Increased radio communication capacity using transmit power balancing

Abstract

A transmit power load balancing technique in accordance with the present invention is used to increase the overall communication capacity of a radio communications system without incurring substantial, additional control signaling. An overloaded connection in a first cell serviced by a radio network is detected, and a second nearby cell which is not overloaded is identified. For a radio user node that has a connection with the radio network, radio transmission from the first overloaded cell is prevented or at least avoided in the downlink direction from the radio network to the radio user node. Instead, a radio transmission associated with that connection is established or otherwise permitted from the second cell in the downlink direction to the radio user node. In a preferred, non-limiting, example embodiment, the prevented or avoided downlink radio transmission is a traffic transmission. On the other hand, downlink control signaling associated with the connection from the first cell to the radio user node is permitted. Also, in the preferred example embodiment, radio transmissions from the radio user node to the first cell in the uplink direction are permitted, and preferably maintained, while transmissions in the downlink direction originate from the second cell.