Registered and unregistered operation for shared band wireless nodes within wireless networks

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a spectrum access controller from a wireless node, information indicating at least a location of the wireless node;
• sending, by the spectrum access controller to the wireless node, information indicating at least one restricted channel for the wireless node within a shared frequency band;
• wherein the wireless node is prohibited from transmitting signals via the at least one restricted channel if the wireless node is in an unregistered state with respect to the spectrum access controller;
• wherein the wireless node is permitted to transmit signals via the at least one unrestricted channel regardless whether the wireless node is in a registered state or the unregistered state with respect to the spectrum access controller;
• wherein the sending comprises sending, by the spectrum access controller to the wireless node, information indicating at least one restricted channel for the wireless node and indicating at least one unrestricted channel for the wireless node within the shared frequency band;
• and
• wherein the at least one restricted channel comprises at least one channel that has been assigned to, or is in use by, an incumbent user associated with a protection zone that encompasses the location of the wireless node, and within the protection zone no transmissions by an unregistered access point are permitted.

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a wireless node from a spectrum access controller for a shared frequency band, information indicating at least one restricted channel for the wireless node within the shared frequency band, wherein the wireless node is permitted to transmit signals via the at least one restricted channel only if the wireless node is in a registered state with respect to the spectrum access controller;
• transmitting signals, by the wireless node, via the at least one restricted channel, while the wireless node is in a registered state with respect to the spectrum access controller;
• and
• transmitting signals, by the wireless node, via the at least one unrestricted channel within the shared frequency band, while the wireless node is in either the registered state or an unregistered state with respect to the spectrum access controller, wherein the at least one unrestricted channel is at least one channel that is not part of the at least one restricted channel;
• wherein the transmitting signals via the at least one restricted channel comprises transmitting a first set of signals to at least a first user device, while the wireless node is in a registered state with respect to the spectrum access controller;
• and
• wherein the transmitting signals via the at least one unrestricted channel comprises transmitting a second set of signals to at least a second user device, by the wireless node, via the at least one unrestricted channel within the shared frequency band, while the wireless node is in either the registered state or an unregistered state with respect to the spectrum access controller.