Method and apparatus for increasing capacity for wireless data transmissions

Abstract

A method and apparatus for transmitting wireless data to users which increases the wireless capacity for data transmissions within a sector served by a base station is disclosed. Accordingly, the sector is subdivided into a plurality of beams, typically by means of beam forming antennas, and the user data to be transmitted is time division multiplexed by scheduling the data into timeslots for transmission via the beams. Capacity is thus increased by decreasing network interference and/or transmitting data to more than one user at the same time by means of the multiple beams, and time division multiplexing the data. Preferably multiple users can be scheduled on multiple beams simultaneously in order to increase capacity. Preferably the same user can be allocated more than one beam if the radio conditions warrant. Such a system is optimized for data and carries out the following steps: a. Evaluating the reverse link wireless conditions for each user; b. responsive to step a, generating information defining the beam or beams to be utilized by each user; c. generating a Scheduler Metric (SM) for every user; d. scheduling each of the n beams based on the SM and said information for each user; and e. transmitting data scheduled in step d on said n beams.