KR20060095937A - System and method for automatically configuring and integrating a radio base station into an existing wireless cellular communication network with full bi-directional roaming and handover capability - Google Patents

Abstract

A radio base station in a mobile communication network collects information about the network and exchanges data with a configuration device, the Internet System Manager (iSM). The iSM automatically configures and integrates the base station into the network by defining configuration parameter settings that allow full interoperation of the base station with the network, with regards to roaming and handover in particular, without the need to add or modify parameter settings in other existing network elements. A very large number and high geographical density of such base stations is supported with full interoperation between them, allowing to overcome limitations of conventional mobile communication networks in this regard, by utilizing a certain combination of parameter settings and a new method to address the different base stations in the network.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONFIGURING AND INTEGRATING A RADIO BASE STATION INTO AN EXISTING WIRELESS CELLULAR COMMUNICATION NETWORK WITH FULL BI-DIRECTIONAL ROAMING AND HANDOVER CAPABILITY}

[Related Applications]

This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 492,825, filed August 6, 2003. This application is a continuation-in-part application of US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 280,733, filed October 25, 2002.

The present invention relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to the Internet Base Station (iBS) described in US Patent Application No. 10 / 280,733, filed under the name "Internet Base Station."

As shown in FIG. 1, Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) 1 of a mobile communication network provide wireless communication with mobile stations (MS) 2. Since each BTS 1 has a limited range and hence a limited coverage area, multiple base stations with adjacent coverage areas are needed to provide continuous service to mobile stations. The coverage area of the BTS is also called a radio cell. This kind of cellular network typically provides mobile network connections to other communication networks, such as, for example, a wired public switched telephone network (PSTN) 4 on the one hand and, on the other hand, a geographical area. There are several MSCs (Mobile Switching Centers) 3 which are typically connected to several BSCs (Base Station Controllers) 5 which typically control several BTSs in the system. Since the MSC, BSC and BTS are typically located in different locations, there is a need for transmission facilities 6, 7 that can take the form of transmission lines, microwave radio links, or sometimes satellite links. .

In today's conventional mobile communications networks, the configuration and integration of new base stations is a very complex, time-consuming, error-prone process that requires careful planning and manual execution by a network operator's skilled engineering staff. It's work. The configuration of wireless base stations with multiple parameters and their integration into the peripheral network, particularly in terms of "roaming" and "handover", allow for interoperation with other neighboring base stations as well as proper interference-free operation of the base stations themselves. It should be easy. Roaming means continuous accessibility of a mobile device for attempting or receiving telephone or other wireless communication while moving service areas of different base stations. Handover means seamless continuation of ongoing communication while the mobile device moves from the service area of one base station to the service area of another base station.

Parameters to be defined for each base station and to be adjusted as parameters of other base stations include radio frequencies, transmit power levels, lists and parameters of neighboring base stations (neighbor lists), base station identity code (BSIC), CI There are several numbering schemes including Cell Identifier and Location Area Identifier (LAI). These parameters must be entered in the base stations themselves as well as in other network elements, ie corresponding BSCs and MSCs. Reconfiguration of existing base stations and other network elements is also necessary when new base stations are added and other changes occur in the network. Given the majority of conventional base stations and high geographic densities in current cellular networks, the effort and cost of such work is enormous.

Another issue addressed here is the verification process for checking the mobility of iBSs and whether iBS is in the licensed area. In the past, base stations were owned and installed by a carrier, so this is not a new problem. With the introduction of a new generation of base stations that are much smaller and can be easily moved (unlike cell towers), the mobility of "fixed" base stations has also become an issue addressed here.

[Summary of invention]

iBS (FIG. 2) is described in commonly owned US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 280,733, filed Oct. 25, 2002, incorporated herein by reference. The subject matter of USSN 10 / 280,733 is published in the corresponding (and co-owned) International Publication WO2004 / 040938.

iBS 8 is an Internet base station for providing or enhancing coverage and traffic capacity for mobile communication services in a user's home, office or other buildings, or public places. For iBS much more numbers and densities are expected than those for conventional base stations (million to thousands per network). iBS is connected to iBSC (Internet Base Station Controller) 11 and iSM (Internet System Manager) 12 using the user's existing Internet connection 9 and public Internet 10. The iBSC 11 is usually arranged and connected with a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 3 of a conventional mobile communication network (in this case, the transmission facility 13 is a local, on-site connection between the two devices). site connection), which controls and directs mobile communication between the MSC 3 and several, typically multiple iBS units, 8. The iSM 12 supports iBS units 8 during automatic configuration and integration of iBS units 8 into the surrounding network of conventional base stations and other iBS units.

