Identifying neighboring cells in telecommunication network

• US 8,019,335 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kallio, Janne
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/770,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20020147008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,879 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/432.1, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455436-444, 455/452.2, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/554.2, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 370/328, 370331-334, 370/338, 370/401, 370/913
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0088 Scheduling hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming

Abstract

A network architecture for Wireless Intranet Office (WIO) applications including a local radio network such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) which comprises a Wireless Mobile Center (WMC) arranged to serve as a WLAN access point; a GSM network which comprises a Mobile Station (MS) in a form of a dual-mode cellular phone to access both WLAN and GSM radio technologies, a Base Station (BS) arranged to convert a radio signal from the Mobile Station (MS) for communication, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) arranged to establish call connection; and a Handover Module implemented in either the Mobile Station (MS) or the Wireless Mobile Center (WMC) for providing seamless mobility between the GSM network and the wireless LAN, when the Mobile Station (MS) roams between the GSM network and the wireless LAN.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

identify an access point of a first telecommunication network as being a neighbor cell to a second telecommunication network by transmitting identity information for the access point of the first telecommunication network to a mobile station, the transmitted identity information using a cell identity information structure of the second telecommunication network, wherein the first telecommunication network is a different radio technology than the second telecommunication network and wherein the transmitted identity information comprises a location area code associated with the second telecommunication network;

dependent upon at least part of the transmitted identity information matching information given to the mobile station by a cell serving the mobile station, receive, from the mobile station, monitoring and measurement information associated with different radio technologies of at least the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network; and

receive a modified measurement result which forces the first or the second telecommunication network to change the cell serving the mobile station.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is the access point of the first telecommunication network.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the apparatus is the access point of the first telecommunication network controlling the neighbor cell of the second telecommunication network.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second telecommunication network is a global system for mobile communications network.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the identity information further comprises a frequency, and a base station identification.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to use a handover algorithm that provides seamless mobility between the first telecommunication network and second telecommunication network.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the seamless mobility is provided when a mobile station is in an idle mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first telecommunication network is a wireless local area network or a Bluetooth network.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first telecommunication network is a wideband CDMA network and the second telecommunication network is a GSM network.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data store configured to store the cell identity information for the cell of the first telecommunication network using the cell identity information structure of the second telecommunication network.

11. A method, comprising:

transmitting, from a transmitter of a cell of a second telecommunication network, cell identity information to a mobile station, wherein the cell identity information is of a cell of a first telecommunication network and is transmitted from the transmitter using a cell identity information structure of the second telecommunication network;

providing, by a processor of the cell of the second telecommunication network, seamless mobility for the mobile station handing over between the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network, wherein the first telecommunication network is a different radio technology than the second telecommunication network, and wherein the transmitted cell identity information comprises a location area code associated with the second telecommunication network;

dependent upon at least part of the transmitted cell identity information matching information given to the mobile station by a cell serving the mobile station, receiving, from the mobile station, monitoring and measurement information associated with different radio technologies of at least the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network; and

receiving a modified measurement result which forces the first or the second telecommunication network to change the cell serving the mobile station.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cell identity information is stored in a neighbor list of neighboring cells and is stored at the cell of the first telecommunication network, in which the neighboring cells are of the second telecommunication network.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cell identity information of the cell of the first telecommunication network includes neighbor information transmitted by the transmitter of the cell of the second telecommunication network.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first telecommunication network is a wireless local area network or a Bluetooth network.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first telecommunication network is a wideband CDMA network and the second telecommunication network is a GSM network.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

wirelessly communicate with a first telecommunication network and a second telecommunication network;

wirelessly receive cell identity information for a cell of the first telecommunication network using a cell identity information structure of the second telecommunication network, wherein the first telecommunication network is a different radio technology than the second telecommunication network and wherein the received cell identity information comprises a location area code associated with the second telecommunication network;

dependent upon at least part of the received identity information matching information given to the apparatus by a cell serving the apparatus, wirelessly transmit monitoring and measurement information associated with different radio technologies of at least the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network; and

modify a measurement result to force the first or the second telecommunication network to change the serving cell.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

the apparatus is further caused to measure a signal level of radio transmitters in the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, in which the cell identity information for the cell of the first telecommunication network is received as a part of neighbor information of a cell of the second telecommunication network from which the receiver received the cell identity information.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second telecommunication network is a global system for mobile communications network.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the cell identity information for the cell of the second telecommunication network comprises one or more of a frequency, a base station identification, and a location area.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the apparatus is embodied in a mobile station and the at least one memory including the computer program code is configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to transmit an indication of received signal level to at least one of the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the cell identity information for the cell of the first telecommunication network is received from the second telecommunication network.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first telecommunication network is a wireless local area network or a Bluetooth network.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first telecommunication network is a wideband CDMA network and the second telecommunication network is a GSM network.

25. A method, comprising:

wirelessly communicating, by a transmitter, with a first telecommunication network and a second telecommunication network;

wirelessly receiving from a cell of the first telecommunication network, at a receiver, cell identity information for the cell of the first telecommunication network using a cell identity information structure of the second telecommunication network, wherein the first telecommunication network is a different radio technology than the second telecommunication network and wherein the received identity information comprises a location area code associated with the second telecommunication network; and

dependent upon at least part of the received identity information matching information given by a serving cell, wirelessly transmitting monitoring and measurement information associated with different radio technologies of at least the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network, wherein the method is executed by a mobile station which is configured to modify a measurement result to force the first or the second telecommunication network to change the serving cell.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

measuring at least at the receiver a signal level of radio transmitters in the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the received cell identity information is a part of neighbor information of a cell of the second telecommunication network.

28. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the second telecommunication network is global system for mobile communications network and the first telecommunication network is one of a wideband CDMA network, a wireless local area network, and a Bluetooth network.

29. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the cell identity information further comprises a frequency and a base station identification.

30. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the mobile station is configured to transmit a signal level to at least one of the first telecommunication network and the second telecommunication network.