Abstract: A mechanism to control transmission by a base station, which may help to control interference on an adjacent frequency. The base station is configured to operate on a first frequency and is equipped with a number of antennas enabled for transmission on the first frequency. Upon detecting of a trigger for reducing potential interference on the adjacent frequency, the base station reduces the number of its antennas that are enabled for transmission on the first carrier, which may reduce the overall energy of the base station's transmission and may thereby reduce interference on the adjacent frequency. In an example implementation, the base station could disable a proper subset of its antennas from use for transmission on the first frequency, while leaving a remainder of its antennas enabled for transmission on the first frequency.

Abstract: A device, method, and computer-readable medium are provided for detecting and mitigating signal interference due to passive intermodulation at a base station. Generally, when antennas are configured to transmit at two or more different bands or frequencies, particular combinations of frequencies can introduce passive intermodulation at one of the corresponding receive bands or frequencies. Passive intermodulation is exacerbated, in some instances, due to the presence of non-linearities in the RF path. Embodiments can be configured to automatically detect the presence of passive intermodulation in one of the receive bands or frequencies and dynamically mitigate the affected receive signal to maintain optimal system performance.

Abstract: A wireless communication network serves User Equipment (UEs) over Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) layers. A primary access node wirelessly serves the UEs over a primary amount of MIMO layers in a primary radio channel having a primary channel size. A secondary access node wirelessly serves the UEs over a secondary amount of MIMO layers in a secondary radio channel having a secondary channel size. The primary access node selects a new primary channel size and a new secondary channel size based on the primary amount of MIMO layers and the secondary amount of MIMO layers. The primary access node wirelessly serves the UEs over the primary amount of MIMO layers in the primary radio channel having the new primary channel size. The secondary access node wirelessly serves the UEs over the secondary amount of MIMO layers in the secondary radio channel having the new secondary channel size.

Abstract: A method is provided for dynamically modifying a buffer in a network deploying multiple carriers, wherein multiple wireless devices communicate over the network. The wireless devices run applications, each application belonging to an application category. The method includes identifying the application category for a selected wireless device communicating over the network, wherein a first application category requires at least one of high throughput and low latency. The method additionally includes reducing a size of the buffer when the application category is the first application category, thereby initiating carrier aggregation for the selected wireless device.

Abstract: Dynamic reconfiguring of dual-connectivity service of a UE includes detecting that quality of the UE's second air-interface connection with a second access node is threshold poor and responsively reconfiguring the dual-connectivity service from (i) a first mode in which user plane communication of the dual-connectivity service is downlink on both the first and second air-interface connections and is uplink on the second air-interface connection but not on the first air-interface connection to (ii) a second mode in which the user-plane communication of the dual-connectivity service is downlink on both the first and second air-interface connections and is uplink on the first air-interface connection but not on the second air-interface connection.

Abstract: In a wireless access node, a radio receives measurement reports from wireless User Equipment (UEs) that indicate past radio measurements taken at measurement locations. Baseband circuitry processes the measurement reports to determine radio metric variances at the measurement locations. The baseband circuitry determines UE locations for the wireless UEs. The baseband circuitry selects measurement time periods for the wireless UEs based on the radio metric variances at the measurement locations that correspond to the UE locations for the wireless UEs. The radio wirelessly transfers the selected measurement time periods to the wireless UEs. The wireless UEs use the selected measurement time periods to take the future radio measurements at the UE locations.

Abstract: A wireless access node controls the uplink transmit power of wireless User Equipment (UEs). The wireless access node receives uplink data from the UEs. The wireless access node performs uplink error correction on the uplink data and transfers the corrected uplink data to network elements. The wireless access node determines received signal strengths at the access node for the wireless UEs. The wireless access node determines uplink error rates for the wireless UEs based on the uplink error correction. The wireless access node determines transmit power instructions for the wireless UEs based on their uplink error rates, their received signal strengths, and typically other metrics like backhaul throughput, noise, and interference. The wireless access node transfers the transmit power instructions to the wireless UEs which control their transmit power responsive to the power instructions.

