Method and apparatus at the physical and link layer for mobile communications

In a cellular telecommunication network, a method to offload data traffic from radio base stations to small-node devices, comprising:

• communicating with a radio base station through a first link with at least one macro-base-station-to-the-small-node-device (BS2D) communication section;
• buffering data with a buffer section;
• communicating wirelessly with a mobile station through a second link with a plurality of small-node-device-to-user-equipment (D2UE) communication sections;
• communicating with a server through a third link with a backhaul communication section;
• receiving from the radio base station through the first link a first control signal to establish the second link at the BS2D communication section;
• establishing the second link upon receiving the first control signal at the plurality of D2UE communication sections;
• receiving at the plurality of D2UE communication sections a first data through the second link which is sent by the mobile station to the server, and wherein the backhaul communication section transmit the first data to the server through the third link;
• receiving at the backhaul communication section a second data which is sent by the server to the mobile station, wherein the plurality of D2UE communication sections transmit the second data to the mobile station;
• and
• buffering with the buffer section the first data and the second data for the plurality of D2UE communication sections.

In a cellular telecommunications network, a mobile station to receive offloaded data from multiple small-node devices, comprising:

• at least one macro-base-station-to-the-user-equipment (BS2UE) communication section to receive both control-plane data and first user-plane data from a base station over a wireless BS2UE communication link;
• and
• a small-node-device-to-the-user-equipment (D2UE) communication section to receive second user-plane data from a server through a plurality of small-node devices using a wireless D2UE communication link,
• wherein the BS2UE communication section receives a first control-plane message from the base station over the wireless BS2UE communication link,
• wherein the D2UE communication section establishes the wireless D2UE communication link responsive to the first control-plane message;
• and
• wherein the second user-plane data is scrambled by a sequence specific to the mobile station in the wireless D2UE communication link.

In a cellular telecommunications network, a radio base station to control a user equipment (UE) and a plurality of small-node devices, comprising

• a macro-base-station-to-the-UE (BS2UE) communication section exchanges user-plane and first control-plane data with the UE using a wireless BS2UE communication link;
• a macro-base-station-to-the-small-node-device (BS2D) communication section exchanges second control-plane data with at least one of the plurality of small-node devices using a BS2D communication link;
• and
• a D2UE control unit controls an establishment and also a release/reconfiguration/handover of a small-node-device-to-the-UE (D2UE) communication link through a first control-plane data and/or a second control-plane data transmitted to at least one of the UE and the plurality of small-node devices using one of the BS2UE and BS2D communication links,
• wherein data in the D2UE communication link is scrambled by a sequence specific to a mobile station.

In a cellular telecommunications network, a small-node device to offload data traffic from radio base stations to the small-node device and a center-small-node device, comprising:

• a macro-base-station-to-the-small-node-device (BS2D) communication section in communication with a radio base station through a first link;
• and
• a small-node-device-to-user-equipment (D2UE) communication section in wireless communication with a mobile station through a second link;
• wherein the BS2D communication section receives, through the first link, a first control signal from the radio base station to establish the second link,
• wherein the D2UE communication section establish the second link upon receiving the first control signal,
• wherein the D2UE communication section receive a first data through the second link which is sent by the mobile station to a server, and wherein the D2UE communication section transmit the first data to the center-small-node device,
• wherein the center-small-node device transmit the first data to the server through the third link,
• wherein the center-small-node device receives a second data through the third link which is sent by the server to the mobile station, and wherein the center-small-node device transmits the second data to the D2UE communication section,
• wherein the D2UE communication section transmits the second data to the mobile station through the second link, and
• wherein the center-small-node device buffers the first data and the second data for the D2UE communication section.

In a cellular telecommunications network, a center-small-node device to offload data traffic from radio base stations to a plurality of small-node devices and the center-small-node device, comprising:

• a buffer section to buffer data and to communicate with a plurality of small-node devices;
• and
• a backhaul communication section in communication with a server through a first link,
• wherein the plurality of small-node devices communicate with a mobile station through a second link,
• wherein the plurality of small-node devices receive a first data through the second link which is sent by the mobile station to a server, and wherein the plurality of small-node devices transmit the first data to the buffer section,
• wherein the backhaul communication section transmit the first data to the server through the third link,
• wherein the backhaul communication section receives a second data which is sent by the server to the mobile station, and wherein the buffer section transmits the second data to the plurality of small-node devices,
• wherein the small-node devices transmit the second data to the mobile station, and
• wherein the buffer section buffers the first data and the second data.

In a cellular telecommunications network, a mobile station to receive offloaded data from a small-node device, comprising:

• at least one macro-base-station-to-the-user-equipment (BS2UE) communication section to receive both control-plane data and first user-plane data from a base station over a wireless BS2UE communication link;
• and
• a small-node-device-to-the-user-equipment (D2UE) communication section to receive second user-plane data from a server through the small-node device using a wireless D2UE communication link,
• wherein the BS2UE communication section receives a first control-plane message from the base station over the wireless BS2UE communication link,
• wherein the D2UE communication section establishes the wireless D2UE communication link in response to the first control-plane message, and
• wherein the D2UE communication section releases the wireless D2UE communication link when the radio link failure of the wireless BS2UE communication link is detected by the BS2D communication section.

In a cellular telecommunications network, a mobile station to receive offloaded data from a small-node device, comprising:

• at least one macro-base-station-to-the-user-equipment (BS2UE) communication section to receive both control-plane data and first user-plane data from a base station over a wireless BS2UE communication link;
• and
• a small-node-device-to-the-user-equipment (D2UE) communication section to receive second user-plane data from a server through the small-node device using a wireless D2UE communication link,
• wherein the BS2UE communication section receives a first control-plane message from the base station over the wireless BS2UE communication link,
• wherein the D2UE communication section establishes the D2UE communication link responsive to the first control-plane message, and
• wherein the D2UE communication section stops transmitting signals in the wireless D2UE communication link when the radio link failure of the wireless BS2UE communication link is detected by the BS2D communication section.

In a cellular telecommunications network, a mobile communication system to offload data traffic from radio base stations to small-node devices, comprising:

• at least one macro-base-station-to-the-small-node-device (BS2D) communication section in communication with a radio base station through a first link;
• a plurality of small-node-device-to-user-equipment (D2UE) communication sections in wireless communication with a mobile station through a second link;
• a buffer section to buffer data;
• and
• a backhaul communication section in communication with a server through a third link,
• wherein the BS2D communication section receives, through the first link, a first control signal from the radio base station to establish the second link,
• wherein the plurality of D2UE communication sections establish the second link upon receiving the first control signal,
• wherein the plurality of D2UE communication sections receive a first data through the second link which is sent by the mobile station to the server, and wherein the backhaul communication section transmit the first data to the server through the third link,
• wherein the backhaul communication section receives a second data which is sent by the server to the mobile station, wherein the plurality of D2UE communication sections transmit the second data to the mobile station, and
• wherein the buffer section buffers the first data and the second data for the plurality of D2UE communication sections.