Method and Apparatus for Sharing Radio Network Infrastructure Using Carrier Aggregation

• US 20140023016A1
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Mildh, Gunnar, Fodor, Gabor, Hedberg, Tomas, Vikberg, Jari
• Granted Patent: US 10,498,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0096 Indication of changes in allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

This disclosure relates a method and a base station for network sharing using carrier aggregation. The base station of a multi-carrier system comprises a multiple of cells, where each cell corresponds to a carrier that is associated with a PLMN. The base station receives (302, S-424, S-516, S-616) a UE request with information of a UE (402, 502, 602), where a first cell of said multiple of cells corresponds to a first carrier. The base station determines (304, S-428, S-520, S-626) based on base station settings and/or UE information, whether an other carrier associated with a different PLMN is available to said UE. If so, the base station sends (306, S-430, S-440, S-524, S-530) a resource configuration message destined for said UE (402, 502, 602), enabling said UE to configure said other carrier as a SCC. Better coverage, peak rates and capacity, without suffering from the drawbacks of existing RAN sharing techniques, are provided.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method, in a base station, for controlling resource allocation in a multi-carrier system that comprises a multiple of cells controlled by the base station, where each cell of said multiple of cells corresponds to a carrier that is associated with a respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), the method comprising:

receiving a User Equipment (UE) request comprising information of a UE in a connected mode, where a first cell of said multiple of cells corresponds to a first carrier associated with a first PLMN, either comprises the UE or receives the UE in a handover procedure;

determining, based on base station settings or UE information, or both, whether another carrier associated with a respective PLMN differing from said first PLMN is available to said UE; and

,

responsive to determining that said another carrier is available to said UE, sending a resource configuration message destined for said UE, enabling said UE to configure said another carrier as a Secondary Component Carrier (SCC).

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising sending an uplink scheduling assignment, or downlink scheduling assignment, or both, for resource allocation on said SCC.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the sending the uplink scheduling assignment or downlink scheduling assignment comprises sending an uplink and/or downlink scheduling assignment on a Primary Component Carrier (PCC) for resource allocation on said SCC.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said first carrier is the PCC.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising sending downlink data on said SCC or receiving uplink data on said SCC, or both, subsequent to sending the resource configuration message.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving the UE request comprises receiving an initial UE context setup request from a core network.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising receiving said UE information from the UE, and wherein said information is either the information of a UE in the initial UE context setup request, the UE information as received from the UE, or both the information of a UE in the initial UE context setup request and the UE information as received from the UE.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving the UE request comprises receiving a handover request from a source base station.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein said UE information comprises at least one of:

UE capability information, UE subscription information and UE policy information.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein sending the resource configuration message destined for the UE comprises sending the resource configuration message via the source base station to the UE.

35. The method of claim 25, further comprising obtaining base station settings prior to determining whether another carrier that corresponds to a second cell of said multiple of cells is available to said UE.

36. The method in a base station according claim 25, further comprising receiving base station setting information sent from an operator of a PLMN, wherein the determining whether another carrier is available to said UE is based further on the received base station setting information.

37. A base station for controlling of resource allocation in a multi-carrier system that comprises a multiple of cells controlled by the base station, where each cell of said multiple of cells corresponds to a carrier that is associated with a respective Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), said base station comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive a User Equipment (UE) request comprising information of a UE in a connected mode, where a first cell of said multiple of cells corresponding to a first carrier associated with a first PLMN, either comprises the UE or receives the UE in a handover procedure; and

a processor configured to;

determine, based on base station settings or UE information, or both, whether another carrier associated with a respective PLMN differing from said first PLMN is available to said UE; and

,

responsive to determining that said another carrier is available to said UE, control the transceiver to send a resource configuration message destined for said UE, enabling said UE to configure said other carrier as a Secondary Component Carrier (SCC).

38. The base station according to claim 37, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the another carrier is available to said UE based on at least one of:

base station settings, UE capability information, UE subscription information and UE policy information.

39. The base station according to claim 38, wherein the UE capability information comprises information on the capability of the UE to communicate with said base station over said SCC.

40. The base station according to claim 37, wherein said base station settings comprise hard coded base station settings.

41. The base station according to claim 39, wherein said base station settings comprise base station policy settings.

42. The base station according to claim 41, wherein base station policy settings comprise settings concerning at least one of:

load based policies, UE or user subscription based policies, charging based policies and equal use policies.

43. The base station according to claim 42, wherein the load based policies comprise policies for using a PLMN, based on load information about another PLMN.

44. The base station according to claim 42, wherein charging based policies comprise policies for how usage of uplink and/or downlink resources on a PLMN is charged between multiple operators of said PLMN, where said SCC is shared between said multiple operators.

45. The base station according to claim 42, wherein equal use policies comprise policies for operators to use an equal amount of uplink and/or downlink resources on said SCC that is shared between multiple operators.

46. The base station according to claim 37, wherein said SCC has a licensed and/or a license-exempt frequency range.

47. The base station according to claim 37, wherein said SCC has an in-band or an out-of-band frequency range, in relation to a frequency range of the PCC.

48. The base station according to claim 37, wherein the base station is either a Node B, an evolved Node B, a home Node B or a home evolved Node B.