Coverage gap mitigation for wide broadcast area networks

A system of generating tags for a broadcast communications system, the system comprising:

• a wide content identification module configured to identify wide broadcast area content to be transmitted to a plurality of wide broadcast areas, each of at least a subset of the wide broadcast areas including a plurality of local broadcast areas;
• a wide scrambling differentiator assignment module, communicatively coupled with the wide content identification module, and configured to assign the identified wide broadcast area content to a wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator, the wide broadcast area content assignment common across at least two neighboring wide broadcast areas of the plurality of wide broadcast areas;
• a carrier tag assignment module, communicatively coupled with the wide scrambling differentiator assignment module, and configured to assign the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator to a carrier tag, the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator assignment to the carrier tag common across the at least two neighboring wide broadcast areas;
• and
• a wide broadcast area transmitter configured to transmit data in a wide broadcast area control channel identifying an association between the carrier tag and the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator.

An apparatus for generating tags for a broadcast communication system, the apparatus comprising:

• means for identifying a plurality of wide broadcast areas,
• means for identifying a plurality of local broadcast areas within each of at least a subset of the wide broadcast areas;
• means for assigning wide broadcast area content to a wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator, the wide broadcast area content assignment common across at least two neighboring wide broadcast areas of the plurality of wide broadcast areas;
• means for assigning the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator to a carrier tag, the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator assignment to the carrier tag common across two neighboring wide broadcast areas of the plurality of wide broadcast areas;
• and
• means for transmitting data in a wide broadcast area control channel identifying an association between the carrier tag and the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator.

A computer program product residing on a tangible processor-readable medium and comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to:

• identify a plurality of wide broadcast areas,
• identify a plurality of local broadcast areas within each of at least a subset of the wide broadcast areas;
• assign wide broadcast area content to a wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator, the wide broadcast area content assignment common across at least two neighboring wide broadcast areas of the plurality of wide broadcast areas;
• assign the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator to a carrier tag, the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator assignment to the carrier tag common across two neighboring wide broadcast areas of the plurality of wide broadcast areas;
• and
• transmit data in a wide broadcast area control channel identifying an association between the carrier tag and the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator.

A broadcast communications system comprising:

• a network operations center configured to:
• identify a plurality of wide broadcast areas,
• identify a plurality of local broadcast areas within each of at least a subset of the wide broadcast areas;
• assign wide broadcast area content to a wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator, the wide broadcast area content assignment common across at least two neighboring wide broadcast areas of the plurality of wide broadcast areas;
• and
• assign the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator to a carrier tag, the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator assignment to the carrier tag common across two neighboring wide broadcast areas of the plurality of wide broadcast areas;
• a wide broadcast area transmitter in communication with the network operations center, and configured to transmit data in a wide broadcast area control channel identifying an association between the carrier tag and the wide broadcast area scrambling differentiator;
• and
• an mobile device configured to wirelessly receive the wide broadcast area control channel.