Access point power control

摘要

There is described a method of controlling a basestation in a cellular wireless communications network, the method comprising, within the basestation, autonomously and dynamically adapting a maximum value for a total transmit power of the basestation, such that interference between the basestation and other access points in the vicinity is minimized.

主权项

1. A method of controlling a first basestation in a cellular wireless communications network comprising macrocell basestations and femtocell basestations, the method comprising:
running a first set of algorithms at the first basestation at power up of the first basestation, said first set of algorithms selecting a carrier, a scrambling code, and maximum total downlink power for use by the first basestation in operation; and, in operation of the first basestation:
obtaining measurements made by user equipment devices of signals from other basestations of said network;determining, from said measurements made by the user equipment devices, whether there has been a change in interference in a femtocell layer or a macrocell layer requiring a new carrier or scrambling code to be reselected;if there has been such a change in interference, rerunning, at the first basestation, the said first set of algorithms performed on power up for selection of a carrier, a scrambling code, and maximum total downlink power; andif there has not been such a change in interference, setting a maximum value for a total transmit power of the first basestation based on said measurements made by user equipment devices and based on knowledge of round trip delays for a communications path between said first basestation and a user terminal within a target coverage area, and based on a predetermined maximum permitted round-trip delay.