Cisco Technology, Inc.

Ubiquisys Limited

Nec Corporation

Other

Raymond Kwan

Takahito Yoshizawa

Colin J Kellett

Robert Arnott

Alan James Auchmuty Carter

Takahiro Nobukiyo

An example method for facilitating almost blank sub-frame (ABS) based orthogonal resource allocation in a wireless network environment is provided and includes receiving at a serving Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) nodeB (eNB), ABS patterns from a plurality of neighboring eNBs in a orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing based network, each neighboring eNB transmitting a separate ABS pattern, setting a maximum duty cycle of physical downlink control channel in a frame to be transmitted by the serving eNB within its serving cell, and computing an optimal ABS pattern at the serving eNB subject to the maximum duty cycle and based on the ABS patterns received from the plurality of neighboring eNBs. In specific embodiments, computing the optimal ABS pattern includes identifying neighboring eNBs transmitting at each sub-frame of the frame, identifying sub-frames transmitted by a least number of neighboring eNBs, and selecting each identified sub-frame for configuring as an ABS.

Almost blank subframe based orthogonal resource allocation in a wireless network environment

A method of controlling the respective transmit powers allocated by a base station of a cellular communications network to each of a plurality of sub-bands is provided. Information from at least one other base station of the network is received, the information comprising information about a sensitivity of a utility function in a cell served by the other base station to changes in powers allocated to respective sub-bands by the base station. A sub-band is identified in which it would be relatively advantageous to increase a transmit power. It is determined whether a factor relating to a happiness of users in the cell exceeds a threshold value. The transmit power in the identified sub-band is increased only if the happiness factor is less than the threshold value.

Power management in a cellular system

A cellular communications networkcomprises a plurality of basestationsandconnected to each other through an interface and to a core network through another interface. Each basestation has a coverage area referred to as a cell k. There are provided methods for estimating the load imparted on a cell in the cellular communications network by user equipments in the cell. The methods make it possible to estimate any potential increase in the load that may impact onto a target cell due to the handover of a UE from a serving cell.

Load estimation and load management in a cellular communications network

There is provided a method for controlling a power allocation in a base station of a cell in a cellular communications network across a plurality of sub-bands. It is determined whether a long-term performance achieved by the cell exceeds a first threshold value and a total transmit power is allocated across the sub-bands according to whether the long-term performance achieved by the cell exceeds the first threshold value. A basestation configured to operate in accordance with the method is also provided.

A communications apparatus is described which is capable of auto-tuning a cell admission threshold value used to control admission into a communications network. The apparatus obtains an outage rate for one or more current calls at a node in the network, and also a blocking rate of the rate at which admission requests at the node are blocked and uses these rates to adjust a load threshold to be used in admission control decisions. The apparatus then controls admission of calls at the node in dependence on an estimated current load and the load threshold.

Communication apparatus, method, and computer implementable product for admission control

An OFDM based communications system is provided, in which a scheduler is configured to estimate the load of existing bearers and the load increase that will arise from a new requested bearer if that bearer is accepted. Several techniques are described for estimating these loads and their advantages and disadvantages are also discussed. Estimators are also provided that can estimate the loads from a previous estimate and current load conditions.

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Swindon, United Kingdom

Raymond Kwan