US 2019/0104389 A1Published application

Mobile communications network

AssigneeBritish Telecommunications public limited company

InventorsZaid AL-DAHER, Richard MACKENZIE, Michael FITCH

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Abstract

A base station for a mobile communications network is disclosed, in which the base station includes a plurality of transmitters, in which each transmitter is configured to provide transmit radio signals to a plurality of mobile terminals; and a plurality of receivers, in which each receiver is configured to detect receive radio signals from the plurality of mobile terminals. The base station also includes a processor configured to interrogate each of the plurality of the mobile terminals for an indication of signal quality of a signal received by the mobile terminal; and to assign each of the plurality of the mobile terminals to one of two groups based on the received indications of signal quality. The mobile terminals assigned to the first group are those that indicate relatively low signal quality and the mobile terminals assigned to the second group are those that indicate relatively high signal quality. The plurality of transmitters are configured to communicate with at least some of the mobile terminals in the first group over unicast and to communicate with the mobile terminals in the second group over multicast.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method for operating a base station for a mobile communications network, wherein the base station is in communication with a plurality of mobile terminals, the method comprising, by the base station:

interrogating each of the plurality of the mobile terminals for an indication of signal quality of a signal received by the mobile terminal;
assigning each mobile terminal of the plurality of mobile terminals to one of two groups based on the indications of received signal quality, in which the indications received from the mobile terminals assigned to a first group indicate relatively low signal quality and in which the indications received from the mobile terminals assigned to a second group indicate relatively high signal quality;
communicating with at least some of the mobile terminals assigned to the first group over unicast and communicating with the mobile terminals assigned to the second group over multicast;
wherein a decision to assign each mobile terminal of the plurality of mobile terminals to one of the first group or the second group is based on a signal quality threshold value;
wherein an indication of signal quality that falls below the threshold value is deemed to indicate a signal quality that is one of higher or lower relative to a signal quality that is deemed to be indicated by an indication of signal quality that falls above the threshold value;
and
wherein the threshold value is variable, dependent on at least one of a radio resource usage load at the base station or traffic levels on communications channels between the base station and the plurality of the mobile terminals.

4 more elements

A base station for a mobile communications network, wherein the base station comprises:

a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter configured to transmit radio signals to a plurality of mobile terminals;
a plurality of receivers, each receiver configured to receive radio signals from the plurality of mobile terminals;
and
a processor configured to:
interrogate each of the plurality of the mobile terminals for an indication of signal quality of a signal received by the mobile terminal, and
assign each mobile terminal of the plurality of the mobile terminals to one of two groups based on the indications of received signal quality;
wherein the base station is configured such that:
a decision to assign each mobile terminal of the plurality of mobile terminals to one of a first group or a second group is based on a signal quality threshold value, and
an indication of signal quality that falls below the threshold value is deemed to indicate a signal quality that is one of higher or lower relative to a signal quality that is deemed to indicate a signal quality that falls above the threshold value;
wherein the threshold value is variable, dependent on at least one of a radio resource usage load at the base station or traffic levels on communications channels between the base station and the plurality of the mobile terminals;
and
wherein the plurality of transmitters are configured to communicate with at least some of the mobile terminals in the first group over unicast and to communicate with the mobile terminals in the second group over multicast.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/085,382Filed 23 Mar 2017
Priority: EP 16163451.431 Mar 2016
Published: 4 Apr 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H04W 4/08
Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective…:…
H04B 17/309
Of propagation channels: measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
H04L 5/0048
Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path: allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
H04W 4/06
Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor: selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia…