Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for providing system-acquisition parameters on standardized frequencies. One embodiment takes the form of a method for assisting mobile devices with system acquisition. The method includes, in each of two or more wireless coverage areas, broadcasting from a radio access network (RAN) on each of one or more predefined frequencies one or more sets of one or more system-acquisition parameters. The method also includes configuring one or more mobile devices with logic executable for, in response to detecting a triggering event, retrieving at least one of the sets of system-acquisition parameters on at least one of the predefined frequencies, and then using at least one retrieved set of system-acquisition parameters to attempt to acquire system connectivity.

Abstract: A method of operating a wireless packet access network comprises receiving, at a wireless network control system, a packet data request from an application in a wireless communication device, determining if the application is a member of a first application group or a second application group, and selecting a core packet network access point from a plurality of core packet network access points based on whether the application is a member of the first application group or the second application group. The method further comprises transmitting the packet data request to the selected core packet network access point to initiate access to a core packet network.

Abstract: Multiple mobile devices can request or wait for acknowledgement from a device associated with a mobile telecommunications network. Embodiments of the present invention include creating and broadcasting a single acknowledgment to multiple mobile devices. Mobile devices can be associated with identifiers that include sets of characters. In order to acknowledge more than one device with one broadcast, subsets of characters from more than one identifier can be included in one value. One acknowledgement is broadcast to multiple devices. The devices are able to identify the unique subsets of characters and compare them to portions of identifiers. Multiple devices can recognize acknowledgement based on a shared value that is broadcast to the devices.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed that may help a base station to adjust forward-link data rates in a given sector based on transmission-power variations in neighboring sectors. An exemplary method involves a base station that serves a first sector: (a) determining a respective transmission power for each of two or more channels of a second sector, (b) detecting a transmission-power difference between at least two of the channels of the second sector, and (c) in response to detecting the transmission-power difference: (i) determining a data rate control (DRC) adjustment for the first sector based at least in part on the transmission-power difference; and using the determined DRC adjustment to determine a forward-link data rate for at least one access terminal in the first sector.

Abstract: An access terminal establishes a session with a first radio access network (RAN). As a result, the access terminal receives a Unicast Access Terminal Identifier (UATI) assigned by the first RAN and establishes configuration settings for radio communications between the access terminal and the first RAN. The access terminal moves from the first RAN to a second RAN. Before the access terminal has a session established with the second RAN, the access terminal receives a request from a user to originate a call. In response, the access terminal sends the second RAN a connection request that includes the UATI assigned by the first RAN. The second RAN evaluates the UATI included in the connection request and determines that it was previously assigned to the access terminal by another RAN. Based on this determination, the second RAN grants the connection request by assigning a traffic channel to the access terminal.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media, for facilitating providing network transfer messages based on network conditions are provided. In embodiments, one or more network-condition data that indicate a network condition of a first wireless network being used by a mobile device are received. The network-condition data are utilized to determine a transmission time attribute that indicates a time or a frequency at which to transmit a set of network transfer messages that provide an indication for the mobile device to seek a second wireless network. The set of network transfer messages are transmitted in accordance with the determined transmission time attribute.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for improved paging in a wireless communication system. In a scenario where base stations broadcast congestion indicators to prevent mobile stations from registering in coverage areas that are experiencing threshold congestion, the method provides for a new form of zone based paging that accounts for the possibility that a mobile station has entered into a new zone but has not yet registered due to a threshold congestion state. According to the method, a paging attempt will be directed to the mobile station's zone of last registration and to only those coverage areas in at least one adjacent paging zone that are deemed to be experiencing threshold congestion.

Abstract: A mobile station will sort wireless coverage sectors in order of distance of the sectors from the mobile station, and the mobile station will then scan for pilot signals from the sectors in the sorted order. The invention can be applied advantageously to provide an order of scanning remaining set sectors in a mobile station operating according to a code division multiple access protocol.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and software for operating a wireless communication device are provided herein. In a first example, a method of operating a wireless communication device is provided. The method includes receiving user content and advertising content over a wireless link from a wireless communication network, and responsive to user input on the wireless communication device, altering a first resource portion associated with the wireless communication device for handling of the advertising content and altering a second resource portion associated with the wireless communication device for handling of the user content.

