Methods, mobile station and base station, for extended sharing of uplink packet data channels in a GSM network

摘要

A method in a mobile station (120) for enabling more than eight mobile stations to share one uplink Packet Data Channel (PDCH) in a GSM network (100) is provided. A combination of Uplink State Flag values in a set of two or more downlink radio blocks is received. The received Uplink State Flag values of the combination are jointly interpreted. Packet data are only transmitted (706; 1402) when an assigned combination of Uplink State Flag values has been received. Conventionally in GSM only a maximum of 8 unique mobile stations can share one PDCH using one timeslot (of eight conventionally available). By the combination of the USF values and joint interpretation thereof, more than 8 unique mobile station can share the same PDCH. Compatibility is also enabled with legacy mobile stations supporting only a single USF value.

主权项

1. A method in a mobile station for enabling more than eight mobile stations to share one uplink Packet Data Channel in a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, wherein the method comprises:
receiving two or more legacy Uplink State Flag (USF) values in respective downlink radio blocks in a set of two or more downlink radio blocks, each legacy USF value being one in a defined set of legacy USF values that are individually usable by legacy mobile stations that are not configured to jointly interpret the legacy USF values; jointly interpreting the two or more legacy USF values as a received combined USF value, formed as a combination of the two or more legacy USF values; determining whether the received combined USF value matches an assigned combined USF value that has been assigned to the mobile station, said assigned combined USF value comprising a unique combination of two or more of the legacy USF values from the defined set of legacy USF values; and transmitting packet data only when the received combined USF value matches the assigned combined USF value; wherein the assigned combined USF value is one among two or more assigned combined USF values that have been assigned to the mobile station, each assigned combined USF value having a different corresponding subset of uplink radio blocks, and wherein transmitting the packet data comprises transmitting the packet data on the subset of uplink radio blocks corresponding to the assigned combined USF value matching the received combined USF value.