Abstract: A method comprises, in a carrier aggregation system having multiple component carriers, utilizing an air interface based collision avoidance procedure on at least one component carrier that is associated to a cellular radio access technology to check that a radio resource in the at least one component carrier is available; and thereafter communicating on the radio resource using the cellular radio access technology only if the check reveals that the radio resource is available.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for random access procedure are provided. One method includes selecting, by a user equipment, a subframe for a first transmission of a preamble based on a configuration broadcast by an evolved node B (eNB). The method may also include repeating the preamble within a preamble repetition period based on a configuration broadcast by the eNB.

Abstract: An example technique may include: receiving, by a mobile station from a base station, a plurality of copies of a broadcast information including a broadcast control message, wherein a copy of the broadcast information is transmitted via each of a plurality of basis function beams; determining, by the mobile station, a gain and phase value for each copy of at least a subset of the plurality of the received copies of the broadcast control message transmitted via different basis function beams. The technique may also include, for example, determining, by the mobile station, a combined broadcast control message based on at least the subset of the plurality of the received copies of the broadcast control message and the gain and phase value for each copy of at least the subset of the plurality of the received copies of the broadcast control message.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include receiving, by a machine type communication user equipment, parameters for frequency hopping in downlink or uplink. The parameters comprise an “X,” ‘Y,” and “Z” parameters, “X” corresponds to a duration for which the same physical resource blocks are used for transmission. ‘Y” corresponds to a frequency hopping period, and “Z” corresponds to a frequency hopping pattern indication. The method may also include performing frequency hopping in accordance with the parameters.

Abstract: A method for coverage enhancement is described. The method includes determining a DCI assignment for a communications device experiencing limited coverage. A DCI assignment includes a plurality of configuration fields. Selecting an indication of the DCI assignment is included in the method. The indication of the DCI assignment uses fewer resources than the DCI assignment. The method also includes sending the indication of the DCI assignment to the communications device. The communications device receives the indication of a DCI assignment. The method also includes determining, by the communications device, the DCI assignment for the communications device based at least in part on the indication of the DCI assignment.

Abstract: Various communication systems may benefit from efficient communication of system information. For example, certain wireless communication systems may benefit from system information block enhancement for low complexity user equipment and/or user equipment in coverage enhancement mode. A method can include decoding a transport block size (TBS) index in a compact downlink control information. The method can also include monitoring for SIB based on the decoded TBS index. The method may optionally include monitoring for the SIB based on a predefined transmission pattern of physical downlink control channel for machine type communication. The method may also optionally include decoding of M-SI messages from a subframe according to a pattern indicated by an information element in M-SIB1.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for providing uniform user equipment initialization procedure for both in-coverage and out-of-coverage device-to device communications are disclosed herein, incorporating a novel tri-timer design: an initial timer, a search timer, and an active timer. In a method a determination is made regarding a user equipment as being a clusterhead candidate which can act as a clusterhead of a cluster. The user equipment searches for a suitable cell or cluster to join. If a suitable cell or a cluster is not found, the user equipment is selected to be a clusterhead which will act as the clusterhead of its own cluster. After selecting the user equipment to be a clusterhead and establishing its cluster, the user equipment transmits a discovery signal which alerting other user equipment to the clusterhead, to which the other user equipment can join. The user equipment as clusterhead then maintains the cluster.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) paging optimization are provided. One method includes, when extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) is not configured for a user equipment (UE), applying a maximum repetition number of each coverage enhancement (CE) mode for paging transmission and associating a different repetition number with each paging occasion (PO). When extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) is configured for the user equipment, the method includes associating each paging occasion (PO) with a different repetition number.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) paging optimization are provided. One method includes, when extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) is not configured for a user equipment (UE), applying a maximum repetition number of each coverage enhancement (CE) mode for paging transmission and associating a different repetition number with each paging occasion (PO). When extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) is configured for the user equipment, the method includes associating each paging occasion (PO) with a different repetition number.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, computer program products, and software are disclosed providing reduction of interference occurring sometime after a capacity booster cell activates, where a coverage area of a capacity booster cell is at least partially within a coverage area of a coverage cell. Techniques include handing off user equipment from the coverage cell to the capacity booster cell, creating by the capacity booster cell scheduling gaps in subframes of radio frames and scheduling user equipment connected to the capacity booster cell in the subframes not in the gaps, scheduling communications for user equipment connected to the coverage cell in the gaps, and performing one or more operations to reduce interference with the capacity booster cell for uplink transmissions from user equipment to the coverage cell.

Abstract: Various communication systems may benefit from the proper use of control channel resources. For example, certain communication systems associated with the long tem evolution of the third generation partnership project may benefit from physical downlink control channel transmission improvement for paging message coverage enhancement. A method can include obtaining a coverage enhancement paging parameter at a user equipment. The method can also include calculating, by the user equipment, a paging frame or paging occasion according to the paging parameter. In another example, a method can include receiving, at a user equipment, a coverage enhancement paging radio network temporary identifier for use in coverage enhancement mode. The method can also include decoding a physical downlink control channel based on the coverage enhancement paging radio network temporary identifier.

Abstract: A method is provided for transmission control of a user terminal utilizing half-duplex frequency division duplex operation. The method includes defining a transmission qap pattern for at least one user terminal. The transmission gap pattern indicates 1) sub-frames during which the user terminal is to perform uplink transmission, 2) sub-frames during which the user terminal is to expect to perform downlink reception including at least reference symbols for performing downlink tracking, and 3) at least one of a Tx-to-Rx switching sub-frame during which the user terminal is to switch from the uplink transmission to the downlink reception, and a Rx-to-Tx switching sub-frame during which the user terminal is to switch from the downlink reception to the uplink transmission. The transmission qap pattern is provided to the user terminal, and the user terminal is operated according to the transmission qap pattern.

Abstract: A method and apparatus can be configured to receive a first scheduling request. The first scheduling request corresponds to a request for a first access point to process data. The method can also include transmitting a second scheduling request. The second scheduling request corresponds to a request to transmit data to a second access point. The transmitting the second scheduling request comprises transmitting the second scheduling request before the data is processed at the first access point.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include determining that downlink communication is to be scheduled for transmission to user equipment. The method may also include scheduling the downlink communication. The method may also include scheduling uplink communication. The uplink communication is transmitted by user equipment to the network node. The uplink communication and the downlink communication are transmitted such that (1) uplink frequency resources are the same as downlink frequency resources, (2) uplink frequency resources are contained within downlink frequency resources, or (3) uplink frequency resources overlap with downlink frequency resources. The method may also include signaling user equipment to ignore a carrier sensing mechanism. User equipment transmits the uplink communication at a time specified by the network node.

Abstract: A method comprises determining in a first network element how much of a received uplink transmission is to be transmitted to a second network element, said first and second network elements both receiving said uplink transmission; and causing at least part of said received uplink transmission to be transmitted to said second network element.

Abstract: A technique is provided for receiving a resource request by a first base station (BS) of a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) from one or more user devices, selecting resources, from a group of resources shared by BSs of a plurality of different RATs, to be scheduled for the one or more requesting user devices, scheduling, by the first BS, the selected resources for the one or more user devices, and sending, from the first BS, a resource scheduling announcement identifying the scheduled resources to one or more other BSs including at least a second BS of a second RAT. Another example technique may include receiving a resource scheduling request from a first base station (BS) implementing a first RAT, confirming an availability of the requested resources, and sending a first resource scheduling announcement to one or more BSs implementing other RATs.

Abstract: A method includes scheduling, by a base station configured to service a cell within a cellular communication network, multiple grants to an apparatus in a coverage area of the cell. Each of the scheduled multiple grants includes time-frequency resources in at least one shared spectrum that is to be used by the apparatus to attempt to communicate. Each of the scheduled multiple grants differs from others of the scheduled multiple grants in one or both of time or frequency. The method includes sending indications of the scheduled multiple grants. Another method includes receiving, at the apparatus in the cell, indications of the multiple grants and attempting by the apparatus to communicate using one or more of the multiple grants. Apparatus, computer programs, and program products are also disclosed.

Abstract: At a wireless node in a wireless network, multiple interference estimation resources are received in a time-frequency resource space. The multiple interference estimation resources are resource elements in an assigned physical shared channel of the time-frequency resource space that do not contain physical shared channel data for the wireless node. An interference covariance matrix is determined from received signals on the multiple interference estimation resources. Symbol estimates are determined for a desired signal based in part by using the interference covariance matrix. Methods, computer programs and products and apparatus are disclosed. The techniques may be used for uplink, downlink, or D2D communications.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for backhaul scheduling in a multi-hop network are provided. One method includes providing, in the multi-hop network, an uplink control portion and a downlink control portion and a data portion in a slot. The method may further include scheduling, by an access point in the multi-hop network, at least one of a backhaul transmission for the slot or at least one following slot or an access transmission for the slot.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for unlicensed transmission. In one aspect there is provided a method. The method may include receiving a resource allocation in terms of at least one of a time and a frequency; determining whether a measurement on the allocated frequency is required; performing the measurement on the allocated frequency, when the measurement on the allocated frequency is required; and transmitting on the allocated frequency, when the allocated frequency is clear based on the performed measurement. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.