COMP operation in cellular communication networks

摘要

A supporting radio base station (100) comprises an IQ sample provider (110) for extracting, in a selected subset of the available frequency band (A) and/or from a selected subset of the available antennas (B), so-called complementary IQ samples based on received radio signals including a radio signal originating from an uplink transmission of at least one UE served by a serving radio base station (200). The supporting radio base station (100) comprises an IQ sample transmitter (120) for transmitting the complementary IQ samples to the serving radio base station (200) to enable the serving radio base station to decode user data of the uplink transmission based on the complementary IQ samples together with own IQ samples provided by the serving radio base station (200). This will provide significant savings of bit rate for the exchange of IQ samples between the radio base stations.

主权项

1. A method for Coordinated MultiPoint (COMP) operation for a supporting radio base station cooperating with a serving radio base station in a cellular communication network, said method comprising:
said supporting radio base station extracting, in a selected subset of an available frequency band, a limited set of In-phase and Quadrature-phase (IQ) samples for use as complementary IQ samples, based on received radio signals including a radio signal originating from an uplink transmission of at least one user equipment (UE) served by said serving radio base station; and said supporting radio base station transmitting said complementary IQ samples extracted in the selected subset of the available frequency band to said serving radio base station to schedule a user equipment, having problems with the uplink, on the selected subset of the frequency band and decode user data of said uplink transmission based on said complementary IQ samples together with own IQ samples provided by said serving radio base station, wherein the selected subset is less than an entirety of the available frequency band available for use by the serving radio base station, wherein the step of transmitting the complementary IQ samples comprises said supporting radio base station transmitting, via a network interface to a transport network, said complementary IQ samples to a multicast group that includes said serving radio base station, and wherein said complementary IQ samples extracted at said supporting radio base station in said subset of the available frequency band and/or from a subset of the available antennas are associated with the said multicast group.