Abstract: In some embodiments, a computing system maintains, in a memory, information on one or more terminal devices, a dictionary of beams and information on a spatial grid. The computing system maps each terminal device to the spatial grid based on up-to-date results of radio measurements and calculates, for each spatial element, a load caused by the one or more terminal devices based on the mapping. The computing system evaluates, for each combination of a beam and a terminal device, a reference signal received power, RSRP, based on results of the radio measurements. The computing system calculates a first map of expected spatial distribution of traffic based on the calculated loads and beam-specific second maps of expected RSRP based on the values of the RSRP. Finally, the computing system causes performing beamforming optimization based on the first map and second maps.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and computer program products concerning accommodating ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) traffic by making a determination of which mobile broadband (MBB) user equipment (UE) to puncture, where in response to an indication that URLLC traffic needs to be scheduled in the midst of ongoing MBB transmissions in a wireless communications network, the determination is made from a plurality of MBB UEs with the ongoing MBB transmissions, of a set of the plurality scheduled for transmission in a slot required by the URLLC traffic. From that set of MBB UEs, a subset of MBB UEs for puncturing is chosen, where that choice is made at least in relation to accommodating a reliability constraint of the URLLC traffic, maximizing a sum proportional fairness metric of the plurality of MBB UEs, and minimizing a block error rate in a computation of a proportional fairness metric for each UE of the subset.

Abstract: According to an aspect, there is provided a method for performing in an access node time- and frequency scheduling for a cell comprising two or more subcells. The method comprises the following steps. The access node selects a set of one or more active beams for each of at least two of subcells comprised in the two or more subcells from beams produced by an antenna array of the access node. The access node performs time-scheduling for the cell in common. Finally, the access node performs frequency-scheduling separately and in parallel for each of the at least two subcells for transmission using a corresponding set of one or more active beams.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for realizing dynamic point selection improve the cell-edge throughput and geometric mean of release 8/9 UEs. The method comprises a step of receiving estimated channel quality reported by all the TPs in the CoMP set, a step of switching the serving TP for the UEs based on the estimated channel quality and/or cell load, a step of forwarding the scheduled data from the primary TP to the serving TP, a step of separately transmitting PDCCH to the UEs by the primary TP and transmitting PDSCH to the UEs by the serving TP. the implementation of the method and apparatus improves the cell-edge throughput and geometric mean of UE throughput by serving UEs instantaneously from the cell that provides better throughput accounting for fast time-scale channel fluctuations and/or load. It helps in reducing interference due to data getting drained faster when users are served from cells with better channel conditions.

Abstract: This document discloses a solution for selecting a transmission direction in a cell.

Abstract: A technique is provided for allocating resources in a wireless network that includes one or more macro user devices served by a macro base station associated with a macro cell and a micro base station associated with a small cell that is served by the macro base station, including determining a portion of downlink resources allocated to a self-backhaul link between the macro base station and the micro base station for the small cell, determining that a threshold condition is exceeded with respect to the self-backhaul link for the small cell, and decreasing, based on the determining, the portion of downlink resources allocated to the self-backhaul link for the small cell.

Abstract: There is provided a communicating, at a first network access point, with a core network entity using a user plane protocol, said communicating comprising receiving user data from the core network entity on a first bearer, the first bearer capable of being split with a second network access point such that at least some of the user data is provided to the second network access point, the first network access point and the second network access point configured to communicate wirelessly with a plurality of user equipments, and wherein the first network access point does not communicate with the core network using a control plane protocol associated with the first bearer.

Abstract: Methods and Systems are disclosed for allocating a time-frequency resource of a large cell base station either to a selected first user equipment associated with the base station, or to a selected self-backhaul link associated with a small cell within the coverage area of the large cell base station. In embodiments, data is provided representing target allocation proportions of the time-frequency resource, for each of the first user equipment(s) and the one or more backhaul link(s). Allocations are made, for each of a series of time units or intervals, either to a selected first user equipment or backhaul link based on the target data.

Abstract: A technique is provided for allocating resources in a wireless network that includes one or more macro user devices served by a macro base station associated with a macro cell and a micro base station associated with a small cell that is served by the macro base station, including determining a portion of downlink resources allocated to a self-backhaul link between the macro base station and the micro base station for the small cell, determining that a threshold condition is exceeded with respect to the self-backhaul link for the small cell, and decreasing, based on the determining, the portion of downlink resources allocated to the self-backhaul link for the small cell.

Abstract: The present invention addresses method, apparatus and computer program product for dynamic cell clustering for Coordinated Multipoint operation. Clustering metric information defining relevant metrics for making cell clustering decision for Coordinated Multipoint operation are received from a network element serving a neighboring cell, and based on the received clustering metric information, it is decided whether to include the neighboring cell to a cluster for Coordinated Multipoint operation.

