Method and Apparatus for Simultaneous Use of Both Licensed and Unlicensed Wireless Spectrum

A method comprising:

• by a control circuit:
• determining that a wireless device currently being served via licensed wireless spectrum could also be served via unlicensed wireless spectrum;
• transmitting a first Radio Resource Control (RRC) message to configure the wireless device to connect to make measurements on the unlicensed wireless spectrum;
• receiving a second RRC message from the wireless device, wherein the second RRC message includes the measurements on the unlicensed wireless spectrum;
• configuring a network node to enable user plane data traffic between the network node and the wireless device over the unlicensed wireless spectrum;
• sending a third RRC message to the wireless device, wherein the third RRC message includes parameters for the wireless device to connect to the unlicensed wireless spectrum;
• and
• receiving from the wireless device a fourth RRC message confirming that the wireless device has successfully connected over the unlicensed wireless spectrum, wherein the fourth RRC message is a RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message comprising at least a radio capability of the wireless device, and wherein user plane data transfer over the unlicensed wireless spectrum occurs after receipt of the RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message.

An apparatus comprising:

• a cellular wireless transceiver that employs licensed wireless spectrum to communicate with a base station;
• an unlicensed wireless spectrum transceiver that employs unlicensed wireless spectrum to communicate with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point;
• and
• a control circuit operably coupled to the cellular wireless transceiver and the unlicensed wireless spectrum transceiver and configured to:
• receive from the base station a Radio Resource Control (RRC)-based message to cause the apparatus to connect to the WLAN access point, wherein the WLAN access point is identified by the RRC-based message;
• associate with the WLAN access point in response to the RRC-based message having been received;
• and
• transmit a RRC complete message to the base station in response to successfully connecting over the unlicensed wireless spectrum, the RRC complete message comprising at least one of:
• a radio capability of the apparatus,
• measurement results from one or more measurements performed by the apparatus with respect to the WLAN access point, and
• a media access control (MAC) address of the apparatus enabling the base station to implement inter protocol layer bindings,
• wherein user plane data transfer over the unlicensed wireless spectrum occurs after receipt of the RRC complete message.

A method comprising:

• by a control circuit of a wireless device that operably couples to a cellular wireless transceiver employing licensed wireless spectrum to communicate with a base station and to an unlicensed wireless spectrum transceiver that employs unlicensed wireless spectrum to communicate with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point:
• receiving from the base station a Radio Resource Control (RRC)-based message to cause the control circuit to connect to the WLAN access point;
• associating with the WLAN access point in response to the RRC-based message having been received;
• and
• transmitting a RRC complete message to the base station in response to successfully connecting over the unlicensed wireless spectrum, the RRC complete message comprising a radio capability of the wireless device, wherein user plane data transfer over the unlicensed spectrum occurs after receipt of the RRC complete message.