Alcatel USA Sourcing, L.p.

Airspan Communications Corporation

Andrew M Walding

Martin Lysejko

Jonathan A Thompson

Guy A Cooper

Ian L Cooper

Joemanne Chi Cheung Yeung

The present invention provides a system for handling telecommunications signals passed between a first and second element of a telecommunications network, the first element having an interface for transmitting and receiving signals in a first protocol, and the second element having an interface for transmitting and receiving signals in a second protocol. The system of the present invention comprises a first interface unit for receiving a first telecommunications signal transmitted in one of said first and second protocols between said first and second elements, the first interface unit being arranged to separate traffic bearing channels from non-traffic bearing channels within the first telecommunications signal. A traffic management element is then provided for performing a cross-connection function to map the traffic bearing channels to the appropriate format for the other of said protocols, whilst a protocol conversion element is provided for performing predetermined protocol conversion steps on the non-traffic bearing channels in order to regenerate those non-traffic bearing channels in the other of said protocols. Further, a second interface unit is provided for combining the channels as output by the traffic management element and the protocol conversion element in order to create a second telecommunications signal in the other of said protocols, the second interface unit being arranged to output the second telecommunications signal. Preferably, said first protocol has a concentrated format, and said second protocol has an unconcentrated format.

Handling of telecommunications signals passed between elements of a telecommunications network

The present invention provides a bandwidth management system, a subscriber terminal, and a method for managing calls between a central terminal and a subscriber terminal of a wireless telecommunications system, a number of items of telecommunications equipment being connectable to the subscriber terminal. The subscriber terminal is arranged to pass call data between said items of telecommunications equipment and the central terminal via a wireless link, the wireless link being provided on a frequency channel with a predetermined maximum call data bandwidth for the transmission of said call data. The bandwidth management system comprises a bandwidth manager for maintaining in a storage information about allocation of the predetermined maximum call data bandwidth amongst calls currently being handled on the frequency channel. Further, a bandwidth allocator is provided that, responsive to a request to establish a call, is arranged to allocate, with reference to the information in said storage, a call data bandwidth for the call. The bandwidth manager then uses the call data bandwidth allocated by the bandwidth allocator to update the information in the storage. In preferred embodiments, the type of call to be established is determined, and the bandwidth allocator uses this call type information when allocating the call data bandwidth for the call. Compression may then be applied to the call data dependent on the bandwidth allocated.

Allocation of bandwidth to calls in a wireless telecommunications system

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Sunninghill, United Kingdom

Andrew M Walding