Wireless communications systems with standard and robust services and methods of operation thereof

Abstract

In a wireless communications system, information is communicated over one of a first communications channel having a first redundancy level or a second communications channel having a second redundancy level based on a determination of communications quality for at least one of the channels. In embodiments of the present invention, communications occur over a first channel, e.g., a “standard” channel until a measure of communications quality for that channel, such as bit error rate or frame error rate, meets a predetermined criterion. When the communications quality meets the predetermined criterion, communications shifts to a “robust” high-penetration channel that utilizes substantially the same amount of spectral resource as the first channel but provides significantly increased redundancy. In other embodiments, a terminal, e.g., a cellular radiotelephone or other radio terminal, registers with a wireless communications system via one of a standard broadcast control channel or a high-penetration broadcast control channel, and switches therebetween based upon a determination of communications quality for the standard broadcast control channel. For example, the terminal may switch to the high-penetration broadcast control channel upon failure to acquire the standard broadcast control channel in a disadvantaged reception area.