Abstract: A wireless access node controls Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) layers for a User Equipment (UE). A radio wirelessly exchanges user data with other UEs and exchanges the user data with baseband circuitry. The baseband circuitry exchanges the user data with network elements over backhaul links. The baseband circuitry determines a status of the backhaul links. The baseband circuitry identifies the radio band status for the UE. The baseband circuitry receives user data for the UE from the network elements over the backhaul links. The baseband circuitry selects a number of MIMO layers for the UE based on the radio band status and the backhaul status. The baseband circuitry precodes the user data into precoded data for the selected number of MIMO layers and transfers the precoded data to the radio. The radio wirelessly transmits the precoded data to the UE over the selected number of MIMO layers.

Abstract: A wireless User Equipment (UE) executes user applications that have user requirements. The wireless UE wirelessly receives network information that indicates wireless network slices and their individual slice characteristics. The wireless UE compares the user requirements to the slice characteristics and responsively selects one or more of the wireless network slices. The wireless UE generates network signaling that indicates the selected wireless network slices. The wireless UE wirelessly transfers the network signaling.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling whether to establish dual connectivity for a user equipment device (UE) when the UE has a primary connection with a first access node, where establishing the dual connectivity includes adding for the UE a secondary connection with a second access node on a carrier. An example method includes, when coverage strength of the UE from the second access node on the carrier is high enough to trigger establishing the dual connectivity, (a) making a determination of whether both (i) the coverage strength of the UE from the second access node on the carrier is threshold low and (ii) insertion loss of the carrier at the second access node threshold high and (b) using the determination as a basis to control whether to establish the dual connectivity for the UE.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling uplink-path switching of a user equipment device (UE) when the UE has at least two co-existing air-interface connections including a first air-interface connection with a first access node and a second air-interface connection with a second access node, where one of the connections defining a primary uplink path of the UE and an uplink-path-switch control process dynamically controls switching which one of the air-interface connections is the UE's primary uplink path. An example method includes (a) detecting that both (i) the switching of which one of the air-interface connections is the UE's primary uplink path has been occurring at a threshold high rate and (ii) the UE's remaining battery energy threshold low, and (b) responsive to at least the detecting, disabling further switching of which one of the air-interface connections is the UE's primary uplink path while the UE maintains the co-existing air-interface connections.

Abstract: A method and system to control air-interface-resource scheduling priority of a user equipment device (UE) served by an access node over an air interface, where the air interface defining air-interface resources such as physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocable by the access node. In an example method, the access node detects that both (i) the UE has threshold low remaining battery energy and (ii) the UE is served with non-standalone connectivity, such as EN-DC, rather than with standalone connectivity, such as 4G-only or 5G-only. And based at least on that detecting, the access node transitions from serving the UE with a baseline air-interface scheduling priority to serving the UE instead with an increased air-interface scheduling priority higher than the baseline scheduling priority.

Abstract: When a user equipment device (UE) has dual connectivity including a first air-interface connection extending from a first access node to the UE and a second air-interface connection extending from a second access node to the UE, and where an inter-access-node interface extends between the first access node and the second access node, a method includes (i) detecting that a flow of downlink data over the inter-access-node interface from the first access node to the second access node, for transmission of the downlink data over the second air-interface connection to the UE, is threshold high and (ii) based at least on the detecting, increasing downlink bandwidth of the second air-interface connection. Increasing the downlink bandwidth of the second air-interface connection could involve, for instance, replacing a carrier of the connection with another carrier that has a wider downlink frequency bandwidth, among other possibilities.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling an operational mode of a first access node where the first access node provides a first cell and a second access node provides a second cell. An example method could include (i) determining a level of fading of the second cell, (ii) using the determined level of fading of the second cell as a basis to decide whether the first access node should operate in a blind-addition mode or rather a threshold-based-addition mode for adding a secondary connection in the second cell for a UE having a primary connection with the first access node in the first cell, and (iii) causing the first access node to operate in the decided mode.

