Radio base station apparatus, radio resource management method, radio resource management program, wireless communication apparatus, and wireless communication system

A radio resource management method performed by a radio base station apparatus, the method comprising:

• detecting a use-state of a white space frequency in a neighborhood of the radio base station apparatus, and identifying a vacant white space frequency that is not allocated to any wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus of a communication service provider or by another radio base station apparatus of another communication service provider;
• in response to an allocation request for a communication frequency from a new wireless terminal, identifying a first white space frequency that is allocated to another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus and is not allocated to any wireless terminal managed by the another radio base station apparatus, and determining whether an amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is or above a threshold;
• when the amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is below the threshold, preferentially allocating to the new wireless terminal a vacant radio resource of the first white space frequency over a vacant radio resource of the vacant white space frequency, while continuing to allocate the first white space frequency to the another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus, and
• when the amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is or above the threshold, allocating to the new wireless terminal a vacant radio resource of the vacant white space frequency, while continuing to allocate the first white space frequency to the another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus.

A wireless terminal that is managed by a radio base station apparatus of a communication service provider, the wireless terminal comprising:

• a receiving unit, which, in operation, receives information on a vacant radio resource of a first white space frequency and on a vacant radio resource of a vacant white space frequency, wherein,
• the first white space frequency is allocated to another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus and is not allocated to any wireless terminal managed by another radio base station apparatus of another communication service provider,
• the vacant white space frequency is not allocated to any wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus or by the another radio base station apparatus,
• when an amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is below a threshold, a vacant radio resource of the first white space frequency is preferentially allocated to the wireless terminal over a vacant radio resource of the vacant white space frequency, wherein the first white space frequency continues to be allocated to the another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus, and
• when the amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is or above the threshold, a vacant radio resource of the vacant white space frequency is allocated to the wireless terminal, wherein the first white space frequency continues to be allocated to the another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus;
• and
• a transmitting unit, which, in operation, transmits a signal by using an allocated radio resource indicated by the information received by the receiving unit.

A wireless communication system, comprising:

• a first wireless terminal;
• and
• a radio base station apparatus of a communication service provider, the radio base station apparatus including:
• a scanner, which, in operation, detects a use-state of a white space frequency in a neighborhood of the radio base station apparatus, and identifies a vacant white space frequency that is not allocated to any wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus of a communication service provider or by another radio base station apparatus of another communication service provider, and
• a radio resource allocating unit, which, in response to an allocation request for a communication frequency from the first wireless terminal, identifies a first white space frequency that is allocated to another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus and is not allocated to any wireless terminal managed by the another radio base station apparatus, and determines whether an amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is or above a threshold,
• wherein,
• when the amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is below the threshold, the radio resource allocation unit preferentially allocates to the first wireless terminal a vacant radio resource of the first white space frequency over a vacant radio resource of the vacant white space frequency, while continuing to allocated the first white space frequency to the another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus, and
• when the amount of allocated radio resource of the first white space frequency is or above the threshold, the radio resource allocation unit allocates to the first wireless terminal a vacant radio resource of the vacant white space frequency, while continuing to allocate the first white space frequency to the another wireless terminal managed by the radio base station apparatus, and
• the first wireless terminal, in operation, performing communication with the radio base station apparatus using a radio resource allocated to the first wireless terminal by the radio base station apparatus.