE in that subsequent TTI. Such an arrangement can help make good use of possibly otherwise unused PDSCH capacity and can help to manage PDCCH capacity in the subsequent TTI.

Abstract: Aspects of selecting a base station for a UE device are described. The UE device or a wireless network component (e.g., a base station) can determine RF uplink use values of a coverage area. The RF uplink use values can be received from one or more base stations and can be based on a subframe or other time segment. A processor can determine a base station having a greatest number of subframes with at least one resource block available. If the base stations have an equal number of subframes having at least one resource block available, the processor can determine which base station has a greatest number of subframes having at least two resource blocks available (or three, etc. if additional ties exist). A selection of the base station can be based on the processor's determination and whether the UE device is located within an edge of a coverage area.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for managing signaling in wireless communication network. Base stations in the network will be divided into groups, but each base station's coverage area will be deemed a separate respective tracking area, and, for each group of base stations, an intermediary will manage transmission of registration and paging signaling between a paging controller and the group of base stations. In practice, when a tracking-area update (TAU) arrives from a WCD in coverage of the group of base stations, the intermediary may forward the TAU to the paging controller only if the TAU represents the WCD's movement into coverage of the group of base stations. Further, when a paging message arrives for a WCD, the intermediary may forward the paging message to the appropriate base station in the group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to help manage communication on a wireless channel. When a neighboring node detects on a wireless channel a ready-to-send (RTS) message from a transmitting node to a receiving node, the neighboring node will set itself to avoid transmission on the channel for a time period but will then determine whether it detects in that time period a further transmission from the transmitting node to the receiving node, related to the data transmission. The further transmission may be a confirmation-to-send (CoTS) message that the transmitting node sends to the receiving node in response to a clear-to-send (CTS) from the receiving node. If the determination is affirmative, then the neighboring node will continue avoiding use of the channel. But if the determination is negative, then the neighboring node will discontinue avoiding use of the channel.

Abstract: One or more random access channel (RACH) instances may be specially designated for use by mobile terminals that are in threshold poor coverage of an intended base station. Further, one or more other base stations that provide coverage overlapping with, within, or near coverage of the intended base station may be arranged to monitor the one or more specially designated RACH instances for mobile terminal access requests and, upon detecting any such access request, to forward the access request via an inter-base station link to the intended base station. The intended base station may then respond to the mobile terminal access request through a direct downlink communication to the mobile terminal.