Abstract: In one or more access points of a wireless communication network, a method for participating in a distributed clustering process directed at defining clusters of access points wherein each of the clusters comprises a cluster head and associated member nodes includes determining a marginal cost of associating an access point to each of distinct clusters of access points, based on a defined cost function, and associating the access point to one of the clusters of APs for which the marginal cost is minimized. The method may be performed by multiple access points in a peer-to-peer fashion and iterated until a stable cluster configuration is obtained. A cluster head may similarly be appointed in a distributed fashion by a current cluster head comparing total cost functions between different cluster configurations with different cluster heads.

Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product are provided for wireless communication in which wireless signal information is received through at least one wireless wide-area-network technology. In addition, data related to the wireless signal information is aggregated. Furthermore, the data is provided to a wireless node through a wireless wide-area-network technology different from the at least one wireless wide-area-network technology.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described that may provide for femtocells to indicate the proximity of mobile user equipments and/or provide mobile identity to assist in resolving femtocell disambiguation. A femtocell may detect a user equipment in its proximity using an out-of-band link. The femtocell may transmit a proximity indication message to a macro network controller via a core network. The macro network may direct the user equipment to perform a variety of tasks, including directing the user equipment to do a handover to the femtocell. Some embodiments may utilize existing user equipment registrations and femto-to-macrocell outbound handover procedures to address problems such as femtocell ambiguity resolution and triggering frequency searches at a macro network when a current macrocell signal strength is good. These embodiments may utilize dummy identifiers to register the user equipment to facilitate addressing these problems.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are provided that may support signaling, such as a Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB), over a flexible bandwidth carrier. For example, an SRB rate for a SRB over for a normal bandwidth carrier may be identified. A Transmission Time Interval (TTI) may be determined for the SRB over for the flexible bandwidth carrier that facilitates a SRB rate of the SRB over the flexible bandwidth carrier that maintains at least the SRB rate for the SRB over the normal bandwidth carrier. The determined TTI may be utilized for the SRB over the flexible bandwidth carrier, which may help avoid increased call setup delay, increased latency for handover, etc. that may be introduced in flexible bandwidth carrier systems. Some embodiments may include reducing spreading factors, increasing transmission power, and/or concatenating multiple transport blocks with respect to the SRB over the flexible bandwidth carrier.

Abstract: A method of coordinating a small cell with a plurality of small cells includes estimating backhaul bandwidth and backhaul bandwidth utilization of the small cell; estimating aggregate bandwidth utilization for the small cell and the plurality of small cells based on the estimated backhaul bandwidth utilization for each of the small cells; selecting the small cell as a cluster head for a cluster of the small cells based on the estimated aggregate backhaul bandwidth utilization, the cluster including at least some of the small cells; and communicating, via the cluster head, information between a network entity and the small cells of the cluster.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for facilitating mobility between flexible bandwidth systems and other bandwidth systems are provided. These tools and techniques that provide mobility between different bandwidth systems may facilitate supporting circuit-switched (CS) services, such as CS voice services. Some embodiments provide for determining flexible bandwidth capable devices, such as user equipment. Some embodiments involve core network redirection where a core network may direct the handling of circuit-switched services when a flexible bandwidth system does not support the CS services. Some examples provide for radio access network determined handling of CS services when a flexible bandwidth system may not support the CS services. Some embodiments provide for transitioning to a flexible bandwidth system.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for facilitating mobility between flexible bandwidth systems and other bandwidth systems are provided. These tools and techniques that provide mobility between different bandwidth systems may facilitate supporting circuit-switched (CS) services, such as CS voice services. Some embodiments provide for determining flexible bandwidth capable devices, such as user equipment. Some embodiments involve core network redirection where a core network may direct the handling of circuit-switched services when a flexible bandwidth system does not support the CS services. Some examples provide for radio access network determined handling of CS services when a flexible bandwidth system may not support the CS services. Some embodiments provide for transitioning to a flexible bandwidth system.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed that provide various incentive schemes for owners of low-power base stations to allow others nearby to use their base station, enabling offloading of some users from a nearby macrocell, thus helping improve overall network performance. For example, a “win-win” scenario might exist when a sharing opportunity at a low-power base station overlaps with a sharing opportunity at the neighboring macrocell. During this overlap, when the low-power base station provides access to its air interface to one or more UEs outside of a set of UEs associated with the low-power base station, an incentive credit may be received. Incentive credits can take various forms, and in some examples, may be in an amount that is a function of an amount of contribution to the network resulting from the provision of access to the air interface.

Abstract: Systems and methods for distributed computing between communication devices. A femto node is treated as a trusted extension of a user equipment and performs processing tasks on behalf of the user equipment. The femto node is also treated as a trusted extension of network servers and performs services on behalf of the network servers. Tasks are thus distributed between the network servers, the femto node and one or more user equipments. The tasks include processing data, filtering incoming messages, and caching network service information.

