Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for channel allocation in a multi-band wireless network. The system includes microcell base stations, at least one macrocell base station, a mobile station, and a channel allocation center. When the mobile station makes/receives a call or executes a handover, the channel allocation center uses repacking on demand (RoD) scheme to allocate a radio channel of either a macrocell base station or a microcell base station to the mobile station. RoD has the following steps. First, a microcell channel is trying to be allocated if available. If no microcell channel is available, a macrocell channel is then trying to be allocated. Third, if no macrocell channel is available, repacking is performed to execute a handover of another mobile station's call from the macrocell to another microcell, and to allocate a reclaimed macrocell channel to the mobile station. Otherwise, no repacking call is available and the mobile station is blocked or forced terminated.

Abstract: The present invention is a system for optimizing an existing wireless network and additions to an existing network. The system determines a value representing estimation of traffic in discrete bins within a geographic area. The traffic estimation includes a distribution of handover and new cell traffic based at least in part on the presence of a road in any bin or the proximity of a bin to a handover boundary. The cell coverage and carrier allocations of existing cells are adjusted in view of the traffic estimation.

Abstract: When a base station of a mobile communications system attempts to reduce its cell radius for power saving, frequency re-use enhancement and the like, a risk is that an ongoing communication between a mobile station served by the base station may be disconnected, which is avoided by: the base station transmitting information about a new cell radius to mobile stations in the current cell; the mobile stations responding to the base station with a positive or a negative reply determined from the information received from the base station; the base station suspending or revising the attempted cell radius reduction, according to the responses from the mobile stations; and further by the mobile stations being capable of performing hand-over more efficiently than ever owing to abilities to detect final cell radii of adjacent base stations.

Abstract: In a cellular telecommunications system in which a geographic area is divided into a hierarchical cell structure such that geographically small but high bandwidth-available cells are located in geographically larger cells of less bandwidth-availability, mobile station connections are made based on the bandwidth requirements of the mobile stations together with the likelihood of mobility of the mobile station within the cell structure. For mobile stations that have low bandwidth requirements and are highly mobile (such as telephones) the mobile stations are connected to cells at a cell layer having relatively large geographical areas yet low bandwidth-availability. On the other hand, for mobile stations with high bandwidth requirements, the mobile stations are connected to geographically small cells with high bandwidth-availability.

Abstract: A hierarchical cellular radio communication system comprises a plurality of pico cells (106) and an umbrella macro cell (102), each cell having a controlling primary station (104, 108). A secondary station (110) has a communication channel with the system split into a control sub-channel (212), for the transmission of control information, and a data sub-channel (214), for the transmission of user data. The control sub-channel connects the secondary station to the primary station serving the macro cell while the data sub-channel connects the secondary station to the primary station serving the pico cell.

Abstract: A method for configuring access points of a network providing wireless communications coverage for an environment, including determining a coverage radius of an access point at certain locations within the environment, determining an average coverage radius of the access points for the environment based on the determined coverage radii, positioning the access points at locations within the indoor environment to provide continuous radio coverage for the environment based on the average coverage radii, assigning a weight indicative of overlapping coverage for each pair of access points having overlapping coverage, and assigning a channel to each of the access points based on certain sums of the weights to minimize coverage overlap between access points operating at the same channel.

Abstract: A technique for intra-piconet location determination and tomography is described. This technique uses received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values in conjunction with transmitted power levels to determine the relative location of each device within a small network employing frequency hopped spread spectrum transmission. In addition to the location determination properties of the invention, the geometry of the devices in the network, as well as the path loss information between pairs of devices, may be used to infer the location of absorbers and reflectors within the piconet. This absorption and reflection information may be used in creating the piconet tomography. The approach described in this specification may be applied in conjunction with the Bluetooth wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) specification to determine device locations, mitigate the effects of multi-path, and perform indoor location and security functions, and other application functions requiring cost-effective location determination.

Abstract: A method for optimizing and simplifying the process of designing cell sites for mobile communications systems using uplink parameters. The method integrates a wide variety of propagation models and other utilities to provide solutions to a the most important cell design criteria. The method renders complex calculations in a usable manner.