Abstract: Dedicating antenna elements to specific wireless devices by identifying specific wireless devices that meet a set of criteria, such as relay nodes, stationary wireless devices, data-only wireless devices, and respectively dedicating a separate portion of antenna elements for communicating with each specific wireless device. The separate portion of antenna elements is selected based on being configured to utilize a bandwidth that meets a threshold bandwidth, such as a 40 MHz bandwidth offered in 5G communications.

Abstract: A wireless access node serves a wireless User Equipment (UE) over a Primary Component Carrier (PCC) and Secondary Component Carriers (SCCs). The wireless access node receives a report from the wireless UE indicating radio frequency bands and their received signal strengths. The wireless access node identifies the radio frequency bands that have adequate received signal strength. The wireless access node determines amounts of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) layers for the identified radio frequency bands. The wireless access node selects one of the identified radio frequency bands that has a larger amount of the MIMO layers. The wireless access node exchanges user data and network signaling with the wireless UE over the selected frequency band to serve the PCC to the UE. The wireless access node transfers additional user data to the UE to serve the SCCs to the UE.

Abstract: A wireless access node simultaneously serves wireless User Equipment (UE) over Fifth Generation New Radio (5GNR) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). A baseband unit splits user data into a 5GNR portion and an LTE portion per a dynamic 5GNR/LTE split. A 5GNR radio wirelessly transfers the 5GNR portion to the wireless UE. An LTE radio wirelessly transfers the LTE portion to the wireless UE. The baseband unit corrects LTE and 5GNR transmission errors and determines a 5GNR Block Error Rate (BLER) and an LTE BLER. The baseband unit modifies the dynamic 5GNR/LTE split based on the difference between the 5GNR BLER and the LTE BLER. The baseband unit splits additional user data into 5GNR and LTE portions per the modified 5GNR/LTE split.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling application of split-uplink mode for dual-connectivity service in a system where a first access node provides service on a first air interface and a second access node provides service on a second air interface, and where (i) in a single-connection-uplink mode for the dual-connectivity service, uplink user-plane communication is carried on just the second air interface and (ii) in the split-uplink mode for the dual-connectivity service, uplink user-plane communication is split between the first air interface and the second air interface. An example method includes detecting at least a predefined threshold high level of uplink voice muting on the first air interface and responsively restricting application of the split-uplink mode for the dual-connectivity service.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media herein dynamically assign user devices to communicate to cell sites and antenna arrays using either a first wireless communication protocol or a second wireless communication protocol. The sector power ratio (SPR) for a wireless communication protocol is monitored to determine if a key performance indicator (KPI) should be monitored. Once the SPR exceeds a pre-determined threshold, the KPI is monitored to determine to what degree, if any, the KPI has exceeded a threshold value. An upper limit to the number of user devices allowed to communicate to the cell cite using the first wireless communication protocol is then modified at least in part based on the SPR and the KPI values. User devices are then re-assigned from the first to the second wireless communication protocol based on the modified upper limit of user devices allowed to use the first wireless communication protocol.

Abstract: A wireless communication network to serve a wireless User Equipment (UE) with a wireless communication service over multiple wireless communication links. The wireless communication network comprises a primary access node, a first support access node, and a second support access node. The primary access node receives signal metrics for the support access nodes from the wireless UE, determines add thresholds for the support access nodes based on the amount of active UEs served by the primary access node, and converts the signal metrics for the support access nodes into add values for the support access nodes. When the add values are greater than the add thresholds, the primary access node signals the corresponding ones of the support access nodes to serve the wireless UE. The corresponding ones of the support access nodes exchange user data with the wireless UE.