The iBS 8 is set up and operated by the user without requiring any support or action from the network operator staff. Thus, there is a need for a method for once a user has powered up and has access to the iBS 8 to the Internet, configure it completely automatically and integrate it into the surrounding cellular network. In particular, this method should ensure that when iBS is operated by a user, no change needs to be applied to the configuration of other existing base stations, their BSCs or MSCs.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an Internet Base Station (iBS) is configured to receive transmissions from other base stations in the vicinity and to exchange data with an Internet System Manager (iSM), thereby providing a peripheral mobile communication network. Gather information about Based on this data and other information stored prior to iSM, iSM is adapted to allow proper interference-free operation of iBS and, in particular, in view of the above-mentioned "roaming" and "handover"-adjacent other base stations-conventional Automatically determine a number of suitable configuration parameters to allow the interoperation of iBS with other base stations as well as other base stations. The need to add or change configuration parameters in typical network elements-typical base stations (BTSs), their BSCs or MSCs-to allow for interoperation with iBS requires a predetermined set of pre-defined parameters. It is avoided by applying to these conventional network elements first at once. Certain combinations of parameter settings and certain methods for dealing with different iBSs in the network allow for very high density deployment for most base stations while maintaining full interoperability between the base stations, It allows to overcome the limitations of conventional mobile communication networks with respect to number and geographic density.

In addition, iSM integrates iBS into an existing network by assigning iBS to one of the typically iBSCs (Internet Base Station Controllers) in the network, in order to optimize interoperability and minimize the necessary transmission resources. do.

The procedure described herein applies not only to iBSs, but also to conventional base stations that can be managed by iSM and (i) connected to MSCs via BSC.

Those skilled in the art will apparently recognize other features, objects, and implementations of the present invention with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. All such additional features, objects, and implementations fall within the scope of this description, fall within the scope of the present invention, and will be protected by the accompanying claims.

1 is a diagram of a typical telecommunications network.

2 is a diagram of an iBS network in combination with elements of a typical wireless communication network, in accordance with the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating the interfaces of iBS and iSM and various data sources used for automatic iBS configuration and integration.

4 is a cell global identifier (CGI), base station identity, used for a typical macrocell being pointed as target cells in iBSs, eg, a conventional macrocell in nine neighboring cell definitions N code) and an ARFCN (frequency) parameter table.

5 is a diagram illustrating a message flow for macrocell-to-iBS handover with five iBSs of a pointer list of a macrocell sharing a common CGI.

As an exemplary embodiment, the parameters and procedures required for integration into an iBS and its GSM mobile communication network and operation in a GSM mobile communication network that support the GSM standard are described. However, the present invention is not limited to GSM technology and supports other technologies such as CDMA, iDEN and 3G / UMTS.

1. Investigation of wireless environment

When iBS is switched on, iBS will examine its wireless environment and then, with the help of iBSC and / or iSM, will define a number of parameters necessary to integrate into an existing mobile communication network and to operate in an existing mobile communication network.

iBS 'receiver can receive not only in the uplink band which is the normal operating band of iBS, but also in the downlink band in which MS (Mobile Station) receivers operate normally.

When switched on, iBS will first scan the entire downlink frequency band, as when the MS is switched on. Through this downlink band scan, the iBS will identify other iBS as well as macrocells operating in the region. (Note that the term "macrocell" is used herein for any non-iBS radio cell, so it does not necessarily necessarily mean a rigid macrocell, but may mean a conventional microcell.) IBS It will look for Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) signals and decode the broadcasted Cell Global Identifier (CGI) and Base Station Identity Code (BSIC). CGI consists of a Location Area Identifier (LAI) and a Cell Identifier (CI). LAI consists of Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MCC), and Location Area Code (LAC). iBS will find cells that are part of its carrier network (identifiable by MCC and MNC) and report the following to Internet System Manager (iSM).

BCCH frequencies (ARFCN),

Received signal levels (RXLEV),

Received quality (RXQUAL),

CGIs,

BSICs, and

Other information broadcast by other iBSs (like unique iBS codes).

The reported cells are potential handover neighbors for iBS if their signal levels are strong enough. The iSM will evaluate the measured signal levels and, based on the field strength, will determine which cells will be defined as neighboring cells for iBS. In addition, the macrocell information reported by iBS will serve to generate an "iBS pointer list" of iBSC, which will play a major role in macro-to-iBS handovers (see section 2.6.4).

During the downlink scan, if there are no cells identified as belonging to the carrier network of the iBS, the iBS will be in an area not covered by that carrier. If so, iBS will report to iSM all other cells it can receive, which causes iSM to determine if iBS is actually located in the country and / or market specified by the user (by analyzing the MCC and MNC). To be able to determine. iBS may even scan "non-country" frequencies. For example, assuming iBS is in the United States (1900 MHz), iBS will also scan frequencies for 900 and 1800 MHz (Europe and Asia).

Another embodiment of the present invention is that iBS has an integrated GPS receiver and reports its location to iSM. The iSM may then first compare the input address of the iBS using the coordinates and then determine which cells should be neighbors of this iBS cell.

The carrier (mobile network operator) would have preserved multiple spectra for its exclusive use of iBS (not use by macrocells) in its available frequency spectrum. The downlink scan also provides information about interference on such iBS frequencies and possibly on interference on adjacent macrocell frequencies, thereby helping to select a suitable operating frequency for the iBS itself, as described in section 2.1.

2. Define iBS Parameters

As with conventional base stations, most iBS configuration parameters will be default settings set at once by the network operator and sometimes only deviate from the default values.