Abstract: The penalties associated with relying on layer-4 to handle packets lost as a result of a handoff can be reduced by forwarding, in response to a handoff request from a first base station to a second base station, at least one layer-2 frame of a layer-3 packet destined to/from the wireless terminal that has been passed down from layer-3 to layer-2, and so is indicated to have been transmitted at layer-3 even though not all of the layer-2 frames of the layer-3 packet have actually been transmitted. In one embodiment of the invention, each of the at least one layer-2 frames may be encapsulated together in a special layer-3 packet that is transferred from the first base to the second base station in the usual manner of inter-base-station communication. Advantageously, packets are not lost at layer-4 due to handoffs. Thus, layer-4 retransmissions are not required, and so delays in the network are reduced.

Abstract: An arrangement of an area covering, cellular radio communication network having cell regions which can be contiguously replicated without interference. A central transceiver station is coupled to a base station controller and has a plurality of decentral transceiver stations surrounding and coupled to the central transceiver station. Groups of adjacent decentral transceiver stations are grouped in respective cell areas. All of the decentral transceiver stations in each cell area are allocated the same transmission frequencies, but the frequencies of each cell area are different from the other cell areas in the cell region.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for wireless communications. A method includes providing a wireless communications system having narrow cast bi-directional internet channel capability and defining a substantially nonconflicting regional overlay; then transmitting a downstream signal from a downstream transmitter to a bi-directional transceiver; and transmitting an upstream signal from the bi-directional transceiver to an upstream receiver through the substantially nonconflicting regional overlay. The systems and methods provide advantages because additional capacity can be provided within a saturated region without incurring interference and additional capacity can be provided only in the direction in which it is needed.

Abstract: Multiple microcell base stations are located within a macrocell having single macrocell base station in an hierarchical architecture, and microcell users (&mgr;-users) and macrocell users (M-users) communicate respectively with the &mgr;-base and the M-base using the same frequency band, by appropriately (a) selecting the ratio of the radius r of each &mgr; cell and the average distance d from the M-base (r and d are measured by the “radio distance”, which includes the effects of shadowing), and (b) controlling the power level with which uplink (mobile to base) and downlink (base to mobile) messages are communicated. Typically, &mgr;-cell size and location are chosen such that d/r>10. With respect to uplink communications, the transmit powers of the &mgr;-users in a &mgr;-cell are controlled so that the total received power at the nearest M-base is equivalent to the received power from C M-users, where C is usually set to unity.

Abstract: To take advantage of hierarchical cell layers, an inter-layer handoff system determines a cell layer for servicing a wireless unit at least as a function of the duration that the wireless unit is in a cell or set of cells of a cell layer. For example, as a function of the duration that the wireless unit is in the cell or set of cells for a first cell layer, a determination is made as to whether the wireless unit should be serviced by a cell or set of cells of a second cell layer. As such, wireless units moving at higher speeds which will be handed off frequently in a smaller cell layer(s) are serviced by a larger cell layer(s). Thus, the hierarchical cellular communications system can have the increased capacity provided by the smaller cell layer(s) while reducing the number of handoffs which would occur of the faster moving wireless units in the smaller cell layer(s).

Abstract: A nanoCell base station is disclosed for providing radio connectivity among one or more mobile stations, one or more base transceiver stations or one or more other nanoCell base stations. The nanoCell base station of the present invention has one or more transceivers. One of the transceivers provides a base station function, and one of the transceivers provides a mobile station function. A controller is present for managing the transceivers, and determining the communications connectivity paths between base station and mobile station functions.

Abstract: A method for creating customer hierarchies via a network by sending an invitation to one or more customers to join a hierarchy, receiving, from the one or more of the customers, a request to join the hierarchy based upon the invitation, and adding the sender of the request to the hierarchy.

Abstract: In a radio communications network (20) having a plurality of cells (34) employing a plurality of cell site configurations (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, and 32), a computing system (116) and a computer-based method (178) create a hierarchical data structure (136) modeling the radio communications network (20). The hierarchical data structure (136) is created using object oriented programming methodology to create objects, representing the various physical components of a cell site. In addition, objects are created to represent the auxiliary information, such as available channels, channel assignment constraints, carrier-to-interference ratios, and neighbors lists under which a particular radio communications network configuration is devised.

Abstract: A computer implemented process compares signals communicated between a known position and a plurality of base stations in a cellular telephone system to determine the level of interference with a signal on a channel expected to serve the known position, and determines a value indicating a probability of interference with a signal on a channel expected to serve the known position.

