Wireless Broadband Service

• US 20080112379A1
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Payne, David, Lou, Yuang, Perumbeti, Vijay, Duet, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5601 Transfer mode dependent, e.g. ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5607 Radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/561 Star, e.g. cross-connect, concentrator, subscriber group equipment, remote electronics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5642 Multicast/broadcast/point-multipoint, e.g. VOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A fixed broadband wireless data access service providing shared wide-band packet-switched data transport for high speed data access in areas where conventional ADSL service and fiber optic service are unavailable. The wireless data access service is a point-to-multipoint cellular-type network that connects customers to data service providers through the ATM backbone of an existing network. Customers connect to the ATM backbone and data service provider through a cellular grid in which a wireless base station in each cell communicates with the individual customer wireless equipment within its cell site coverage area. The base stations are connected to an ATM backbone switch through wireless and wireline backhaul links. The upstream and downstream bandwidths of the wireless broadband network are engineered in various symmetric and asymmetric configurations to provide a shared packet-switched connection that emulates an uninterrupted, direct wireline ADSL connection. The wireless broadband network employs a data protocol of shared access bandwidth and adaptive asymmetric data rates to support multiuser service sessions by wireless transmission. The wireless broadband network is not network protocol specific and can be applied to wireless asymmetric digital subscriber line service, wireless integrated service digital network over digital subscriber line service, wireless very high bit rate digital subscriber line service, or wireless symmetric or single-line digital subscriber line service.

Claims

1. A method of providing broadband data service to a plurality of customer computers via a cellular base station, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of packet-switched data packets at the cellular base station from a broadband network via a backhaul communications link;

distributing the plurality of packet-switched data packets for transmission to selected of the plurality of customer computers and to at least one secondary cellular base station;

transmitting the distributed packet-switched data packets to the selected of the plurality of customer computers and to the secondary cellular base station via a plurality of wireless communications links; and

at least partially controlling the plurality of customer computers,

wherein the available bandwidth between the cellular base station and the plurality of customer computers is split based at least in part on an amount of data requested by each of the plurality of customer computers and on a subscription service level associated with at least some of the customer computers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed packet-switched data packets are transmitted to the selected of the plurality of customer computers and to the secondary cellular base station using an asynchronous transfer mode protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data rates at which the distributed packet-switched data packets are transmitted to the selected of the plurality of customer computers and to the secondary cellular base station are adaptively varied.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least partially controlling the plurality of customer computers includes configuring the customer computers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadband data service comprises asymmetric digital subscriber line service.