Belair Networks Inc.

Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)

Ericsson Wifi Inc.

Stephen G Rayment

Jari Tapio Vikberg

Magnus Stattin

Mattias Bergström

Niklas Johansson

Stefan Rommer

Roland A Smith

Bernard Herscovich

Filip Mestanov

Chris Williams

Colin H Soul

Kaiyuan Huang

Dinand Roeland

Eric Johnson

Tomas Hedberg

Biswajit Nandy

Marcel Chenier

Tricci Yuk-Ying So

Christofer Lindheimer

Kieran Parsons

Ivo Sedlacek

Yu Wang

Guido Roland Hiertz

Håkan Palm

Kevin Bailey

Samy Touati

Håkan Persson

Joakim Bergström

Bernard Herscovici

Gilbert Brunette

Gary Tam

Dave Park

Richard Sommerville

Andrew Keir

Marc Dubois

Roland Andrew Smith

Eric Nordström

Michael Brown

Matthew George Eglin

Jeff Joslin

David William Park

Aroosh Elahi

Peter Frank

Michael Russell

Gilbert P Brunette

Waichi Lo

Jarek Zaniewski

William Justin Mayda

Sam Onsy

Van Sreng

Ryan Greer

Xuan Chen

Christopher Williams

Dave Pell

Evangelos Paravalos

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a network-instructed handover of a wireless device from a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) to a Radio Access Network (RAN) of another Radio Access Technology (RAT), e.g., a 3Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or 3Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) RAT. In one embodiment, a WLAN access node determines that a handover of a wireless device from the WLAN to another RAN of a different RAT is to be performed and transmits a handover instruction to the wireless device that instructs the wireless device to perform a handover from the WLAN to a RAN of a different RAT. In this manner, the WLAN access node is able to steer the wireless device from the WLAN to a RAN of a different RAT.

Network-instructed handover from WLAN to another radio access network

Embodiments include methods performed by a network node in a wireless communication network. The node is part of a first BSS that is one of a plurality of BSS in a Mobility Domain (MD) that supports a Fast BSS Transition procedure. Such methods include transmitting one or more Fast Initial Link Setup Discovery (FD) frames. Each FD frame includes an identifier of the first MD, which enables receiving devices to determine, without receiving any non-FD frames from the network node, whether to associate with the network node via the Fast BSS Transition procedure. Such methods include associating with a first device through the Fast BSS procedure, wherein the first wireless communication device was previously associated with one of the BSS in the MD. Other embodiments include complementary methods performed by devices, as well as network nodes and devices configured to perform such methods.

Wireless communications involving a fast initial link setup, FILS, discovery frame for network signaling

An access point () and a method () performed thereby for communicating with a wireless device are provided. The access point supports two or more virtual networks. The method () comprising receiving () a probe request from the wireless device, the probe request comprising an indication whether the wireless device supports Multiple Basic Service Set Identifier, M-BSSID, capability or not; and sending () a probe response to the wireless device in accordance with the indication comprised in the probe request.

Access point supporting at least two virtual networks and method performed thereby for communicating with wireless device

The proposed technology relates to the procedure of generating a Fast Initial Link Setup, FILS, Discovery frame () including Mobility Domain information () and/or the exchange of such a frame between a network node and a wireless communication device, e.g. to enable the wireless communication device to determine whether to associate with the network node through a full authentication procedure or through a reduced authentication procedure.

Protocols and algorithms for contention-based adaptive modulation networks, typically used in unlicensed bands. A wireless system in which high modulation rate packets are prioritized over low rate packets. The wireless system is configured to process communication signals from plural user portable devices having wireless access points capable of dynamically adjusting access point transmit power on a user-by-user basis to a minimum level required to achieve a target signal-to-noise ratio from each user portable device irrespective of the interference observed on the link is also disclosed. The wireless system is also capable of dynamically adjusting access point transmitter power and receiver sensitivity on a user-by-user basis to a minimum level required to achieve the highest possible modulation rate.

Wireless operation in very high density environments

A method and apparatus for determining whether to allow attachment of a mobile terminal to a Radio Access Network. A selection function node receives an indication that the mobile terminal has requested to attach to the Radio Access Network. A determination is made of a property of a radio connection on both an uplink and a downlink between the mobile terminal and the RAN. On the basis of the determined property, a further determination is made as to whether to allow attachment of the mobile terminal to the RAN.