Abstract: There is provided a communicating, at a first network access point, with a core network entity using a user plane protocol, said communicating comprising receiving user data from the core network entity on a first bearer, the first bearer capable of being split with a second network access point such that at least some of the user data is provided to the second network access point, the first network access point and the second network access point configured to communicate wirelessly with a plurality of user equipments, and wherein the first network access point does not communicate with the core network using a control plane protocol associated with the first bearer.

Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, computer programs, computer program products and computer-readable media regarding connection establishment robustness optimization are disclosed. Some example versions include calculating, at a base station, a switching metric for a user equipment served by the base station, the switching metric indicating whether the user equipment is to switch from a source cell to one of multiple target cells. The switching metric is calculated for a combination of the user equipment with a source cell and one of the multiple target cells. The base station determines whether to switch the user equipment from the source cell to one of the multiple target cells based on the switching metric, which includes spectral efficiencies of the user equipment for both the source cell and one of the multiple target cells, current cell load values for both the source cell and one of the multiple target cells and a correction factor.

Abstract: There are provided measures for inter-cell interference coordination in heterogeneous networks. Such measures exemplarily include determining a strongest interfering macro cell access node, said strongest interfering macro cell access node operating in time based subframes, wherein said subframes include almost blank transmission subframes during which said strongest interfering macro cell access node is muted and active transmission subframes during which said strongest interfering macro cell access node is transmitting, reporting said strongest interfering macro cell access node, and receiving a transmission in a subframe, wherein a control parameter of said transmission is set based on whether said subframe corresponds to an almost blank transmission subframe of said strongest interfering macro cell access node or to an active transmission subframe of said strongest interfering macro cell access node.

Abstract: A communication terminal is described comprising a quality determiner configured to determine a quality parameter for a wireless communication link between the communication terminal and a radio access network component based on one or more signals received via the wireless communication link, a throughput determiner configured to determine, based on the quality parameter, a throughput of a communication connection between the radio access network component and a server to be used for transmitting data from the server to the communication terminal via the communication connection and the wireless communication link and a controller configured to send an instruction for the server to transmit data via the communication connection between the radio access network component and the server according to the determined throughput.

Abstract: The present invention addresses method, apparatus and computer program product for dynamic cell clustering for Coordinated Multipoint operation. Clustering metric information defining relevant metrics for making cell clustering decision for Coordinated Multipoint operation are received from a network element serving a neighboring cell, and based on the received clustering metric information, it is decided whether to include the neighboring cell to a cluster for Coordinated Multipoint operation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products relating to coordinated scheduling with adaptive muting are provided. One method comprises transmitting, by a network element, calculated impact information for a cell of the network element when taking an action related to a cell of the network element and/or taking an action related to a cell of a second network element. The method may also comprise transmitting a request for taking the action related to the cell of the second network element under certain circumstances.

Abstract: In a communication system (100) where a wireless relay node (RN) (114) relays data packets between a Node B (112) and a user equipment (UE) (102), the RN receives (608) a data packet from the Node B via a first wireless link (115), conveys (614) the received data packet to the UE via a second wireless link (120), determines (616) whether the UE is likely to handoff, and in response to determining that the UE is likely to handoff, delays conveying (620, 622) an acknowledgment of the data packet to the Node B until an acknowledgment has been received from the UE. In another embodiment, the RN may use a status report (720) to inform the Node B of data packets that have not been transmitted to the UE or that have been transmitted to the UE but for which an acknowledgement has not been received from the UE.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for discontinuous reception management for user devices communicating using carrier aggregation. Information relating to discontinuous reception for a user device is received and used to determine discontinuous reception states of the user device. The information relating to discontinuous reception may include, for example, past scheduling information, information received at one scheduler and reporting scheduling information for another scheduler, or discontinuous reception information managed at a media access control layer of a base station. The discontinuous reception information may be used for scheduling of a plurality of carriers used for carrier aggregation by a user device, with scheduling for each carrier being performed by a scheduler dedicated to that carrier.

Abstract: In a communication network (400), wireless access points (300) utilize one or more agents (302, 306) to support the operating needs of corresponding mobile stations. Pursuant to one approach, the agent supports translation of the mobile station's end-to-end protocol-based messages to Internet Protocol-based messages that are readily ported through an Internet Protocol-friendly communication system infrastructure that preferably eschews the use of network elements that rely upon unique and/or proprietary non-Internet Protocol interfaces. Pursuant to another approach the wireless access point is able to interact on a peer-to-peer basis with other wireless access points in order to facilitate, for example, handovers and other mobility management tasks.

Abstract: In a communication system (100) where a wireless relay node (RN) (114) relays data packets between a Node B (112) and a user equipment (UE) (102), the RN receives (608) a data packet from the Node B via a first wireless link (115), conveys (614) the received data packet to the UE via a second wireless link (120), determines (616) whether the UE is likely to handoff, and in response to determining that the UE is likely to handoff, delays conveying (620, 622) an acknowledgment of the data packet to the Node B until an acknowledgment has been received from the UE. In another embodiment, the RN may use a status report (720) to inform the Node B of data packets that have not been transmitted to the UE or that have been transmitted to the UE but for which an acknowledgement has not been received from the UE.