Abstract: A mobile device in a dual carrier communication system communicates with a network via first and second carriers by receiving data in the first cell via one of the first and second carriers on one carrier frequency, whilst receiving system information and/or downlink data from a second cell via the other of the first and second carriers on another carrier frequency.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided in order to allow for greater multiplexing of a resource on a transmission medium. The method may provide for transmission of a flag which indicates to a subset of mobile terminals that a resource, such as an uplink packet data channel, on a transmission medium that is shared by the subset will be allocated to a respective one of the subset. The method may also provide for transmission of an identity of a respective one of the subset and may then receive communications from the respective one of the subset utilizing the resource on a transmission medium.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide apparatus, a method and a computer readable product for avoiding traffic congestion in a mobile communication system. In an exemplary embodiment there is provided an apparatus, including at least one controller and a memory storing a computer program which are arranged to receive and read a series of blocks on a first channel, to determine whether there is congestion on the basis of said series of blocks, and, in the event that the determination is that there is no congestion, to transmit a channel request on a second channel.

Abstract: A method of packet switched handover in a mobile communication system comprising a terminal, a source node and a destination node comprises negotiating protocol parameters for the destination node on behalf of a new network entity, by communicating with an old network entity whilst the terminal is still connected to the source node; and completing the packet switched handover, such that service interruption on handover is reduced.

Abstract: A method of packet switched handover in a mobile communication system comprising a terminal, a source node and a destination node comprises negotiating protocol parameters for the destination node on behalf of a new network entity, by communicating with an old network entity whilst the terminal is still connected to the source node; and completing the packet switched handover, such that service interruption on handover is reduced.

Abstract: A method of packet switched handover in a mobile communication system comprising a terminal, a source node and a destination node comprises negotiating protocol parameters for the destination node on behalf of a new network entity, by communicating with an old network entity whilst the terminal is still connected to the source node; and completing the packet switched handover, such that service interruption on handover is reduced.

Abstract: A mobile device in a dual carrier communication system communicates with a network via first and second carriers by receiving data in the first cell via one of the first and second carriers on one carrier frequency, whilst receiving system information and/or downlink data from a second cell via the other of the first and second carriers on another carrier frequency.

Abstract: A router device has a plurality of ingress line interface cards (LICs), a plurality of egress LIC's, a backplane and a controller. Transmission of signals from the ingress LICs to the controller, and from the controller to each of the ingress and egress LICs takes place across the backplane. Each ingress LIC is provided with a dedicated timeslot in which it can send information to the controller via connection. Information is sent in a slice within the dedicated timeslot and each egress LIC ignores data sent by a given ingress LIC within the timeslot assigned to said ingress LIC. A similar system is used for transmission of communications from the controller to the LICs. It is thus possible to avoid provision of additional, dedicated communications paths between the LICs (ingress and egress) and the controller.

Abstract: In a method for cell level scheduling for handling multicast traffic in routing devices, such as cross-bar switches having, a plurality of ingress line interface cards (LICs), a plurality of egress LICs, a cross-bar and a controller, multicast and unicast data traffic passes from the ingress LICs via the cross-bar to the egress LICs. A given multicast data packet is sent from a given ingress LIC to a predetermined set of egress LICs known as the fanout of the given packet. Each ingress LIC has an associated rate of send opportunities. The method allows multicast send opportunities to be spread as evenly as possible over cell periods, by invoking a conventional unicast scheduling scheme when one or more multicast send opportunities are present. The schedule is filled out with the fanouts of multicast packets in accordance with the send priority associated with the respective ingress LICs upon which each of the respective multicast packets is queued.

Abstract: The invention relates to a switching device (300) having a plurality of line interface cards (LICs) (310), a plurality of egress LICs (320), a cross-bar (330) and a management card (340). The switching device (300) routes fixed sized cells of data across the cross-bar (330). The cells comprise fragments of variable length data packets. Each ingress LIC (312, 314, 316) is associated with a respective schedule or timetable (362, 364, 366) governing the transmission of cells by the ingress LIC. Similarly, each egress LIC (322, 324, 326) is also associated with a respective schedule or timetable (382, 384, 386) governing the reception of cells by said egress LIC. The schedules are in the form of a table whose entries are the identities of transmission queues corresponding to a respective egress LIC identification number (for ingress LICs) and ingress LICs from which to receive (egress LICs). Each ingress and egress LIC maintains a pointer into its associated schedule.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for making bandwidth allocation for data to be sent from a plurality of ingress forwarders or LICs (310, 312, 314, 316) egress forwarders or LICs (320, 322, 324, 326) across a routing device (330). The data may be unicast and/or multicast. The bandwidth allocation is calculated in accordance with ingress forwarder multicast queue occupancy for each ingress forwarder (312, 314, 316), the number of multicast cells received by egress forwarders (322, 324, 326) from the ingress forwarders in the last bandwidth allocation period, and the bandwidth allocated to non-real time multicast flows from ingress forwarders (310, 312, 314, 316) to egress forwarders (320, 322, 324, 326).