To enable handovers from macrocells to iBS cells, iBS cells must be listed as neighbors in the neighbor cell descriptions of the macrocells. These neighbor cell technologies reside in BSCs, and the frequency used by iBS should also be included in the neighbor list of all neighboring cells. One object of the present invention is to avoid software changes in existing BSCs and MSCs and the need to change these neighbor lists and neighbor cell technologies when the new iBS is online.

Also, BSCs of most major GSM system manufacturers do not allow entering more than 32 neighboring cell relationships for any one cell.

Thus, the techniques of iBSs as neighboring cells for macrocells (including iBS's frequency, LAI, CI and BSIC) must be statically pre-defined in macrocell BTSs and BSCs, which iBS can use. The number of different LAIs, CIs and BSICs is limited. If the majority of iBSs are expected to be used, this means that all iBSs in the network are sharing a much smaller number of LACs, CIs and BSICs. For a typical GSM network and its switching / routing facilities (MSCs and BSCs), several iBSs in a group will be represented as one single cell with common cell parameters, iBSCs being additional routing in this group. The issues will be addressed. On the other hand, it may be desirable to keep the number of iBSs in this group as small as possible to minimize the amount of control traffic in the network required for roaming and call setups.

Most typical cells in most networks have approximately 10 neighboring cells, leaving about 20 neighboring definitions (of up to 32) available for iBS. However, some macrocells in certain environments (eg with radio propagation through water) will already have much more neighbors without iBS. Thus, network configuration is recommended to operators as a starting point where a relatively small number of cell parameter sets are retained for iBS, which can be expanded gradually as the number of iBSs in the network increases, for example,

Three frequencies (ARFCN) reserved for the network-range of iBSs ("iBS frequencies")

3 BSICs reserved for network-scope of iBSs (“iBS BSICs”)

9 neighbor relationships (neighbors) with iBSs defined in all macrocells (with 9 different CGIs consisting of 9 different LACs and CIs in each MSC region)

The cell global identifier (CGI), base station identity code (BSIC), and the like used for a conventional macrocell pointing as target cells in iBSs, for example a conventional macrocell in nine neighboring cell definitions N and An example of a parameter combination of ARFCN (frequency) is shown in FIG. 4.

Base station controllers (BSC / iBSC) that allow much more than 32 or 64 neighboring relationships / cells provided by today's system manufacturers will be the key to overcoming the above limitations, and other unchanged standard system procedures. According to these, it will allow clear addressing of most self-configuring and self-integrating base stations. Thus, this method is also part of the present invention. The following paragraphs describe a solution to existing conventional BSCs that allow only 32 or 64 neighbor relationships in every cell.

2.1 Operating Frequency (ARFCN)

Based on the (downlink) interference measurements detailed in section 1 and the information stored in iSM about the frequencies (iBS frequencies) held for exclusive use of iBS by the network operator, iSM is the lowest found in iBS. Or iBS frequency with the first allowable interference levels. In the event of the same minimum interference levels for several iBS frequencies available, or if there is no interference through all iBS frequencies, the iBS frequency is all available iBS frequencies, which will minimize the overall interference risk in the long term. To ensure an even distribution of usage across their network, they are assigned to iBS by a random number generator or in a periodic assignment procedure. Another possibility is that iSM will select the frequency of the farthest cell.

As another use for any number of iBS frequencies held exclusively as described above, iBSs may share the BCCH frequencies of typical base stations of the network. Next, the operating frequency for iBS is the BCCH frequencies among all BCCH frequencies used in the entire network or for neighboring cells of the strongest macrocell that iBS will find by listening to the neighbor list broadcast of the strongest macrocell. May be selected only. In both cases, iBS will report the signal strengths received on the relevant frequencies to iSM and iSM will assign that frequency to iBS with the lowest interference signal levels.

Regardless of the frequency allocation method used, iBS continues to provide a wireless environment, i.e. signal levels and bit error rates received and reported by mobile stations, as well as signal levels and bit error rates received from serving mobile stations. Will be monitored. If bad radio conditions are found to persist over a longer period of time, iBS will initiate reassignment of a new frequency.

2.2 transmit power level

The transmit power level of iBS is initially set to the default value defined by the carrier. This is a passive, automatic determination of a user's predetermined environment, for example, for an apartment only, for a house with a garden, or for larger buildings, indoors or outdoors, or for public places. Depending on the user input-whether to provide coverage, it can be adjusted between the minimum and maximum limits. The power level resulting from the user input may be received by the iBS during the wireless environmental survey described in section 1, providing, for example, whether the iBS is installed indoors or outdoors, in an exposed or closed location, or the like. It may be overwritten with a more suitable value based on the number of neighbor cells.

In addition, the actual transmit power of the iBS is continuously adjusted to current radio conditions based on average signal levels and / or bit error rates received and reported by the serving mobile stations that the iBS will continuously monitor. For example, if the average signal level received is low, the transmit power may be increased, and if the received signal level is high, the transmit power may be reduced.

If the received bit error rate is high (poor link / signal quality), the transmit power may be increased to a certain threshold.

The iSM can be programmed in this way that the carrier can enter.