Attachment of a mobile terminal to a radio access network

The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus to initiate a session with a packet gateway for a connecting device configured to authenticate with a subscribing wireless device's authentication information. In some embodiments, an access node is configured to receive identification information uniquely identifying the connecting device, and based on the identification information received, provide a service to the connecting device and/or send a session request message to the packet gateway to establish a session for the connecting device, the session request message including information distinguishing the connecting device from another wireless device configured to authenticate with the authentication information associated with the subscribing wireless device.

Session and service control for wireless devices using common subscriber information

A method and apparatus are disclosed for steering a UE () from a WLAN () to a cellular network () with an overlapping coverage area. The UE () is connected to the WLAN () through an access point (AP) (). The AP () suppresses the broadcast of a network identifier of the WLAN () and de-authenticates the UE () from the WLAN (). After de-authenticating the UE (), the AP () ignores probe requests from the UE (). The UE () will conclude that the WLAN () is no longer available and will connect to the cellular network. From the perspective of the UE (), the suppression of the network makes it appear to the UE () that it has moved out of range of the AP () so the UE () will not 'blacklist' the WLAN (). The suppression of the network ID will not impact UEs not targeted, which will continue to communicate via WLAN () even when the network ID is suppressed.

Traffic steering between WLAN and cellular networks

A method of operation of a network of WLAN access points comprises establishing a first WLAN access point (AP) having a first coverage area; and establishing a plurality of second WLAN access points (AP, . . . , AP) having respective second coverage areas, such that the second access points provide traffic connections for at least one communications device in at least one of the respective second coverage areas; wherein the first coverage area overlaps the plurality of second coverage areas, and wherein the first WLAN access point provides control information for the at least one communications device.

Wireless local area network access points

WI-FI/3GPP access selection techniques are used to control selection by a user terminal between cellular network cells and WI-FI cells. Cellular network cells providing overlapping coverage with WI-FI cells are correlated with the WI-FI cells. A received signal strength threshold is determined for each WI-FI cell based on an average throughput of the cellular network cells correlated with the WI-FI cell. The WI-FI user terminal admit threshold is used to control the effective coverage of the WI-FI cell. A user terminal operating within a cellular network cell is admitted to a WI-FI only if it is within the effective coverage area of the WI-FI cell as determined by the received signal strength threshold. Increasing the threshold shrinks the effective coverage area of the WI-FI cell to allow user terminal only of strong RSSI to make connection to the cell, and steers user terminal of weak RSSI away from the WI-FI cell. In contrary, decreasing the threshold expands the effective coverage area of the WI-FI cell and effectively allows more user terminal making connection to the WI-FI cell.

Network access selection between access networks

A method and a wireless access node for enabling management of cellular connectivity of a wireless device as well as a method and a wireless device for providing information about availability of cellular connectivity towards a radio network node are disclosed. The wireless device has Wi-Fi radio for access to the wireless access node and cellular radio for access to the radio network node. The wireless device sends, to the wireless access node, a second message, which indicates to the wireless access node availability of the cellular connectivity. The wireless access node manages the cellular connectivity based on the second message.

Methods and nodes for information transfer in WLAN

An Access Point ('AP') apparatus comprising one or more processors containing program code. The program code may be configured to: (i) cause the AP to broadcast a beacon containing a single SSID indentifying the AP; (ii) cause the AP to receive from the STA an query for network information for at least one network operator accessible through the AP; and (iii) cause the AP to send to the STA, for the at least one network operator, a network information description element, in response to the network information query. The AP providing the plural responses broadcasts only a single service set identification ('SSID').

Virtual access point using single service set identifiers

WI-FI/3GPP access selection techniques are used to control selection by a user terminal between cellular network cells and WI-FI cells. Cellular network cells providing overlapping coverage with WI-FI cells are correlated with the WI-FI cells. A received signal strength threshold is determined for each WI-FI cell based on an average throughput of the cellular network cells correlated with the WI-FI cell. The WI-FI user terminal admit threshold is used to control the effective coverage of the WI-FI cell. A user terminal operating within a cellular network cell is admitted to a WI-FI only if it is within the effective coverage area of the WI-FI cell as determined by the received signal strength threshold. Increasing the threshold shrinks the effective coverage area of the WI-FI cell to allow user terminal only of strong RSSI to make connection to the Cell, and steers user terminal of weak RSSI away from the WI-FI cell. In contrary, decreasing the threshold expands the effective coverage area of the WI-FI cell and effectively allows more user terminal making connection to the WI-FI cell.

Growing community of inventors

Ottawa, Canada

Stephen G Rayment