Method and system using overlapping frequency bands in a hybrid frequency reuse plan

• US 20070298807A1
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Yarkosky, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

The wireless coverage of a wireless telecommunications network is divided into a plurality of cells, and each cell is further divided into an alpha sector, a beta sector, and a gamma sector. The alpha sectors are provided with a first frequency assignment that includes a first frequency band and a second frequency band. The beta sectors are provided with a second frequency assignment that includes the first frequency band and a third frequency band. The gamma sectors are provided with a third frequency assignment that includes the first frequency band and a fourth frequency band. The second and third frequency bands partially overlap in frequency. The third and fourth frequency bands also partially overlap in frequency. By using overlapping frequency bands, the benefits of hybrid frequency reuse may be achieved in a more spectrally efficient manner.

Claims

1. A method of frequency usage in a wireless telecommunications network having a plurality of wireless coverage areas, said method comprising:

allocating a first frequency band for spread spectrum wireless communication with mobile stations operating in a first wireless coverage area; and

allocating a second frequency band for spread spectrum wireless communication with mobile stations operating in a second wireless coverage area, wherein said second frequency band overlaps in frequency with a portion of said first frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first frequency band includes a first downlink band and said second frequency band includes a second downlink band.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first frequency band further includes a first uplink band and said second frequency band further includes a second uplink band.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said first downlink band includes a first spread spectrum traffic channel and said second downlink band includes a second spread spectrum traffic channel.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

communicating with a first mobile station operating in said first wireless coverage area using said first spread spectrum traffic channel while communicating with a second mobile station operating in said second wireless coverage area using said second spread spectrum traffic channel.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said first and second spread spectrum traffic channels are EVDO traffic channels.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

allocating a third frequency band for spread spectrum communication with mobile stations operating in said first and second wireless coverage areas, said third frequency band including a third downlink band.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

communicating with a first mobile station operating in said first wireless coverage area using said first spread spectrum traffic channel concatenated with a first additional spread spectrum traffic channel in said third downlink band while communicating with a second mobile station operating in said second wireless coverage area using said second spread spectrum traffic channel concatenated with a second additional spread spectrum traffic channel in said third downlink frequency band.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said first frequency band has a first center frequency and a bandwidth and said second frequency band has a second center frequency and said bandwidth, wherein said second center frequency is offset from said first center frequency by approximately half of said bandwidth.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said bandwidth is approximately 1.25 MHz.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said first wireless coverage area is adjacent to said second wireless coverage area.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said first wireless coverage area is a first sector in a cell defined by a base station and second wireless coverage area is a second sector in said cell defined by said base station.

13. A base station, comprising:

a first antenna system defining a first sector;

a second antenna system defining a second sector;

a third antenna system defining a third sector; and

a transceiver system communicatively coupled to said first, second, and third antenna systems, wherein said transceiver system is configured for spread spectrum communications (i) through said first antenna system using a first frequency band, (ii) through said second antenna system using a second frequency band, and (iii) through said third antenna system using a third frequency band,

wherein said first and second frequency bands are partially overlapping in frequency and said second and third frequency bands are partially overlapping in frequency.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein said first, second, and third frequency bands each have a bandwidth of approximately 1.25 MHz.

15. The base station of claim 14, wherein said first frequency band has a first center frequency, said second frequency band has a second center frequency, and said third frequency band has a third center frequency, and wherein said first and second center frequencies differ by at least 0.625 MHz and said second and third center frequencies differ by at least 0.625 MHz.

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein said transceiver is further configured for spread spectrum communications through each of said first, second, and third antenna systems using a fourth frequency band.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein said fourth frequency band has a bandwidth of approximately 1.25 MHz and has a fourth center frequency that differs from said first center frequency by approximately 1.25 MHz.

18. A method of frequency usage for a plurality of cells of a wireless telecommunications network, wherein each of said cells includes an alpha sector, a beta sector, and a gamma sector, said method comprising:

providing a first frequency assignment for alpha sectors, wherein said first frequency assignment includes a first frequency band and a second frequency band;

providing a second frequency assignment for beta sectors, wherein said second frequency assignment includes said first frequency band and a third frequency band; and

providing a third frequency assignment for gamma sectors, wherein said third frequency assignment includes said first frequency band and a fourth frequency band,

wherein said second and third frequency bands partially overlap in frequency, said third and fourth frequency bands partially overlap in frequency, and said first frequency band does not overlap in frequency with any of said second, third and fourth frequency bands.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said first, second, third, and fourth frequency bands include respective spread spectrum traffic channels.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said spread spectrum channels are EVDO traffic channels.