Default transmit output power (e.g. lOmW)

Power increment / decrement of dB steps (eg +/- 2 dB)

Minimum / maximum output power (eg 1 mW; 100 mW)

Number of calls to perform output power update (n = 3)

In this case, iBS will start with the default value of lOmW (unless it detects too many neighbors during the setup phase). After three calls, the iBS or iSM will calculate the “average” and minimum / maximum values of the field strength and determine if the output power should be the same, decreased or increased. The min / max values of the output power will always be kept (not lower than 1mW; not higher than 100mW).

Instead of using a fixed value for the number of calls, it may be variable over time, since the wireless environment may be more stable in later stages, initially n = 1 and then n = 2. N increases with time.

2.3 Location Area Code (LAC)

LAC is required for the establishment and location update procedure of Mobile Terminating Calls (MTCs). This is also part of the CGI used to address the target cell of the handover by the BSC and the MSC.

Every cell in a typical network belongs to a location area and broadcasts its LAC on BCCH. When the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) receives a call for a particular mobile, it will send a paging command (via BSC) to all cells in the location area where the mobile is currently registered.

The mobile roaming network will perform a location update procedure (see section 3.2.2) and, upon entering a new location area, will send the corresponding command to the MSC / VLR (Visitor Location Register). The mobile identifies that it has entered a new location area when the mobile detects that the cell that the mobile had previously "camped", i.e., the new cell but not the cell with the strongest signal previously, has a different LAC. do. (Note: If a new LAC belongs to a different MSC / VLR, the new location of the mobile must also be updated in the HLR (Home Location Register)).

iBSs use separate LACs from macrocells to reduce the number of unnecessary paging commands that they have to receive from the MSC (via iBSC) and then transmit over the air interface. (If you share LACs with macrocells around them, iBSs will have to handle all paging commands for that particular location area, most of them for mobiles actually being served by macrocells.)

This strategy of separate LACs for iBSs and macrocells also prevents fast-moving mobiles from camping to iBS through the iBS coverage area (which occurs only when the Cell-Reselection Hysteresis (CRH) parameter is exceeded). To facilitate. This may be desirable when the iBS coverage area is small and where only mobiles that are typically moving or stationary are found.

If there are a total of 65535 different LACs, the definition of a sufficiently large set of exclusive LACs (iBS-LACs separate from the LACs used for macrocells) for iBS does not present a problem for the network operator. , Or in the iBS network extension described in section 2.7, for every BSC, for example only 9 / up to 32 different LACs will be needed or possible.

In order to prevent HLR updates when the mobile enters or exits the iBS cell, the boundaries of the iBS location regions are coordinated by the iSM with the boundaries of the MSC / VLR regions, i.e. iBS belongs to the strongest macrocell around the iBS. The location area (s) are also assigned to a location area controlled by the same MSC controlling it. The LACs of surrounding macrocells are identified by iBS during the radio environment investigation described in section 1. The iSM also has a reference database that indicates which LACs belong to which MSCs. As an ideal situation for creating such a database, it is recommended for network operators to organize their LACs in such a way that the first few numbers of LACs directly identify the MSC to which they belong.

Through this strategy of allocating iBS to the same MSC as its macrocell neighbor (s), handovers between MSCs (which require more signaling resources than handovers within the MSC) are completely prevented. As such, all handovers related to iBSs are handovers within the MSC, resulting in more efficient handover signaling / channel activations and more efficient paging traffic distribution across the network.

For the same reasons, in order to reduce / remove the MSC-iBSC line / transmission cost, at every MSC, there must be at least one iBSC co-located with the MSC.

As described in section 2, the fixed parameters (CGI and BSIC) for all iBSs are when the iBSs are unpredictable by their users and unpredictable numbers and locations without the need to manually add or change configuration parameters. In order to be able to operate at, it is predefined in the neighbor cell description of all macrocells (resident in BSCs). CGI includes LAC and CI. For example, all nine CGIs (iBS-CGIs) (see section 2) for iBS in the MSC region include different LACs, and these nine iBS-LACs are different in each MSC. In this way, the MSS / iBSC area and iBSs across the entire network have a maximum number of location areas (e.g. 9 / MSC) so that unnecessary paging traffic during MTCs (Mobile Terminating Calls) is kept to a minimum. Is dispersed. For example, nine iBS-LACs to be used in the MSC area must be specified at the MSC when the iBSC is connected to the MSC. When iBS is switched on, iBS will listen to the LAC of its surrounding macrocell neighbor (s) and report them to iSM. The iSM will determine which MSC / iBSC this iBS will link to based on its database of which LACs belong to which MSC in the network, and issue a CGI to iBS (including the selected LAC). iBS requires CGI for handover and call establishment signaling with iBSC / MSC and must broadcast CGI over its BCCH.

Unlike the method described above, iSM's determination of which iBSC the iBS is linked to, along with a more detailed geographic database in iSM that represents postal code areas and / or individual distances, can be used when an iBS user activates iBS. It may also be based on information provided about the location.

In addition to the requirements for LAC assignments to iBSs as described above, the iSM is the iBSC's, for example, its iBS for 9 LACs (to optimize paging traffic distribution and handover signaling / channel activations). To ensure an even distribution among them, a periodic or random procedure is used to determine which of the iBSCs, for example, of the 9 LACs are allocated to the new iBS, and counts the number of allocations of each LAC.

