Use of positioning reference signal configuration as indication of operational state of a cell

A base station operable to use a positioning reference signal (PRS) to communicate an operational state of a cell, wherein a base station broadcasts the PRS in the cell to facilitate mobile device location determination, the base station comprising:

• a wireless communication interface;
• a processing unit;
• and
• data storage,
• wherein the base station is configured to determine the operational state of the cell,
• wherein the base station is configured to select, based on the determined operational state of the cell, a PRS frequency-shift from a plurality of PRS frequency-shifts, and
• wherein the base station is configured to broadcast the PRS with the selected PRS frequency-shift as an indication of the operational state of the cell,
• whereby the broadcast PRS serves a dual purpose of facilitating mobile device location determination and providing the indication of the operational state of the cell.

A method operable in a wireless communication system in which a base station provides a cell, wherein the cell defines a continuum of subframes each divided over both time and frequency into an array of resource elements, and wherein a positioning reference signal (PRS) is broadcast in the cell by the base station to facilitate location determination, the method comprising:

• scanning air interface transmission from the base station in search of the PRS that the base station broadcasts in the cell, and making a determination, based on the scanning, which of the cell's resource elements carry the PRS;
• determining an operational state of the cell based on the determination of which of the cell's resource elements carry the PRS;
• and
• using the determined operational state as a basis to manage service in the wireless communication system,
• whereby the broadcast PRS serves a dual purpose of facilitating mobile device location determination and indicating the operational state of the cell.