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: A multi-mode mobile station is able to communicate with a first system using a first air interface protocol (e.g., EVDO) and with a second system using a second air interface protocol (e.g., 1×RTT CDMA). When the first system schedules a page message for transmission to the multi-mode mobile station, the first system may query the second system to determine whether the second air interface protocol is being used for a current call involving the multi-mode mobile station or is being used to attempt establishment of a requested call to the multi-mode mobile station. In the case of a current call, the first system may wait until the call is released before transmitting the page message. In the case of an attempt to establish a requested call, the first system may wait to determine whether the attempt is successful before transmitting the page message.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved idle handoff a mobile station in a wireless communication system. While idling in a particular sector of the system, the mobile station will select a target sector based on a determination that the target sector has the same number of channels as the current sector, such as the same number of paging channels and perhaps the same number of frequency channels as the current sector. The mobile station will then engage in an idle handoff from the current sector to the selected target sector. By striving to hand off to a sector that has the same number of channels, particularly the same number of paging channels, the mobile station may avoid having to hash onto a channel in the target sector and may thereby minimize the likelihood of missing a page message sent while the mobile station was busy hashing onto the channel.

Abstract: A mobile station involved in a call receives a forward link signal from a radio access network (RAN) and transmits a reverse link signal to the RAN. If the mobile station detects a reception failure of the forward link signal, such as the receipt of an errored frame, the mobile station determines the power level that the RAN used to transmit the forward link signal when the reception failure occurred. If the RAN was already transmitting at its maximum power level, the mobile station may discontinue transmission of the reverse link signal if the next frame from the RAN is also an errored frame. Otherwise, the mobile station defines a test period that is sufficient for the RAN to increase its transmit power to the maximum level. If the reception failure continues throughout the test period, the mobile station discontinues transmission of the reverse link signal.

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for dynamic adjustment of reverse-link rate-control parameters. An access terminal in a wireless communication system that includes a base station will operate in a state in which the access terminal responds to receiving reverse-noise messages from the base station by (i) transmitting data on a reverse-link traffic channel to the base station at a data transmission rate based at least on the received reverse-noise messages and on a level of a resource in reserve for consumption in data transmission, and (ii) when the received reverse-noise messages indicate that conditions for increasing the data transmission rate are satisfied, replenishing the resource by an allocation size specified by at least one parameter.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and corresponding system for management of neighbor scanning in a cellular wireless communication system. A radio access network (RAN) sends, and a mobile station receives, a neighbor list update message (NLUM) containing a plurality of different neighbor lists. The mobile station then selects one of the neighbor lists based on a determined first rank-ordering of its active set members. Once the mobile station selects one of the neighbor lists, the mobile station scans the neighbors listed in the selected neighbor list in accordance with the selected neighbor list. If the mobile station detects a change in rank-ordering from the determined first rank-ordering to another rank-ordering, the mobile station may select and transition to another one of the neighbor lists and may begin to scan the neighbors listed in the selected other neighbor list in accordance with the selected other neighbor list.

Abstract: In order to provide better 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 that are configured to provide coverage at these different altitudes. The RAN may assign resources, such as transmit power or frequencies, to wireless coverage areas serving particular altitude ranges in a proportion that is commensurate with the number of WCDs being served by these particular altitude ranges. As a result, RAN and WCD performance may improve.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for handing off packet-transmission between sectors of a wireless communication system is disclosed herein. During transmission of a packet from an access network to an access terminal, the access terminal determines that the packet should theoretically be transmitted to the access terminal in fewer timeslots in another sector than the number of allowed timeslots remaining for the packet transmission in a current sector. In response, the access terminal abandons packet transmission in the current sector and hands off to the other sector, in an effort to increase throughput and save air interface resources.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamically controlling the transmission of reverse-link control signals to help reduce interference on the reverse link. A RAN identifies a mobile device whose transmission of reverse-link control signals best represents the reverse-link air interface condition of each other mobile device in a plurality of mobile devices. Then the RAN causes each mobile device in the plurality other than the identified mobile device to not send its respective reverse-link control signal at a given time, thereby reducing the number of mobile devices that transmit reverse-link control signals at the given time.

Abstract: A controller monitors resource usage in each of a plurality of sectors and identifies any sector with resource usage that exceeds a threshold value as a high usage sector. The controller evaluates the mobile stations in its area and identifies any mobile station that is using a high usage sector and at least two other sectors for a communication session as a candidate mobile station. The controller applies a predictive algorithm to determine whether any candidate mobile station is able to continue its respective communication session without using its respective high usage sector. In this determination, the signal levels that a mobile station reported for the sectors in its active set, other than the high usage sector, may be used to calculate a combined signal level. If the combined signal level exceeds a predefined value, the mobile station is instructed to drop the high usage sector.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a method and a corresponding apparatus that provides a tethering alert if the apparatus is tethering data. In one example, a method for providing a tethering alert by an apparatus having a first network communication interface and a second network communication interface is disclosed. The method includes i) receiving incoming data via one of the first network communication interface and the second network communication interface, ii) sending outgoing data via the other of the first network communication interface and the second network communication interface, iii) making a determination that there is a threshold similarity between the incoming data and the outgoing data, and iv) responsive to making the determination, the apparatus providing a tethering alert indicating that the apparatus is tethering data.