Abstract: Management of user equipment (UE) proximity indications to femto access points is provided using out-of-band (OOB) signals. To obtain OOB identification information on the femto access point, the UE determines the OOB identification information when in proximity to cells neighboring the femto access point. This OOB information is stored in a search information database (SID) of the UE and related to in-band information on the femto access point. To later determine proximity to the femto access point, in response to detecting its presence within a fingerprint area around the femto access point, a search for the femto access point is triggered using the OOB radio resources and OOB identification information associated with the femto access point in the SID. When the UE detects the femto access point using the OOB radio resources, the UE transmits a proximity indication to its serving base station over the in-band radio link.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to apparatuses and methods that can improve Bluetooth (BT) and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) coexistence at a BT/WLAN co-located wireless communication device. Various coexistence schemes are provided such as dynamic WLAN fragmentation based on high priority BT traffic by utilizing various techniques and signaling schemes. In some aspects of the disclosure, narrow-band active interference cancellation may be combined with dynamic WLAN fragmentation to further improve BT/WLAN coexistence performance.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for utilizing flexible bandwidth carriers for small cells are provided. Bandwidth scaling factor(s) for a small cell may be determined. A flexible bandwidth carrier may be generated for the small cell utilizing the bandwidth scaling factor. Some embodiments provide assistance with active hand-in due to more available PN offsets in the flexible bandwidth domain. Some embodiments enhance small cell discovery with high bandwidth scaling factor beacon-like small cells with little more power than that corresponding to the same power spectral density for normal bandwidth small cell. Some embodiments reduce the interference caused by small cell to macrocell users using an adaptive bandwidth scaling factor for small cells based on number of users supported and their traffic demand, to control the extent of overlap the macrocell has with small cell and the interference to macrocell mobiles. Some embodiments utilize self-configuration for small cells utilizing flexible bandwidth channels.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for supporting voice communications in a wireless communications system are provided. Some embodiments utilize multiple code channels to transmit the voice frames. These embodiments include parallel multi-code embodiments, offset multi-code embodiments, and multi-user multi-code embodiments. Some embodiments utilize flexible carrier bandwidths systems that may utilize portions of spectrum that may not be big enough to fit a normal bandwidth waveform. Some embodiments transmit and receive a subset of subframes of voice frames received over flexible bandwidth code channels. In some embodiments, a subset of subframes based on a flexible bandwidth scaling factor of one or more flexible bandwidth code channels is transmitted. The receiver may decode the voice frame based on the received subset of subframes. An outer loop power control set-point may be adjusted to provide a predetermined frame error rate based on the number of transmitted subframes.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide a user equipment (UE) assisted synchronization method in which a small cell can request and obtain time and frequency offset information from one or more UEs currently associated with the small cell, and the small cell can discipline its clock drift accordingly.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are provided for discontinuous transmission (DTX) in systems that utilize one or more flexible bandwidth carriers. Tools and techniques are provided that may help ensure signaling alignment, such as with respect to DTX cycles, in systems that may utilize one or more flexible bandwidth carriers. Such methods may include identifying at least a DTX cycle for a first cell or a DTX cycle for a second cell, wherein at least the first cell or the second cell utilizes at least one of the one or more flexible bandwidth carriers; and adjusting one or more DTX parameters for at least the first cell or the second cell to align the DTX cycle for the second cell with the DTX cycle for the first cell such that the DTX cycle for the second cell at least partially overlaps the DTX cycle for the first cell.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are provided for system information management in a wireless communications. A user equipment (UE) may identify a first value of a value tag in a first carrier, read a system information block (SIB) on the first carrier associated with the value tag, and identify a second value of the value tag in a second carrier. The UE may compare the first value with the second value and determine whether the read SIB on the first carrier may be utilized on the second carrier. Other techniques may include identifying a first value of a value tag for a first carrier linked with a SIB transmitted over the first carrier. The techniques may include determining a second value of the value tag for a second carrier indicating whether the SIB transmitted over the first carrier may be utilized on the second carrier.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are provided for system information management in a wireless communications. A user equipment (UE) may identify a first value of a value tag in a first carrier, read a system information block (SIB) on the first carrier associated with the value tag, and identify a second value of the value tag in a second carrier. The UE may compare the first value with the second value and determine whether the read SIB on the first carrier may be utilized on the second carrier. Other techniques may include identifying a first value of a value tag for a first carrier linked with a SIB transmitted over the first carrier. The techniques may include determining a second value of the value tag for a second carrier indicating whether the SIB transmitted over the first carrier may be utilized on the second carrier.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for control information processing and utilization in a wireless communications system that utilizes one or more flexible bandwidth carriers. The methods may include receiving control information over a first channel of one of the one or more flexible bandwidth carriers, determining a processing time for the received control information over the first channel of the one of the one or more flexible bandwidth carriers based on a processing time of control information for another bandwidth carrier, and utilizing the received control information over the first channel of the one of the one or more flexible bandwidth carriers during a first transmission time interval of the first channel of the one of the one or more flexible bandwidth carriers subsequent to the processing time for the received control information over the first channel of the one of the one or more flexible bandwidth carriers.

Abstract: A novel power conservation scheme is provided for conserving power in a wireless client terminal with an established communication session. While in a connected mode, the client terminal may receive data for the communication session via a data channel from an access point. During periods of inactivity over the data channel, the client terminal may switch to a lowered power mode, where the client terminal discontinuously monitors a control channel and does not monitor the data channel. The access point is informed of the operating mode of the client terminal. If a data resume indicator is received over the control channel, the client terminal switches back to the connected mode and resumes the communication session by receiving additional data over the data channel.

Abstract: A novel message exchange protocol is disclosed. In one example, a method of transmitting data includes generating, with a wireless device, an application data message for an application; evaluating one or more criteria for determining whether to send the application data message via a data radio bearer (DRB) channel or via a signaling radio bearer (SRB) channel that communicatively couples the wireless device to a network resource; and based on determining to send the application data message via the SRB channel, sending the application data message to the network resource via the SRB channel.