Control of channel state reporting rate based on extent to which the reporting device provides connectivity for one or more other devices

A wireless communication device (WCD) configured to dynamically control how often the WCD transmits channel state reports to a base station when the WCD is being served by the base station, wherein the channel state reports are for a wireless channel between the base station and the WCD, wherein the WCD is configured to provide various extents of connectivity between at least one other device and the base station, wherein each extent of connectivity is a respective quantity of how many other devices the WCD provides with connectivity to the base station, the WCD comprising:

• a wireless communication interface configured to engage in wireless communication with the base station via the wireless channel between the WCD and the base station;
• and
• a controller, wherein the controller is configured (i) to establish, based on how many other devices the WCD is currently providing with connectivity to the base station, a channel state reporting rate defining how often the WCD should transmit channel state reports to the base station and (ii) to cause the WCD to transmit channel state reports to the base station at the established channel state reporting rate,
• wherein establishing the channel state reporting rate based on how many devices the WCD is currently providing with connectivity to the base station comprises referring to mapping data that correlates various channel state reporting rates with the various extents of connectivity between the at least one other device and the base station.

A base station configured to control how often a wireless communication device (WCD) transmits channel state reports to the base station when the WCD is being served by the base station and is providing a quantity of other devices with connectivity to the base station, the quantity being at least one, wherein the channel state reports are for a wireless channel between the base station and the WCD, the base station comprising:

• a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with the WCD via the wireless channel between the base station and the WCD;
• and
• a controller, wherein the controller is configured (i) to establish, based on the quantity of other devices that the WCD is providing with connectivity to the base station, a channel state reporting rate defining how often the WCD should transmit channel state reports to the base station and (ii) to cause the WCD to transmit channel state reports to the base station at the established channel state reporting rate,
• wherein establishing the channel state reporting rate based on the quantity of other devices that the WCD is providing with connectivity to the base station comprises referring to mapping data that correlates various channel state reporting rates with various extents to which the WCD provides connectivity with the base station, wherein each extent is a respective quantity of other devices that the WCD provides with connectivity to the base station.