Abstract: The present invention is an extended range concentric cell base station and a method for extending a cell size or access range without incurring ASIC correlator re-design. This is accomplished with a concentric cell base station design that incorporates multiple timing protocols and search windows. The concentric base station has associated a micro cell and a macro cell, wherein the micro and macro cells use a same frequency band but different timing protocols and search windows that will cause signals transmitted by mobile-telephones within their respective cells to be received within the confines of at least one search window.

Abstract: A problem with mobile radio systems is the potentially harmful interference they may cause to other electronic equipment. Such interference can be dangerous and even life-threatening in hospitals and aircraft. Interference to automobile electronic braking systems, air bag actuators, or train system controls are examples of other areas where radio system interference must be prevented to preserve the safety of operators and passengers. The present invention provides a system whereby mobile radios, e.g. cellular phones, can be operated safely in regions where interference could cause serious problems or can be prevented from operating. The mobile radios are provided with a low power mode of operation and are commanded, via their signalling channels, to operate in the low power mode when within range of a low power signal from a base station within a protected area.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for radio transmission in a cellular mobile radio communications network (1). The mobile radio communications network (1) has a hierarchical radio cell structure with small radio cells (2) and with at least one larger radio cell (3) superposed on the small radio cells (2). In order to render possible real-time radio transmission, particularly real-time data transmission, in a mobile radio communications network (1) with a hierarchical radio cell structure and to improve the transmission quality, it is proposed to execute a real-time radio transmission via the at least one superposed larger radio cell (3). A non-real-time data transmission is preferably executed via a smaller radio cell (2).

Abstract: A method and device for preventing toggling between two zones of a wireless communications network employ first and second adjacent cells respectively offering services of first and second different zones. The mobile unit determines if the second zone is more preferable than the first zone when the mobile unit hands off from the first cell to the second cell. If the second zone is less preferable than the first zone, the mobile unit does not switch to the second zone within the second cell. If the second zone is more preferable, the first zone is maintained within the second cell until the signal strength of the second cell exceeds the signal strength of the first cell by an amount determined by an exit parameter. At this point, the mobile unit switches to the services of the second zone.

Abstract: In order to increase the channel capacity of a wireless local loop network, advantage is taken of the fixed location of each subscriber radio, and the ability to independently configure each subscriber's antenna, to provide antenna cross polarization isolation into the cellular layout of the WLL network, and thereby provide an additional layer of interference rejection. Such a cross polarization assignment scheme, in combination with frequency reuse allocation, provides a substantial increase in the C/I ratio and thereby allows an expansion of the reuse of frequency channels.

Abstract: Diverse communication terminals attach via broadband radio to a communications network at any of typically three hierarchical cell sizes increasing from, typically, a single building to a city to a region. Almost all telecommunications traffic transpires, however, within lowest-level “picocells 1” to and from low cost “base stations 11” that have typically one radio transceiver 111, four optical transceivers 112, an ATM switch 113 and an ATM controller 114. Each local “base station 11” is interconnected to a regional “end office switch 12”, where is realized connection to a worldwide wire/fiber line communications backbone 4, upon a multi-hop mesh network 100 via short highly-focused free-space broadband directional optical links 10. By this free-space wireless broadband access the need for new broadband access cabling the “last mile” to subscriber/users is totally surmounted.

Abstract: A method for performing a cell reselection in a system comprised of a hierarchy of cells, wherein cells of one layer of the hierarchy have a size that differs from cells of another layer of the hierarchy. The method includes steps of (a) identifying to a user equipment a layer to which individual cells in a neighbor cell list are associated; (b) when performing neighbor cell measurements for reselection purposes, avoiding a measurement of cells in the list that are larger than a current serving cell unless a Cell Selection (S) parameter falls below a search threshold parameter (Ssearch), and is greater than zero; and (c), if S is less than or equal to zero, and no cell reselection to a better cell is in process, beginning a measurement of neighbor cells without regard for their hierarchical level. If the user equipment has made cell reselection to N different cells on the same hierarchical layer within a time Tmax, the user equipment initiates a reselection procedure for larger neighbor cells.

Abstract: A method for improving the display of the interaction between cells in wireless environment by a computerized site layout system is presented. Each cell has a cell boundary threshold signal level and a hand-off trigger threshold signal level. After the signal strengths of the cells throughout the environment are calculated, the signal strength data is examined to determine for a primary cell and each of its neighbor cells, in turn, a handoff region where the signal strength of said primary cell is at least equal to its cell boundary threshold signal level and the signal strength of the particular neighbor cells is at least equal to its hand-off trigger threshold signal level. The position of the primary and neighbor cells and the identified handoff regions are graphically displayed. Preferably, each cell is assigned a unique display indicium and the handoff regions are displayed using a combination of the indicia for the primary and respective neighbor cell.

