Technique for operating a network node in a heterogeneously deployed network

2:

• The method of claim 1, wherein, in the base mode, the network node is active for a terminal device of the first set only when it is transmitting to that terminal device.

3:

• The method of claim 1, wherein operation in the base mode for the first set of terminal devices is maintained upon activating or deactivating operation in the SFN mode for the second set of terminal devices.

4:

• The method of claim 1, wherein operation in the base mode for the first set of terminal devices is deactivated upon activating operation in the SFN mode for the second set of terminal devices.

5:

• The method of claim 4, wherein in the activated SFN mode, when the base mode for the first set of terminal devices is deactivated, the network node is configured to transmit, also for the first set of terminal devices, the same cell-specific reference signals as the other network node that has the larger nominal transmit power.

6:

• The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a decision process to decide about activation or deactivation of operation in the SFN mode.

7:

• The method of claim 6, wherein the decision process is based on one of presence, absence and number of terminal devices of the second set in a coverage area of the network node.

8:

• The method of claim 6, wherein the decision process is based on one of presence, absence and number of terminal devices of the second set in a coverage area of the other network node that has the larger nominal transmit power.

9:

• The method of claim 6, wherein the decision process is based on one or more measurements performed and reported by one or more terminal devices of the second set.

10:

• The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more measurements pertain to a quality of a signal received by the one or more terminal devices of the second set from the network node.

11:

• The method of claim 6, wherein the decision process is based on a transmission activity of one or more terminal devices of the second set.

12:

• The method of claim 6, wherein the decision process is based on a predefined temporal pattern for activating or deactivating operation in the SFN mode.

13:

• The method of claim 1, wherein activation or deactivation of operation in the SFN mode is triggered by an operational instruction received by the network node.

14:

• The method of claim 6, wherein activation or deactivation of operation in the SFN mode is triggered by an operational instruction received by the network node, and wherein the decision process is at least partially performed by, and the operational instruction is received from, the other network node that has the larger nominal transmit power.

15:

• The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of activating and deactivating operation in the SFN mode comprises changing a power level of the cell-specific reference signals over a period of time.

16:

• The method of claim 15, wherein a time period for increasing the power level when activating operation in the SFN mode is different from a time period for decreasing the power level when deactivating operation in the SFN mode.

17:

• The method of claim 1, wherein activation or deactivation of operation in the SFN mode is transparent for the terminal devices.

18:

• The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of terminal devices is incapable of processing the terminal-specific demodulation reference signals.

(canceled)

22:

• A heterogeneously deployed network comprising the network node of claim 21 and the another network node that has the larger nominal transmit power.

23:

• The heterogeneously deployed network of claim 22, wherein the network node is a pico node and the another network node that has the larger nominal transmit power is a macro node.