In the same way, the iSM uses the " iBS " of the macrocell to minimize the number of iBSs that must be addressed in parallel in the macrocell-to-iBS handover (see section 3.2.1) and thus the signaling overhead associated with it. It is also guaranteed that the least possible re-use occurs between the CGIs (i.e. CGI = LAI + CI) of iBSs present in the "pointer list" (see section 2.6.4).

Another embodiment of the present invention is simply to change the interface specifications to allow longer LAI, CI and larger neighbor lists.

2.3.1 LACs in immediate adjacent iBSs

IBSs that are directly adjacent to each other should use the same LAC, so that a location update procedure is unnecessary every time the mobile crosses the cell boundary between them. These iBSs will be operated in the same (supplied) buildings by the same owner since mobiles will be able to cross such cell boundaries very frequently.

On the other hand, if the VLR function of the iBSC is used (see section 3.1.1.1), the opposite case: it is assumed that directly adjacent iBS have different LACs.

When switched on, the new iBS will perform a radio environment survey (see section 1) and determine whether it can receive other iBSs. If so, it will decode and report the LACs of these other iBSs to the iSM. The iSM determines that if the signal levels of these other iBSs exceed a certain threshold, they are directly adjacent to the new iBS, and then the new iBS takes the same LAC or a different LAC, depending on whether the VLR function of the iBSC is used. Will ensure. The iSM can determine if the iBSs are neighbors of the "same-owner" if the subscriber has multiple iBSs at the same registered location.

2.4 Cell Identifier

CIs in the GSM network must be unique within the location area but can be reused outside the location area. For example, all 9 LACs in the 9 CGIs of all 9 iBS neighbors of all macrocells will be different across the entire network, so in theory one CI can be used for all iBSs across the entire network. However, in order to allow more detailed iBS identification in possible future applications, it is recommended that the nine CIs (for example) used for iBS in each MSC / iBSC area also be different across the entire network. If there are a total of 65535 different CIs, the definition of a sufficiently large set of CIs for iBS does not pose a problem for the network operator, either every MSC or in every iSC network in the iBS network extension described in section 2.7, For example, only 9 / up to 32 different CIs would be needed / possible. Although these iBS-CIs do not necessarily have to be distinguished from the CIs used for macrocells, anyway, in order to allow possible future applications, a CI allocation strategy without any re-use is recommended.

Therefore, the iBS CI allocation strategy is as follows. For each MSC / iBSC area, iSM has 9 CGIs reserved for allocation to iBSs, for example. The 9 LACs and 9 CIs included in these CGIs are all different from each other and are not re-used anywhere in the network. When a new iBS is switched on, the iSM determines which MSC / iBSC should be linked (based on the LAC for iBS's strongest macrocell neighbor, as described in section 2.3), and (network-scoped unique LAC). And assign one of the nine iBS-CGIs of such iBSC to iBS (including network-scoped unique CI) (this CGI will be shared by all iBSs in its location area, Note that a fixed and limited number of neighbor relationships of, e.g., nine are needed to be pre-defined in conventional BSCs).

2.5 Base Station Identity Code

BSIC is required in the handover process. It is broadcast over the Synchronization Channel (SCH) of all cells in a typical network. The mobile decodes the BSIC at the frequencies the mobile is monitoring according to the neighbor list given by its serving cell and reports them to the BSC as mobile's measurement reports. The BSC has a reference list (a list of neighbor relationships or a neighbor list) in which the BSICs belong to the actual neighboring cells of the serving cell, and the signal being listened to by the mobile is really a real neighboring cell or another (far) with a different BSIC. Determine if it is a co-channel signal from the cell. The BSC then makes a handover decision accordingly.

Thus, the rules in a typical network plan are as follows. Cells adjacent to each other using the same BCCH / SCH frequency should have different BSICs. "Near" in this context means that they are close enough to be common neighbors to other cells.

The BSIC is 6 bits long, yielding up to 64 different values. In border regions with other countries or markets, network operators must coordinate the first three bits of the Network Color Code-BSIC (NCC), which in this border region is much less BSICs for each operator. In the worst case, it means that only eight are available. If there is a limited number of frequencies (e.g., 3) available for multiple iBSs and iBSs in the network, this means that, unlike "normal" GSM network planning rules, iBSs where BSICs have the same BCCH frequency In between, it means that such iBS should be re-used even if they are "adjacent" to each other (ie they are neighbors to the same macrocell).

Also, BSICs of iBSs, like their LACs and CIs, of all macrocells (in BSCs) for which the number of neighbor relationships with iBSs (eg 9) should be limited for the reasons described above. It will need to be pre-defined in the adjacency list. If the number of neighbor relationships selected for iBS in the macrocells is 9 and the number of frequencies available exclusively by the network operator for the use of iBS is 3, then the number of different BSICs required is 9/3 = 3. This would mean that nine different combinations of BCCH frequency and BSIC are possible, each of which would be pointed at one of nine iBS-CGIs in the neighbor list of macrocells.

The only rule iSM must follow to select the best BSIC to be allocated to the new iBS is: If the new iBS receives any associated signal strength (interference) at all, e.g., three iBS frequencies during its investigation of the wireless environment (see section 1), the new iBS is described in section 2.1. Similarly, the frequency with the lowest interference levels must be selected for its operation and then take a different BSIC from listening on that frequency.

In addition to the requirements described above for BSIC assignments to iBSs, iSM uses a periodic or random procedure to determine, for example, which of the three iBS-BSICs to allocate to a new iBS and for each iBS-BSIC. By counting the number of allocations, an even distribution across the network of three iBS-BSICs is ensured, for example (to minimize the long term perspective of the overall risk of ARFCN and BSIC co-allocations for very adjacent iBSs). .

2.6 Neighbor Lists

2.6.1 iBS own neighbor list

RF environment survey by iBS when switched on (see section 1) provides macrocells (and possibly other iBS) that iBS can receive, providing their BCCH frequencies, received signal levels, CGIs and BSICs Passed a list).

Cells from that list, with sufficient signal level (threshold defined in iSM), will be defined as neighboring cells for iBS. Alternatively, only the strongest cell in the list, or, for example, two strong cells, may be defined as neighbor cells for iBS by iSM. iSM will send back a list of related frequencies (ARFCN) to iBS as its neighbor list. (Note that the neighbor list stored at the GSM base station (BTS) is just a list of frequencies that the BTS broadcasts and instructs mobiles in the area to monitor.) Another possibility is that one or more macrocells are neighbors. It is defined as.

The iSM will send a list of defined neighbor cells of the iBS to the iBSC (which will be responsible for handover decisions, like a normal BSC). This neighbor list includes the frequencies of neighboring cells, their BSICs, LAIs, and CIs, and may be other information (all obtained from the RF environment survey of iBS (see section 1)). Since several iBSs connected to these iBSCs will share the same CGI (= LAI + CI), the iBSC uses different parameters in addition to the CGI to distinguish between these iBSs-iBS's IP address, other Internet / address related data or iBS You must use the serial number of.

Only the identified strongest or few macrocells or all macrocells may be defined as neighbors to iBS by iSM.

IBS detected in the RF environment survey (see section 1) and with sufficient signal levels are always defined by the iSM as neighbors of the iBS, where the opposite neighbor definitions may be set in other iBSs. These will be different iBSs for which handover is pursued, owned by the same owner of the same (possibly secondary) buildings. In addition to this automatic assignment, an iBS user may manually apply the neighbor definitions of another iBS that he owns and operates in the same buildings.

As part of the optimization step that iBS may have, the majority of neighboring cells, for example all neighboring cells of the "home macrocell", are defined. The handover list may be small at first, for example only the home macrocell itself. While monitoring the link quality of iBS calls, during calls, if the mobile finds another strong macrocell that was not initially in this iBS cell's handover list, iSM will decide to add or even change the handover target list. Can be.

Another embodiment of the invention is that the neighbor list for the dedicated mode (while the mobile is performing a call) consists of two groups:

Real-time neighbor list (used by other base stations)

Interference neighbor list

The interfering neighbor list is not intended to perform a handoff to one of these cells. The mobile station's measurement reports mostly report the six strongest neighbors. With three "real time" neighbors and three "interfering" neighbors, the mobile will be in any case reporting state for these six channels, regardless of how low the field strength is. More advanced forms can use a dynamic list of "interfering" neighbors and change the list periodically so that six or more channels can be monitored.

The advantage of this method is that the mobile can measure potential new carriers for iBS. If the new "interference" frequency is OK and does not have any interference with other macrocells, iBS can be reconfigured to the new frequency. The neighbor list will then be updated and other "interfering" neighbors are defined.

2.6.2 Neighbor Lists of Macrocells

A network operator wishing to use iBS, in addition to their existing neighbor lists, reserves, for example, three frequencies (iBS frequencies) reserved for the exclusive use of iBS, all macrocell BTSs in their network. Will add to

In the case where some macrocells (also unlikely) already have more than 30 frequencies in their neighbor list, for example if three iBS frequencies are used, some of the existing neighbor definitions in these macrocells Since the maximum length of the neighbor list is 32 frequencies in the BSCs of most GSM system manufacturers, it will have to be erased so that three are available for iBS.

As outlined above in section 2.1, the carrier may use macrocell BCCH frequencies for iBS.

2.6.3 Neighbor Lists (Neighbor Cell Technologies) for Macrocells (Normal BSCs)

Neighbor cells for all macrocells in the network, such that a number of standardized, pre-defined neighbor relationships for iBS (see, for example, 9-see Section 2) can occur handovers from macrocells to iBSs Should be added to the techniques. These neighbor cell technologies are stored in BSCs and include the ARFCN, BSIC and CGI of each neighbor cell. CGI consists of LAI and CI, and LAI consists of MCC, MNC and LAC.

For iBS, nine different pairs (ARFCN / BSIC) are possible, for example, if three frequencies and three BSICs are retained. Each of these points to one of nine iBS-CGIs as a target cell. Each of these nine iBS-CGIs is shared by more or less majority iBSs in the group.

For example, nine iBS-CGIs are different iBS-CGIs in each MSC region, and they are not re-used in other MSC regions. In the MSC area, the nine iBS-LACs included in these nine iBS-CGIs are also all different for the reasons described above in section 2.3, so that the iBSs in the MSC area minimize the amount of unnecessary paging traffic. To separate the maximum number of iBS location regions (eg, 9).

For example, if some macrocells in the MSC region where nine different iBS-CGIs are to be used already have more than 24 neighboring relationships, some of these existing neighboring relationships may be found in BSCs of most GSM system manufacturers. Since the maximum number of neighbor relationships is 32 (one major manufacturer allows 64 BSCs), the number of iBS-CGIs in that MSC region must be erased or reduced so that 9 can be used for iBS.

As summarized above in section 2.1, the carrier may use the macrocell BCCH.

2.6.4 "iBS Pointer Lists" in iBSCs

In order to minimize the overhead in handover signaling and associated use of associated channel resources (see section 3.2.1), iBSC maintains an “iBS pointer list” for each macrocell with iBSs as neighbors. This iBS pointer list indicates which iBSs (uniquely identified by their IP addresses, other Internet / address related data or iBS serial number) are neighbors to the macrocell. When a handover request from such a macrocell reaches an iBSC, the iBSC lists this number of iBSs that should be addressed as possible handover targets, instead of addressing all iBSs sharing the CGI included in the handover request message. It can be limited to those in the jacket.

During the investigation of the wireless environment (see section 1), iBS reports, among all the macrocells it can receive and their CGIs, certain parameters of such macrocells to iSM. (iSM uses this information to define which macrocells should be defined as neighbors of iBS for iBS-to-maccell cell handover.) Now, iSM uses the same information, each macrocell defined as a neighbor of iBS. Will generate a list containing the CGIs and IP addresses of those neighboring iBSs.

The iBS pointer list described above for macrocells should also be created for each iBS to optimize the signaling overhead in iBS-to-iBS handovers (see section 3.2.3)-however, these iBS pointer lists Much shorter than those for macrocells, since iBS will typically have much fewer iBSs (if present) as physical neighbors than macrocells.

2.7 iBS Network Expansion

If the number of iBSs used in the network reaches a very high level, the overhead of paging and handover signaling / channel settings (incurred by sharing CGIs as described above) takes a special cell parameter assignment as described. Thereby reducing from the MSC level to the BSC level.

For example, nine CGIs, shared by iBS in neighboring lists of macrocells, are defined differently every BSC, not every MSC anymore. This reduces the amount of overhead of paging and handover signaling / channel settings by greatly reducing the number of iBSs sharing the same CGI.

The iBSs in the configuration phase will then identify which MSC as well as which BSC belong to their adjacent macrocells in their radio environment survey (see section 1). This is possible if the network operator uses a LAC numbering scheme that, for example, not only identifies the MSC in the first few digits of the LAC but also identifies the BSC in the next few digits.

Thus, LACs in a typical network should not overlap BSC regions.

iSM will have a corresponding database of LACs used in different BSCs, and then, as before, link iBS to the iBSC that is connected as the strongest macrocell to the same MSC, but then iBS to For example, it assigns to one of nine iBS-CGIs which belongs to the BSC to which the macrocell of belongs.

The VLR function of iBSC (see section 3.1.1.1) reduces the paging (MTC) signaling overhead even further.

Another embodiment of the invention is that the handover request includes the coordinates of the mobile. In this case, the iBSC will use this information to select the closest iBS with the same parameters.

2.8 Phase Optimization for iBS

Once iBS is configured and activated, iBS will perform a number of performance measurements. For example, iBS will perform idle channel supervision, meaning that iBS will measure interference from other iBS or macrocell mobiles if the TCH timeslot is not active.

Another method is that iBS analyzes the up- and downlink quality of the calls and performs certain statistics (such as average RXLEV and RXQUAL).

Based on these statistics, iBS can increase or decrease the output power. For example, if the link margin is lower than specified, the output power can be increased as long as the maximum output power is not reached. This power setting is used for both the mobile station and the base station.

If there is a lot of interference (uplink or downlink), iBS can select another channel and use the procedure for “interfering” neighbors described in 2.6.1, for example.

Another embodiment of the present invention is that iBS transmits signals with "medium" output power. If the mobile receives a bad signal, the output power of the iBS can be increased, so that the mobile will again take a good signal. This is particularly important for data transmission, because receiver sensitivity is reduced for high data rates.

3. GSM procedures with iBS

This section describes the procedures in the GSM network, where iBS-specific pre-allocation and sharing for certain cell parameters and the corresponding signaling and channel activation overhead as described above play an important role.

3.1 Call setup

3.1.1 Mobile Terminating Call

In a GSM network, when the MSC receives an MTC for a particular mobile, the MSC will send a paging command to all BSCs that control the BTSs belonging to the location area where the mobile last performed the location update procedure. The BSCs will send a paging command to all of those BTSs, and all of the BTSs will send a paging command over the air interface. The mobile's response to the paging command will only be received by the BTS at that time the mobile is actually located-the paging commands sent by all other BTSs in the location area will be left unacknowledged by the mobile. This BTS will start communicating with the mobile and reverse signal to set up the channel to perform a call or the like to the BSC (using its CGI for identification).

