Capacity management methods and apparatus for use in a citizens broadband radio service network

A communications system comprising:

• a first Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device (CBSD) of a first cell, the first CBSD including:
• a network receiver that receives a power down message;
• a wireless receiver that receives, at said first CBSD, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) information and corresponding physical cell identity (PCI) information from at least a first edge user equipment device (UE), said RSRP information providing information on at least one additional CBSD which can communicate with the first edge UE;
• a first processor that controls the first CBSD to:
• group UEs being served by the first CBSD into a group of edge UEs and a group of cell center UEs, said groupings being based on an indicator of UE distance from a center of the cell, said indicator of UE distance from the center of the cell being one of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) information or UE timing advance information;
• decrease, in response to the power down message, user equipment device (UE) inactivity timer length for one or more UEs from a first length to a second length, wherein said decrease in the UE inactivity timer length is performed for UEs in said group of cell center UEs and is not performed for UEs in said group of edge UEs;
• and
• a wireless transmitter that continues to transmit packets to UEs at an edge of the first cell;
• and
• an additional CBSD, said additional CBSD being one of said at least one additional CBSD;
• and
• wherein said first processor further controls the first CBSD to establish a connection with the additional CBSD;
• wherein said first CBSD further includes a transmit buffer;
• and
• wherein said first processor further controls the first CBSD to:
• send a coordinated multipoint (CoMP) participation request message to the additional CBSD;
• receive a CoMP request acceptance message indicating that the additional CBSD is willing to assist in the communication of packets;
• and
• communicate a first set of packets in its transmit buffer to said additional CBSD via said established connection, said first set of packets being packets for transmission to the first edge UE as part of a CoMP session.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including a first set of computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a first Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device (CBSD) of a first cell cause the first CBSD to:

• receive a power down message at the first CBSD;
• receive, at said first CBSD, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) information and corresponding physical cell identity (PCI) information from at least a first edge user equipment device (UE), said RSRP information providing information on at least one additional CBSD which can communicate with the first edge UE;
• group UEs being served by the first CBSD into a group of edge UEs and a group of cell center UEs, said groupings being based on an indicator of UE distance from a center of the cell, said indicator of UE distance from the center of the cell being one of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) information or UE timing advance information;
• decrease, in response to the power down message, UE inactivity timer length for one or more UEs from a first length to a second length, said decreasing UE inactivity timer length is performed for UEs in said group of cell center UEs and is not performed for UEs in said group of edge UEs;
• continue to transmit packets to UEs at an edge of the first cell;
• establish a connection with an additional CBSD, said additional CBSD being one of the at least one additional CBSD which can communicate with the first edge UE;
• send a coordinated multipoint participation (CoMP) request message to the additional CBSD;
• receive a CoMP request acceptance message indicating that the additional CBSD is willing to assist in the communication of packets;
• and
• communicate a first set of packets in its transmit buffer to said additional CBSD via said established connection, said first set of packets being packets for transmission to the first edge UE as part of a CoMP session.