COMP operation in cellular communication networks

A method for Coordinated MultiPoint (COMP) operation for a serving radio base station serving user equipment (UE) in a cellular communication network, said method comprising:

• said serving radio base station providing In-phase and Quadrature-phase (IQ) samples for use as own IQ samples, based on received radio signals including a radio signal originating from an uplink transmission of at least one UE;
• said serving radio base station receiving, from a supporting radio base station, complementary IQ samples extracted as a limited set of IQ samples based on received radio signals at said supporting radio base station in a selected subset of the available frequency band, wherein said serving radio base station schedules a user equipment, having problems on the uplink, on the selected subset of the frequency band;
• and
• said serving radio base station processing said own IQ samples and said complementary IQ samples extracted in the selected subset of the available frequency band to decode user data of said uplink transmission,
• wherein the selected subset is less than an entirety of the available frequency band available for use by the serving radio base station,
• wherein the method further comprises said serving radio base station joining a multicast group for receiving, via a network interface to a transport network, said complementary IQ samples from the supporting radio base station, and
• wherein said complementary IQ samples extracted at said supporting radio base station in said subset of the available frequency band and/or from a subset of the available antennas are associated with the said multicast group.

A supporting radio base station configured for Coordinated MultiPoint (COMP) operation in cooperation with a serving radio base station serving user equipment (UE) in a cellular communication network, said supporting radio base station comprising:

• an In-phase and Quadrature-phase (IQ) sample provider configured to extract, in a selected subset of an available frequency band, a limited set of IQ samples for use as complementary IQ samples, based on received radio signals including a radio signal originating from an uplink transmission of at least one UE served by said serving radio base station, the selected subset having been selected prior to scheduling of the at least one UE and other UEs on the selected subset;
• and
• an IQ sample transmitter configured to transmit said complementary IQ samples extracted in the selected subset of the available frequency band to said serving radio base station to enable said serving radio base station to schedule a user equipment, having problems with the uplink, on the selected subset of the available frequency band and decode user data of said uplink transmission based on said complementary IQ samples together with own IQ samples provided by said serving radio base station,
• wherein the selected subset is less than an entirety of the available frequency band available for use by the serving radio base station,
• wherein IQ sample transmitter includes a multicast transmitter configured to transmit, via a network interface to a transport network, said complementary IQ samples to a multicast group that included said serving radio base station, and
• wherein said complementary IQ samples extracted at said supporting radio base station in said subset of the available frequency band and/or from a subset of the available antennas are associated with the said multicast group.

A serving radio base station configured for Coordinated MultiPoint (COMP) operation and for serving user equipment (UE) in a cellular communication network, said serving radio base station comprising:

• an In-phase and Quadrature-phase IQ) sample provider configured to provide IQ samples, referred to as own IQ samples, based on received radio signals including a radio signal originating from uplink transmission of at least one UE;
• an IQ sample receiver configured to receive, from a supporting radio base station, complementary IQ samples extracted as a limited set of IQ samples based on received radio signals at said supporting radio base station in a selected subset of the available frequency band, wherein said serving radio base station is configured to schedule a UE, having problems with the uplink, on the selected subset of the available frequency band;
• and
• an IQ sample processor configured to process said own IQ samples and said complementary IQ samples extracted in the selected subset of the available frequency band to decode user data of said uplink transmission,
• wherein the selected subset is less than an entirety of the available frequency band available for use by the serving radio base station, and
• wherein said IQ sample receiver comprises a multicast receiver configured to join a multicast group for receiving, via a network interface to a transport network, said complementary IQ samples from said supporting radio base station, and
• wherein said complementary IQ samples extracted at said supporting radio base station in said subset of the available frequency band and/or from a subset of the available antennas are associated with said multicast group.