A cellular telecommunications base station and a method of allocating a spreading code

摘要

A method is provided of allocating a spreading code for communications between a user terminal and a first cellular telecommunications base station. The method comprises the following. A group is defined of neighbouring base stations within which communications are synchronised and the same scrambling code is used, the group including the first base station, each base station in the group being assigned a respective set of spreading codes in which the spreading codes are different from the spreading codes assigned to other base stations in the group. A determination is made whether all the spreading codes in the set assigned to the first base station are currently allocated for use in communications between the first base station and other user terminals. Upon determining that all the spreading codes in the set assigned to the first base are currently allocated for use, another base station in the group is selected and a determination made whether all of the spreading codes in the set assigned to the second base station are currently allocated for use.