Abstract: A method of operating a base station system comprising at least one base station controller (BSC); the method comprising controlling receipt of data from a streaming source (1); wherein the data from the streaming source is stored in a buffer (5) in the BSC (4) when a mobile station (MS) is communicating via a first cell; and transmitted to the MS (6) from the BSC buffer at a first data rate via the first cell; wherein the BSC monitors the MS and on receipt of an indication that the MS has ceased communication via the first cell, the BSC prevents further streaming data from entering the BSC buffer; wherein the BSC monitors for an indication that the MS has set up communication via a second cell; and on receipt of such an indication, instructs the streaming source to continue data transfer via the second cell; wherein a BSC (8) in the second cell instructs the streaming source to increase the rate of data transfer to the MS buffer (7) via the second cell until the MS buffer is substantially refilled; and there

Abstract: The invention relates to cell level scheduling for handling multicast traffic in routing devices, for example cross-bar switches. The routing device has a plurality of ingress line interface cards (LICs), a plurality of egress LICs, a cross-bar and a controller. Multicast and unicast data traffic passes from the ingress LICs via the cross-bar to the egress LICs. A given multicast data packet is sent from a given ingress LIC to a predetermined set of egress LICs known as the fanout of the given packet. Each ingress LIC has an associated rate of send opportunities. The inventive method allows multicast send opportunities to be spread as evenly as possible over cell periods. The method also invokes a conventional unicast scheduling scheme when no multicast send opportunity is scheduled and a multicast scheduling scheme when one or more multicast send opportunities are present.

Abstract: Described herein is a method of cell level scheduling for handling unicast traffic in routing devices, for example, crossbar switches. This is achieved by the provision of support for multimedia and real-time traffic in large bandwidth routing devices known as terabit routers. Each terabit router has a plurality of ingress line interface cards (210, 212, 214, 216), a plurality of egress line interface cards (220, 222, 224, 226) and a cell based cross-bar (202). Each ingress card has a plurality of queues, a different queue for each of the egress cards respectively. The cross-bar (202) is controlled by a cross-bar controller (204) in association with a bandwidth controller (206). In operation, a target rate matrix is maintained over a set period. At the beginning of each period, a matrix of numbers of cells queued to be transmitted is calculated in accordance with the target rate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a router device (200) having a plurality of ingress line interface cards (LICs) (212, 214, 216, 218), a plurality of egress LICs (222, 224, 226, 228)), a backplane (230) and a controller (240). Transmission of signals from the ingress LICs (212, 214, 216, 218) to the controller (240) and likewise the transmission of signals from the controller (240) to each of the ingress LICs (212, 214, 216, 218) and each of the egress LICs (222, 224, 226, 228) takes place across the backplane (230). Each ingress LIC (212, 214, 216, 218) is provided with a dedicated timeslot in which it can send information to the controller (240) via connection (242). Information is sent in a slice within the dedicated timeslot and each egress LIC (222, 224, 226, 228) ignores data sent by a given ingress LIC within the timeslot assigned to said ingress LIC. A similar system is used for transmission of communications from the controller (240) to the LICs.

Abstract: The invention relates to a switching device (300) having a plurality of line interface cards (LICs) (310), a plurality of egress LICs (320), a cross-bar (330) and a management card (340). The switching device (300) routes fixed sized cells of data across the cross-bar (330). The cells comprise fragments of variable length data packets. Each ingress LIC (312, 314, 316) is associated with a respective schedule or timetable (362, 364, 366) governing the transmission of cells by the ingress LIC. Similarly, each egress LIC (322, 324, 326) is also associated with a respective schedule or timetable (382, 384, 386) governing the reception of cells by said egress LIC. The schedules are in the form of a table whose entries are the identities of transmission queues corresponding to a respective egress LIC identification number (for ingress LICs) and ingress LICs from which to receive (egress LICs). Each ingress and egress LIC maintains a pointer into its associated schedule.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for making bandwidth allocation for data to be sent from a plurality of ingress forwarders or LICs (310, 312, 314, 316) to a plurality of egress forwarders or LICs (320, 322, 324, 326) across a routing device (330). The data may be unicast and/or multicast. The bandwidth allocation is calculated in accordance with ingress forwarder multicast queue occupancy for each ingress forwarder (312, 314, 316), the number of multicast cells received by egress forwarders (322, 324, 326) from the ingress forwarders in the last bandwidth allocation period, and the bandwidth allocated to non-real time multicast flows from ingress forwarders (310, 312, 314, 316) to egress forwarders (320, 322, 324,326).

Abstract: A credit bandwidth allocator system for allocating portions of an available effective communication bandwidth among a plurality of radio connections in a radio system has a credit counter for counting a number of data units received by a radio connection associated therewith, one credit counter means being associated with each radio connection, and a store for data appertaining to such radio connections. A timer provides clock signals of a pre-determined duration, and a central controller, responsive to data in the store and to the clock signals, determines a temporal measure of relative performance for said radio connections dependent upon the count state of the credit counters and the pre-determined duration of the clock signals. The available effective bandwidth is allocated between the said radio connections based on such relative performance.

Abstract: An apparatus for queuing and scheduling ATM cells across an ATM switch comprises sustainable cell rate calendar connected in series with a peak cell rate calendar wherein cells are scheduled independently in each. The sustainable cell rate calendar guarantees the maximum ATM cell delay is not exceeded. The ATM cells are not placed on the peak cell rate calendar unless the peak cell rate threshold might be exceeded. In this case the cell is scheduled on the peak cell rate calendar and it is this that determines when the cell is sent. In this way, it is possible to guarantee absolute minimum and maximum cell rates of a connection.

Abstract: AN ATM communication system having both dynamic bandwidth allocation capability comprising storage mechanism for DBA traffic, the storage mechanism further including dedicated storage mechanism for ABR traffic. The system being such that ABR bandwidth requests are allocated after all other DBA bandwidth allocations have been satisfied. A device for interrupting an ABR transmission, before a bandwidth allocation within which the said ABR transmission is included has been fully used, for the transmission of other higher priority DBA traffic is provided.