Methods of handling inter-modulation products interference at a network node or at a co-located network node site

A network node for wireless communication capable of communication with a set of stations for wireless communication, wherein the stations are wireless transceiver devices and communication from the network node to any of the stations is considered to be downlink communication performed on a downlink carrier in a downlink carrier frequency band and communication from any of the stations is considered to be uplink communication performed on an uplink carrier in an uplink carrier frequency band, the network node comprising:

• a transceiver arranged to perform the uplink and downlink communications with the stations;
• and
• a transmission controller arranged to, when an interference level indicates probable inter-modulation interference;
• schedule uplink transmission grants for a plurality of stations of a subset of the stations within a time interval, such that scheduling outside the time interval is reduced, wherein the uplink transmission grants are valid for the time interval, by adapting a schedule for at least one station of the plurality of stations of the subset of the stations to fall within the time interval;
• cause the transceiver to transmit the uplink transmission grant to the plurality of stations of the subset of stations;
• assign limited transmissions on the downlink carrier frequency band at the time interval such that inter-modulation interference is reduced on the uplink carrier frequency band during the time interval;
• and
• assign transmissions on the downlink carrier frequency band outside the time interval with less limitation than during the time interval.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on a processor of a network node for wireless communication capable of communication with a set of stations for wireless communication, causes the network node to perform a method of handling interference caused by inter-modulation in the network node, wherein the stations are wireless transceiver devices and communication from the network node to any of the stations is considered to be downlink communication performed on a downlink carrier in a downlink carrier frequency band and communication from any of the stations is considered to be uplink communication performed on an uplink carrier in an uplink carrier frequency band, the method comprising, when an interference level indicates probable inter-modulation interference:

• scheduling uplink transmission grants for a plurality of stations of a subset of the stations within a time interval, such that scheduling outside the time interval is reduced, wherein the uplink transmission grants are valid for the time interval, by adapting a schedule for at least one station of the plurality of stations of the subset of the stations to fall within the time interval;
• transmitting the uplink transmission grant to the plurality of stations of the subset of stations;
• assigning limited transmissions on the downlink carrier frequency band at the time interval such that inter-modulation interference is reduced on the uplink carrier frequency band during the time interval;
• and
• assigning transmissions on the downlink carrier frequency band outside the time interval with less limitations than during the time interval.

A network node site comprising co-located network nodes comprising a first network node and a second network node, each for wireless communication and capable of communication with a set of stations for wireless communication, wherein the stations are wireless transceiver devices and communication from each of the network nodes to any of the respective stations is considered to be downlink communication performed on a downlink carrier in a downlink carrier frequency band and communication from any of the stations is considered to be uplink communication performed on an uplink carrier in an uplink carrier frequency band, the network node site comprising a network node site controller arranged to cause the transmission controller of the at least one of the first and second network nodes to assign limited transmissions on the downlink carrier frequency band at a time interval such that inter-modulation interference caused by respective network node for any of the network nodes is reduced on the uplink carrier frequency band during the time interval,

• wherein at least one of the first and second network nodes comprises:
• a transceiver arranged to perform the uplink and downlink communications with the stations;
• and
• a transmission controller arranged to, when an interference level indicates probable inter-modulation interference:
• schedule uplink transmission grants for a plurality of stations of a subset of the stations within the time interval, such that scheduling outside the time interval is reduced, wherein the uplink transmission grants are valid for the time interval, by adapting a schedule for at least one station of the plurality of stations of the subset of the stations to fall within the time interval;
• cause the transceiver to transmit the uplink transmission grant to the plurality of stations of the subset of stations;
• assign limited transmissions on the downlink carrier frequency band at the time interval such that inter-modulation interference is reduced on the uplink carrier frequency band during the time interval;
• and
• assign transmissions on the downlink carrier frequency band outside the time interval with less limitation than during the time interval.