Abstract: A location managing method for managing a location of a mobile station in a mobile wireless packet communication system in which each of communication nodes down to a base station have a hierarchical structure, wherein a route from a communication node positioned at a highest layer of the hierarchical structure to a base station of a cell in which a mobile station is located, is managed as location information of the mobile station, by being distributed to the communication node located at the highest layer of the hierarchical structure and to each of communication nodes in the route to the base station.

Abstract: The method defines operating a telecommunication network. Application objects which are to be processed using the filter conditions in a maintenance message are selected in an exchange from a control computer. In the exchange, a central interface program uses the filter condition to select an application program in a preselection process. When the application program is executed, the application objects to be processed are then selected and processed.

Abstract: A mobile communications system allowing high-speed setup and release of connection is disclosed. A primary group of base stations and a secondary group included in the primary group are set and a base station included in the secondary group is connected to a mobile station by a corresponding individual wireless link. Further, two common control channels PCCCH and SCCCH are provided to transfer control information and the PCCCH has a shorter control period. The setup control is performed only for a limited number of individual wireless links between the mobile station and the secondary group of base stations.

Abstract: A mobile telecommunications network and method for identifying hierarchical and overlapping radio coverage areas including a combination of at least one location area and at least one routing area. More specifically, the mobile telecommunications network includes a first switching center and a second switching center coupled to a controller that manages a plurality of location areas and a plurality of routing areas. The location areas and routing areas are also controlled by the first switching center and the second switching center, respectively. The mobile telecommunications network further includes a plurality of cells, where the cells accommodate at least one of the location areas and at least one of the routing areas. Lastly, the mobile telecommunications network further includes an identification system for identifying at least one combination identifier representative of the at least one location area and the at least one routing area accommodated by each cell.

Abstract: In a cellular radio system (30) the terminals (35) are arranged to set up and maintain radio communication with the base stations (31, 32, 33, 34) in the cells (31a, 32a, 33a, 34a). Regarding the setting up and maintaining of radio communication at least one terminal (35) is arranged to favour at least one cell (32a, 33a) with respect to other cells (31a, 34a), in a manner independent of other terminals. The priority data relating to a terminal are stored in a central database (37), from which they are transmitted to the terminal when it registers.

Abstract: In a method for spatially locating a mobile station in a cell of a mobile radio network, the cell being of the type controlled by a base station with an omnidirectional antenna and divided into a plurality of angular sectors centered on the base station, a separate location signal element is allocated to each angular sector. The mobile station sends a signaling packet carrying all the location signal elements. For each angular sector the base station modifies the signaling packet sent by the mobile station before it is received by the omnidirectional antenna, the modification being specific to the angular sector. The base station determines the modification that has been made from the signaling packet received by the omnidirectional antenna and deduces from it the angular sector in which the mobile station is located. A corresponding base station with an omnidirectional antenna, mobile station and signaling packet are also disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for dividing power within a service area serviced by a pico-base transceiver station (Pico-BTS) are disclosed. The apparatus for dividing power in a Pico-BTS includes a repeater for amplifying, by a prescribed degree of amplification, a signal provided by a Pico-BTS main unit, and a power divider for controlling the amplified signal so that it is equally divided within a service area serviced by the Pico-BTS.

Abstract: A wireless telecommunications network is disclosed in which all of the facilities (e.g., wireless switching centers, base stations, etc.) are mobile, and, therefore, are capable of being moved while the system provides wireless telecommunications service to one or more wireless terminals. In particular, the present invention is advantageous in that any or all of the various facilities can move relative to each other without the need to suspend the provision of service. An illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of base stations in a hierarchical network, wherein: each of the base stations comprises the identity of its filial base stations, if any, and wirelessly communicates with its filial base stations; and each of the base stations comprises the identity of its lineal base stations, if any.

Abstract: A cellular radio communication system having base stations constructed in the form of a daisy chain and a method of controlling data transmission using the system whereby data communications with a plurality of base stations as well as data communications among the respective base stations can be performed using a single base station controller and shared transmission lines in a specified area wherein expressways or railroads are constructed. The system includes a base station controller provided in a specified region of a determined service area, and a plurality of base stations linked in series to the base station controller through trunk lines.

Abstract: A cellular radio system includes three neighboring cells A3, A2, A1 which each have a number of channels (1 to 13, 14 to 26, 27-39 respectively) allocated for their use. A microcell M contained within cell A1 is served by a separate base station. The microcell has available to it channels 1 to 6 and 21 to 26 from the allocations of neighboring cells A2 and A3. The base stations A2, A3 and M are controlled such that no channel is in use simultaneously in both the microcell M and cell A2 or A3. This arrangement allows channels to be reallocated between neighboring cells according to demand, without reducing the peak capacity in individual cells.

Abstract: A cellular communication system has a frequency bandwidth arranged into a plurality of frequency channels, and a plurality of neighbouring first (130) and second (132) sites each having sectors (a1-f1, a2-f2) containing at least one frequency channel. Corresponding sectors in each of the neighbouring first (130) and second sites (132) have consecutive frequency channels from the frequency bandwidth, thereby producing a two-site re-use pattern (134, 136). The cellular communication system may be adapted to support an underlay/overlay cell configuration in which neighbouring first (230) and second (232) sites each have six-sectors containing at least one frequency channel (b1-b12) of a two-site repeat pattern. The six sectors further each contain at least one frequency channel (t1-t6) of a one-site repeat pattern.

Abstract: In methods and apparatus for controlling allocation of traffic channels in a telecommunications network having macrocells and microcells within the macrocells, a macrocell traffic channel is allocated in response to a request for a microcell traffic channel only when no suitable microcell traffic channel is available, a suitable macrocell traffic channel is available, and the requested microcell traffic channel is requested to implement a microcell to microcell handoff. Allocation of the macrocell traffic channel may further be conditional on a grade of service in the macrocell being deemed acceptable. The grade of service may be deemed acceptable when number of macrocell traffic channels assigned to each microcell is less than a predetermined maximum number of allowable macrocell traffic channels that can be assigned to each microcell (cutoff value) or when more than a threshold number of macrocell channels are available in the macrocell.

Abstract: A hierarchically structured cellular network is disclosed. When an active mobile station requests a service that requires the use of a network resource not available in the cell handling the ongoing call (or, alternatively, during call set up), the network checks for cells on the higher levels to determine if the required resource is available. If the resource is available in a higher level cell, the call is handed over to that cell and the resource is allocated to the call. The call can be maintained in the higher level cell until the resource is no longer needed, or a “better” cell capable of providing the required resource is found.

Abstract: In a communication environment with a number of radio systems a radio station in one of the radio systems seizes a sub-frequency range in a predetermined frequency range. Prior to each transmission of a useful signal, the one radio station checks whether a given sub-frequency range in the predetermined frequency range is free for a selected size of a propagation area. If the given sub-frequency range is free, the radio station transmits at random instants at least two pulses with a transmission range that is substantially restricted to the given sub-frequency range and avoids collisions with another radio system belonging to the communication environment by detecting whether the other radio system has seized the sub-frequency range in an overlapping radio propagation area at the same time.

Abstract: A system and method for managing an interaction with a user of a telecommunications network is disclosed. The telecommunications network utilizes data relating to a geometry of the network. The method and system include identifying a plurality of geographic regions and correlating the geometry with plurality of geographic regions. Therefore, data relating to the plurality of geographic regions can be used by the telecommunications network.

Abstract: A method of identifying various cell layers in an existing wireless cellular-type communication system to identify poor performance areas of the system. Various cell layers in an existing system are identified, each layer have an associated cell size. A composite of the various cell layers is visually displayed to reveal poor performance areas which can be utilized as a baseline for further investigation and analysis. The method includes the steps of determining average site-to-site distance between each site and its neighboring sites, and then determining an average cell radius for each site based on the average site-to-site distance. The most predominant cell radius is then identified and used as the anchor base line grid. Each site is then assigned a cell radius which is established by rounding the calculated average cell radius either up or down to a nearest grid size.

Abstract: The mobile radio communication system includes a plurality of base stations and call hand over units controlling which of the base stations services a call from a mobile station. When deciding whether to hand over a call from a first base station to a second base station, both serving microcells, the call hand over units hand the call over to a third base station, serving a macrocell, based on a duration of the call regardless of changes in radio coverage of the second base station. Also, the hand over units decide whether to hand over a call from a macrocell base station to a microcell base station based on a length of time the mobile station has been within a coverage area of the microcell base station regardless of changes in radio coverage of the microcell base station.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for more effectively restoring cells in a radio communications network taking into account current traffic conditions. The disclosed method can be implemented in a number of ways. For example, if a network operator desires to prioritize recovery on a cell-by-cell basis, the order of prioritization can be overlaid on the present method (e.g., for all “priority 1” cells, the present method will be used to select a cell recovery order). Alternatively, the present method can be overlaid on an operator's order of prioritization (e.g., for all cells that are classified most urgent according to the present method, the operator's priorities will be used to select the cell recovery order). As another example, if a hierarchical cell structure is used, the underlaid cells can be selected for recovery during the initial recovery operation (e.g., for a speedier recovery).

Abstract: A method of generating a beam pattern (202) covering a region of interest (100) is disclosed. The method includes generating a first set of beams having a first size (204). Each beam occupies a portion of the frequency spectrum which need not be unique among the first set of beams. A second set of beams is also generated. Each of the second set of beams has a second size (206) and each of said second set of beams also occupies a portion of the frequency spectrum which need not be unique among the first or second set of beams. The first set of beams and said second set of beams are projected onto a region of interest to create a beam pattern (202). The projected beams need not fall on a regular grid or adhere to any other regular pattern. Each of the projected beams in the beam pattern is substantially non-interfering with any adjacent projected beam.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method for a frequency re-use plan is disclosed which reduces the adjacent channel interference between cells, while maintaining good co-channel interference in a four cell frequency reuse plan with a center-excited three sector directional pattern. This can be accomplished by structuring the four cell frequency reuse plan such that no adjacent cells use adjacent channels. As a result, the adjacent channel interference can be minimized, the radio coverage can be extended and in-building penetration can be improved.

Abstract: A problem arises when the data of the visitor location register (VLR) are lost for some reason. In this case, only the visitor location register (VLRn) in whose area the mobile station (MS) is located is known. The mobile station (MS) must then be paged in all location areas (LAn) of the visitor location register (VLR). Such paging of mobile stations causes a significant overload. The overload is reduced, according to the invention, by dividing the area covered by a physical visitor location area (VLR) into areas of a plurality of logical visitor location registers (LVLRn).

Abstract: Methods and systems of communication reduce the internal interference associated with conducting radio communication in a wireless local loop communication system down to acceptable levels. Problems associated with internal interference are solved by providing carrier frequency rotation during time slots in a frame. A plurality of radio fixed parts are utilized for conducting radio communication with user terminals. During operation, each of a plurality of sequentially related carrier frequencies is assigned in sequential order to a respective one of the plurality of radio fixed parts. Each of the plurality of carrier frequencies is advanced during each successive time slot during operation of the wireless system. In addition, the control system controls operation of the radio fixed parts by allowing and disallowing transmission and reception in certain predetermined time slots.

Abstract: In two superimposing communication systems using the same frequencies, where the second communication system was not considered in the frequency planning of the first cellular communication system, frequencies are to be allocated to the second communication system in a way that they do not interfere with the first communication system. Accordingly, a medium field strength of each frequency is calculated after a time interval has expired. A number of frequencies are selected in correspondence with the value of the medium field strength. A medium value is formed with the field strengths of the selected number of frequencies. The time interval of the calculation of the medium field strength of each frequency is changed in response to the medium value.

Abstract: A cellular radio system includes radio base stations, each having an allocated number of radio channels. Each radio base station is connected to the rest of the network by a branched network. At a branch point an intermediate switch is provided for connecting channels in the trunk portion to channels in the branches. The capacity of the trunk link is less than the total capacity of the base stations (and of their associated branch links). At times when one or more of the base stations have surplus capacity, that capacity is disabled so that the capacity of the trunk link is not exceeded. The capacity of each base station may be varied according to predicted or actual demand, provided that the total (non-disabled) capacity of the base stations does not exceed that of the trunk link.

Abstract: An arrangement of an area covering, cellular radio communication network having cell regions which can be. contiguously replicated without interference. A central transceiver station is coupled to a base station controller and has a plurality of decentral transceiver stations surrounding and coupled to the central transceiver station. Groups of adjacent decentral transceiver stations are grouped in respective cell areas. All of the decentral transceiver stations in each cell area are allocated the same transmission frequencies, but the frequencies of each cell area are different from the other cell areas in the cell region.