Fractional cooperative multipoint network operation

A wireless communication system, comprising:

• an arrangement of a plurality of network nodes in which each network node is configured to provide wireless connectivity to wireless devices using a mode that includes a joint cooperative multipoint (COMP) mode, a local COMP mode, and a deferred COMP mode,
• wherein, in the joint COMP mode, transmission resources for wireless devices are managed cooperatively with other network nodes, and
• wherein, in the local COMP mode, transmission resources for wireless devices are managed locally, without explicit coordination with other network nodes,
• wherein, in the deferred COMP mode, transmission resources for wireless device are managed based on control commands received from a remote controller.

A wireless data transmission apparatus, comprising:

• a processor in a network device configured to:
• determine a cooperative multipoint (COMP) management status of wireless devices served by the network device,
• wherein the network device jointly manages transmission resources for a first wireless device due to the COMP management status being a joint COMP status and the network device locally manages transmission resources for a second wireless device due to the COMP management status being a local COMP status;
• and
• provide wireless connectivity to one or more wireless devices by exchanging COMP messages for the joint COMP status with neighboring network devices on a backhaul connection on which a fractional bandwidth is used for the COMP messages compared to that used for providing the wireless connectivity for entirety of wireless devices serviced by a network node.