Macro-Network Location Determination, Local-Oscillator Stabilization, and Frame-Start Synchronization Based on Nearby FM Radio Signlas

The method of claim 47, wherein the second base station determining a time-of-flight delay between the first base station and the second base station comprises:

• the second base station determining its geographic location;
• the second base station sending (i) the identifier of the first base station and (ii) the geographic location of the second base station to a network operations center for use in a determination of a distance between the first base station and the second base station;
• and
• the second base station receiving an indication of the time-of-flight delay from the network operations center, wherein the time-of-flight delay is based at least in part on the distance between the first base station and the second base station.

A base station configured to provide wireless service in a coverage area of a macro network, wherein the base station is configured to communicate with client devices in the coverage area via a signal comprising frames, the base station comprising:

• a macro-network communication interface;
• a backhaul communication interface;
• and
• program instructions stored in a tangible computer readable medium and executable by at least one processor to:
• (a) cause the macro-network communication interface to receive a first signal from a nearby base station in the macro network, wherein the first signal comprises a plurality of frames, and wherein the first signal further comprises an identifier of the first base station;
• (b) synchronize a frame-start timing signal with receipt of the frames in the first signal;
• (c) determine a time-of-flight delay experienced by the first signal between transmission of the first signal from the nearby base station and receipt of the first signal;
• (d) adjust timing of the frame-start signal to account for the determined time-of-flight delay;
• and
• (e) cause the macro-network base station to transmit a second signal that comprises frames, wherein the frame-start timing signal is used to control the timing of the frames in the second signal.

A method for facilitating frame-start synchronization of a base station, the method comprising:

• a core-network component receiving a request from a second base station for a time-of-flight delay between a first base station and the second base station, wherein the request includes (i) an identifier of a first base station and (ii) a the geographic location of the second base station, and wherein the second base station is configured to use the time-of-flight delay to synchronize a frame-start timing signal with frames in a signal of the first base station;
• the core-network component using the identifier of the first base station as a basis to determine the geographic location of the first base station;
• based at least in part on (i) the received geographic location of the second base station and (ii) the determined geographic location of the first base station, the core-network component determining a distance between the first base station and the second base station;
• the core-network component using the distance between the first base station and the second base station as a basis to determine the time-of-flight delay experienced by a signal between the first base station and the second base station;
• and
• the core-network component sending an indication of the time-of-flight delay to the second base station.