Configuration of base station repeater

• US 8,346,159 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Law, Alan, Proctor, Toby, Beck, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Figueroa, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US12/311,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20100297994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels

Abstract

Configuring a cellular telecommunications network base station repeater for use at a particular location includes performing data collection activity at the location to obtain an indication of the transmit frequency of a nearby base station of the cellular telecommunications network. The repeater is then set to amplify received signals at that frequency. By only amplifying this particular frequency, the repeater can provide cellular telecommunications coverage at a location (for example a basement) where coverage might not otherwise be available by amplifying only the relevant frequency. This is in contrast to amplifying indiscriminately a wide range of frequencies, which can interfere with other radio transmissions.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a cellular telecommunications network base station repeater for use at a location, comprising:

performing, with a cellular telecommunications device registered with a cellular telecommunications network, a data collection activity at the location to obtain an indication of a transmit frequency of a nearby base station of the cellular telecommunications network;

receiving, at the repeater, the indication of the transmit frequency from the cellular telecommunications device; and

setting the repeater to amplify received signals at said transmit frequency, wherein the repeater only amplifies the transmit frequencies of communications from a particular cellular telecommunications network, and determines the transmit frequency to be amplified in dependence upon a predetermined mobile network code of the particular cellular telecommunications network, and wherein the repeater receives a subscriber identity module associated with a mobile telecommunications device of the cellular telecommunications network and extracts from that subscriber identity module the mobile network code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeater uses AT commands to obtain the indication of the transmit frequency from the cellular telecommunications device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the transmit frequency is a measurement of radio transmission frequency between the cellular telecommunications device and the nearby base station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the repeater further obtains respective transmit frequencies of other neighbouring base stations.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

setting the repeater to amplify received signals at each of the transmit frequencies of the other neighbouring base stations.

6. In a cellular telecommunications network including base stations of at least a first and second type, a method of configuring a base station repeater for use at a particular location such that the repeater is configured to communicate with base stations of the second type, the method comprising:

using a receiver associated with the repeater, the receiver being configured to communicate only with base stations of the first type, to collect data from a first nearby base station of the first type;

analyzing the collected data to determine a transmit frequency of a second nearby base station being a base station of the second type; and

setting the repeater to amplify received signals at the transmit frequency.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiver further collects data of other neighbouring base stations of the first and second types.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first type comprises 2G and the second type comprises 3G or LTE/SAE/4G.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the repeater only amplifies the transmit frequencies of communications from a particular cellular telecommunications network, and determines the transmit frequency to be amplified in dependence upon a predetermined mobile network code of the particular cellular telecommunications network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile network code is pre-programmed onto the repeater.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

comparing the collected data with a mobile network code corresponding to base stations of the first and second types, with which the repeater is permitted to amplify, in order to obtain the transmit frequency of the second nearby base station of the second type.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the repeater receives a subscriber identity module associated with a mobile telecommunications device of the cellular telecommunications network and extracts from that subscriber identity module the mobile network code.

13. A cellular telecommunications network base station repeater for use at a location, comprising:

a processor configured for coupling with a cellular telecommunications device registered with a cellular telecommunications network, wherein the cellular telecommunications device is configured to perform a data collection activity at the location so as to enable the processor to obtain an indication of the transmit frequency of a nearby base station of the cellular telecommunications network; and

a setting device configured to set the repeater to amplify received signals at said transmit frequency, wherein the repeater is configured to only amplify the transmit frequencies of communications from a particular cellular telecommunications network, wherein the processor is configured to determine the transmit frequencies to be amplified in dependence upon a predetermined mobile network code of the particular cellular telecommunications network, and wherein the repeater is configured to receive a subscriber identity module associated with a mobile telecommunications device of the cellular telecommunications network and to extract from the subscriber identity module the mobile network code.

14. The repeater of claim 13, wherein the repeater includes a receiver that receives the indication of the transmit frequency from the cellular telecommunications device, wherein the indication is a measurement of radio transmission frequency between the cellular telecommunications device and the nearby base station.

15. The repeater of claim 13, wherein the repeater is configured to generate AT commands to obtain the indication from the cellular telecommunications device.

16. The repeater of claim 13, wherein the repeater is further configured to obtain respective transmit frequencies of other neighbouring base stations.

17. The repeater of claim 16, wherein the setting device is further configured to set the repeater to amplify received signals at each of the frequencies of the other neighbouring base stations.

18. A cellular telecommunications network base station repeater operable in a cellular telecommunications network including base stations of at least a first and second type, the repeater comprising:

a receiver configured to communicate only with base stations of the first type and to collect data from a first nearby base station of the first type for use in configuring the repeater at a particular location;

a processor configured to analyze the collected data to determine a transmit frequency of a second nearby base station being a base station of the second type; and

a setting device configured to set the repeater to amplify received signals at the transmit frequency.

19. The repeater of claim 18, wherein the receiver is further configured to collect data of other neighbouring base stations of the first and second type.

20. The repeater of claim 18, wherein said repeater is configured to amplify received signals from the base stations of said first and second type.

21. The repeater of claim 18, wherein the first type comprises 2G and the second type comprises 3G or LTE/SAE/4G.

22. The repeater of claim 18, wherein the repeater is configured to only amplify the transmit frequencies of communications from a particular cellular telecommunications network, and wherein the processor is configured to determine the transmit frequencies to be amplified in dependence upon a predetermined mobile network code of the particular cellular telecommunications network.

23. The repeater of claim 22, wherein the mobile network code is pre-programmed onto the repeater.

24. The repeater of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to analyze the collected data by comparing the collected data with a mobile network code corresponding to base stations of the first and second type, with which the repeater is permitted to amplify, in order to obtain the transmit frequency of the nearby base station of the second type.

25. The repeater of claim 22, wherein the repeater is configured to receive a subscriber identity module associated with a mobile telecommunications device of the cellular telecommunications network and to extract from the subscriber identity module the mobile network code.