Apparatus, method and computer program product providing inter-rat measurement control based on connection data rate

A computer program product embodied on a tangible medium and comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one data processor, result in operations that comprise:

• determining in a wireless communication network a current communication requirement of a user equipment that is communicating using a first type of radio access technology;
• and
• instructing the user equipment to measure and report information associated with at least one neighbor cell operating in accordance with at least one other type of radio access technology that would support the communication requirement, thereby excluding the user equipment from measuring and reporting information associated with at least one neighbor cell operating in accordance with at least one additional type of radio access technology.

A wireless network node, comprising at least one functional unit adapted to determine a current communication requirement of a user equipment that is communicating using a first type of radio access technology;

• and further adapted to instruct the user equipment using downlink signaling to measure and report information associated with at least one neighbor cell operating in accordance with at least one other type of radio access technology that would support the communication requirement, thereby excluding the user equipment from measuring and reporting information associated with at least one neighbor cell operating in accordance with at least one additional type of radio access technology.

A computer program product embodied on a tangible medium and comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one data processor of a user equipment, result in operations that comprise:

• when the user equipment is operating in a serving cell that supports a radio access technology that accommodates a current communication requirement of the user equipment, receiving downlink signaling from a wireless communication network, the signaling including information to enable the user equipment to measure at least one neighbor cell that operates in accordance with at least one type of radio access technology that would also accommodate the current communication requirement, and that excludes the user equipment from measuring at least one neighbor cell that operates in accordance with at least one additional type of radio access technology that would not accommodate the current communication requirement;
• and
• reporting using uplink signaling a measurement made of the serving cell and also at least one measurement made of the at least one neighbor cell that uses the type of radio access technology that would also accommodate the current communication requirement.

A user equipment, comprising at least one transceiver adapted for wireless communication, further comprising a control unit adapted to, when the user equipment is operating in a serving cell that supports a radio access technology that accommodates a current communication requirement of the user equipment, receive downlink signaling from a wireless communication network via said at least one transceiver, the signaling including information to enable the user equipment to measure at least one neighbor cell that operates in accordance with at least one type of radio access technology that would also accommodate the current communication requirement, and that excludes the user equipment from measuring at least one neighbor cell that operates in accordance with at least one additional type of radio access technology that would not accommodate the current communication requirement;

• said control unit further adapted to report, using uplink signaling via said at least one transceiver, a measurement made of the serving cell and also at least one measurement made of the at least one neighbor cell that uses the type of radio access technology that would also accommodate the current communication requirement.