Methods and apparatus for managing spectrum allocation in wireless networks

A communication system comprising:

• a first wireless base station including:
• memory, and
• a processor that controls the first wireless base station to perform the following operations:
• receiving, at the first wireless base station from a Spectrum Access System, first spectrum availability information identifying Priority Access License (PAL) spectrum and General Availability Access (GAA) spectrum available for use by the first wireless base station;
• receiving user equipment capability information at the first wireless base station from a first user equipment device;
• determining, by the first wireless base station, which spectrum bandwidth parts of a plurality of PAL and GAA spectrum bandwidth parts corresponding to the identified PAL spectrum and GAA spectrum available for use by the first wireless base station to allocate to the first user equipment device based on the received user equipment capability information;
• and
• wherein the first wireless base station and the first user equipment device are part of a wireless network which supports bandwidth parts.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including a first set of computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a first wireless base station cause the first wireless base station to perform the steps of:

• receiving, at the first wireless base station from a Spectrum Access System, first spectrum availability information identifying Priority Access License (PAL) spectrum and General Availability Access (GAA) spectrum available for use by the first wireless base station;
• receiving user equipment capability information at the first wireless base station from a first user equipment device;
• determining, by the first wireless base station, which spectrum bandwidth parts of a plurality of PAL and GAA spectrum bandwidth parts corresponding to the identified PAL spectrum and GAA spectrum available for use by the first wireless base station to allocate to the first user equipment device based on the received user equipment capability information;
• and
• wherein the first wireless base station and the first user equipment device are part of a wireless network which supports bandwidth parts.