Networks and methods integrating digital mobile standards

• US 7,453,901 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jasper, Dan, Wise, Cathy
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong; Blanche
• Application Number:
  US10/445,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20040071153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: 370/431
• US Class Current: 370/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation

Abstract

Communications in a wireless communication system based on two or more communication standards are configured for delivery to cell sites or to subscribers using a digital link having channels assigned to the two or more communication standards. A T-1 level can be divided into twenty four channels that are assigned to two or more mobile standards, and subscriber or network communications based on the two or more standards can be delivered to, for example, radio transmitters associated with the mobile standards. Channel allocation can be revised based upon requested capacity associated with the mobile standards.

Claims

1. A method of processing communications for wireless distribution, comprising:

mapping each time slot of a digital link having a plurality of time slots to one of a plurality of communication standards;

inserting a first communication and a second communication associated with a first communication standard of the plurality of communication standards and a second communication standard of the plurality of communication standards, respectively, into respective time slots on the digital link mapped to the first communication standard and second communication standard, respectively; and

delivering the first communication and second communication to a destination on the digital link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital link is associated with an E-1 or a T-1 level.

3. The method of processing communication for wireless distribution of claim 1, wherein the destination has information mapping the time slots of the digital link to the plurality of communication standards.

4. The method of processing communication for wireless distribution of claim 3, further comprising at the destination, using the information mapping the time slots of the digital link to the plurality of communication standards to route each of the first communication and the second communication to a respective destination of a plurality of new destinations configured for the communication standard of the communication routed thereto.

5. A communication method, comprising:

selecting a digital transmission link linked to at least one destination node having an available data rate;

dividing the available data rate into a plurality of data channels;

assigning a first communication channel of the plurality of data channels to communications based on a GSM communication standard;

assigning a second communication channel of the plurality of data channels to communications based on a IS-136 communication standard; and

informing the at least one destination node of the assignment of the GSM communication standard to the first communication channel and the assignment of the IS-136 communication standard to the second communication channel.

6. The communication method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending the communications assigned to both the first communication channel and the second communication channel to the at least one destination node; and

at the at least one destination node, identifying the communications of the first communication channel as being in the GSM communication standard and the communications of the second communication channel as being in the IS-136 communication standard.

7. The communication method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending the communications assigned to both the first communication channel and the second communication channel to the at least one destination node; and

at the at least one destination node, using the information that the GSM communication standard was assigned to the first communication channel and the IS-136 communication standard was assigned to the second communication channel to route the first communication channel to a second destination configured for the GSM communication standard and to route the second communication channel to a third destination configured for the IS-136 communication standard.

8. A multiplexer for wireless communication, comprising:

a map configured to map each channel of a plurality of channels of a digital transmission link to one of a plurality of communication standards;

a first input configured to receive a first communication based on a GSM communication standard of the plurality of communication standards and use the map to communicate the received first communication over a first channel of the digital transmission link, the first channel being mapped to the GSM communication standard; and

a second input configured to receive a second communication based on a second communication standard of the plurality of communication standards and use the map to communicate the received second communication over a second channel of the digital transmission link, the second channel being mapped to the second communication standard.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second communication standard corresponds to an IS-136 standard.

10. A multiplexer for wireless communication, comprising:

a map configured to map each channel of a plurality of channels of a digital transmission link to one of a plurality of communication standards;

a first input configured to receive a first communication based on a IS-136 communication standard of the plurality of communication standards and use the map to communicate the received first communication over a first channel of the digital transmission link, the first channel being mapped to the IS-136 communication standard; and

a second input configured to receive a second communication based on a second communication standard of the plurality of communication standards and use the map to communicate the received second communication over a second channel of the digital transmission link, the second channel being mapped to the second communication standard.