Methods and apparatus for reducing downlink transmission power in a wireless system

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for reducing base station downlink transmission power in a manner that provides one or more devices being serviced by the base station time to establish or switch to another connection are described. The methods and apparatus are particularly well suited for system where base stations may be instructed by a control device to reduce or stop downlink power to a point where downlink data transmission is not supportable. In various embodiments a base station responds to a downlink power reduction instruction by reducing downlink transmission power in downlink slots in a serious of power reduction steps. In cases where the required power reduction is to a point where downlink data transmission can not be supported, the base station signals that it is switching to a no DL slot mode of operation in which downlink slots are not supported but UL slots will continue to be supported.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.