Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Apple Inc.

Rockstar Bidco, LP

Mathieu Boue-Lahorgue

David Damian Bevan

Julius Robson

Andrew William Jeffries

Steven Raymond Hall

Simon Avis

Various embodiments relate to cellular wireless networks, including networks made up of different types of base stations. Femtocell base stations typically operate at low transmit power and provide a limited area of wireless coverage. At times, femtocells are deployed within a coverage area of a macrocell and occupy some of the same frequency spectrum and timeslots as the macrocell. At times, transmissions from the femtocell may appear as interference to a user equipment terminal, further preventing it from accessing the macrocell. In some embodiments, a cellular wireless network allocates radio resource(s) to femtocells so that the transmissions from femtocells do not occupy the same radio resource blocks as those used by the macrocell for signalling; thereby preventing interference associated with signalling to cause a connection to be lost, or prevent a connection being set up.

Radio resource allocation for cellular wireless networks

A cellular wireless network employs a method of allocating radio resources to femtocells so that the transmissions from femtocells do not occupy the same radio resource blocks as those used by a macrocell for signalling.

Embodiments of the invention relate to cellular wireless networks and are particularly suited to networks including different types of base stations. So-called femtocell base stations are typically deployed within a subscriber's premises and operate at low transmit power, providing a very limited area of wireless coverage. A femtocell is typically deployed within the area of wireless coverage of a conventional macrocell type of base station, and if handover from a macrocell is performed on the basis of the best signal to noise plus interference ratio, a connection is likely to be transferred to another macrocell rather than to a femtocell. However, in view of the low density of user equipments capable of transceiving with a femtocell, the femtocell could potentially provide a greater data rate to the user equipment terminal than is possible with a macrocell. A cellular wireless network according to an embodiment of the invention employs a method of handover algorithm that has dependence on both a measure of signal quality such as signal to noise plus interference ratio and on a measure of loading of the base station. The handover algorithm is thereby able to weight selection of a base station on the basis of data rate, and intelligently engineer handover to a femtocell.

Capacity optimisation in a cellular wireless network

Embodiments of the invention relate to cellular wireless networks and are particularly suited to networks including different types of base stations. So-called femtocell types of base stations are typically deployed within a subscriber's premises and operate at low transmit power, providing a very limited area of wireless coverage. A femtocell is typically deployed within the area of wireless coverage of a conventional macrocell, occupying the same frequency spectrum and timeslots as the macrocell. A problem can be presented to a user equipment terminal that is close to the femtocell but unable to gain access to it, because the transmissions from the femtocell may appear as interference to the user equipment terminal, preventing it from accessing the macrocell which it could otherwise access. A cellular wireless network according to an embodiment of the invention employs a method of allocating radio resource to femtocells so that the transmissions from femtocells do not occupy the same radio resource blocks as those used by the macrocell for signalling; embodiments of the invention thereby prevent interference associated with signalling to cause a connection to be lost, or prevent a connection being set up.

Growing community of inventors

Paris, France

Mathieu Boue-Lahorgue