As described above, several or multiple iBSs may share the same CGI, ie the same LAC and the same CI. This means that in the MTC for the mobile currently deployed in the iBS cell, several iBSs can be addressed in parallel with a paging command and may be requested to establish a channel to perform the call. Only the iBS actually receiving the mobile's response to the paging command will reverse signal it to the iBSC, and then the iBSC will request all other iBSs to which the paging command has been sent to release the setup channels again. iBSC uses the IP addresses of the iBSs to distinguish between them, since the CGI normally used for this purpose in a typical network is common to all related iBSs.

3.1.1.1 VLR functionality in iBSC for optimized MTC signaling

In order to reduce the signaling needed for MTC, iBSC has its own VLR (Visitor Location Register) function, which means that when a mobile performs a location update procedure in an iBS cell, the iBSC, which mobiles to which iBS cells This means that you have a record of whether you are currently registered. If two iBS cells directly adjacent to each other have different LACs (see section 2.3.1 for how this can be realized), this may reduce the signaling overhead in MTCs (see section 3.1.1). Even remove it practically. The iBSC sends a paging command to only one iBS while the mobile currently exists, that is, the size of the paging area is substantially only one cell while it has location information about the stored mobile. This prevents signaling overhead from having to page the mobiles of all iBS with a specified LAC / CI, which will have different results, since several or multiple iBSs share the same LAC / CI. iBSC uses individual IP addresses for those groups of iBSs to distinguish between and address them.

When the mobile leaves the iBS cell area, the mobile performs a location update procedure in the neighbor cell. If this new cell itself is iBS, iBS will update the location information of the mobile, but in most cases the new cell will be a macrocell rather than iBS (but in any case, the cell will have a different LAC-see above) This results in the location of the mobile being updated at the MSC, but the MSC not immediately notifying the previous BSC about the new location of the mobile. Therefore, invalid location information will remain in iBSC.

To overcome this problem, iBSC's VLR regularly checks mobiles (similar to GSM's periodic location update procedure) to see if mobiles still exist in the iBS cell area where they last performed a location update. Polling ". Alternatively, since this procedure will also consume signaling and channel resources, the iBSC will erase the mobile's location information from its VLR database after the specified time that the mobile was inactive. Nevertheless, if the mobile still remains in the iBS cell area and the iBSC receives the MTC for it from the MSC, the iBSC performs a standard iBS paging procedure, in the absence of more specific location information for that mobile, that is, Paging it on all iBSs sharing the specified LAC / CGI (see 3.1.1).

Another way is to keep MS location information in the VLR of the iBSC until a subsequent MTC for that MS arrives. The iBSC will then use a two stage paging procedure. First paging the MS of the last known iBS and only if this is unsuccessful, perform the standard iBS paging procedure (then delete the previously invalid previous location information for that MS).

Another embodiment of the invention is that the iBSC first pages the "home" cell of the mobile. While re-registering a new iBS, the subscriber is asked to list all mobiles for this cell, which are typically mobile numbers of all families. In this case, the iBSC will first send a paging request to the home cell and, if unsuccessful, it will send a paging request to other iBSs.

3.1.2 Mobile Originating Call

Differences in MOC settings over iBS compared to conventional BTS, as previously described in sections 2.6.1, 3.1.1 and 3.1.1.1, include the IP address of the iBS, other Internet / address related data or iBS. Is used as additional identification information of iBS in the control traffic between iBS and iBSC, i.e. the CGI of iBS (commonly used for this purpose) is not as unique as in a conventional network and may be several or multiple iBSs. It is shared among them. Thus, the call is set up via iBSC and MSC, like any other mobile generated call.

3.2 Handover

3.2.1 Macrocell-to-iBS Handover

This kind of handover is the one that is most affected by the iBS system's specialties, and the neighbor relationships for these handovers are limited to the limited number available for neighbor relationships (32 / in BSCs of most manufacturers). Due to the fact that only the positions of the cell, in some cases 64 / cell) have to be pre-defined in the existing BSCs.

For a typical network, in its measurement reports, the MS reports the downlink signal strength and the BSIC receives it at frequencies in the neighbor list of the currently serving (macrocell) BTS. This neighbor list (list of frequencies to be monitored) contains, for example, three frequencies (iBS frequencies) that are given to the MS via BCCH by the BTS and are exclusively allocated for iBS use in network-range. .

Measurement reports end at the BSC with a reference list (adjacent list) that links the reported BSICs and frequencies to the correct handover target cells with their LACs and CIs. Then, when the need for handover is identified, a channel activation request is sent to the associated target cell (which is most suitable, based on BSC's handover algorithms).

The target cell is composed of LAI and CI and is usually addressed by the BSC with its CGI, which is a globally unique cell ID. If the most suitable (eg, strongest) target cell is iBS, the handover request will be sent to the associated iBSC (via MSC). Since the handover request message also includes the CGI of the cell from which the handover originated (“the previous cell”), iBSC sends the channel activation request a pointer list of the previous cell with the target cell CGI specified in the handover request (section 2.6. Will be sent to all iBS.

This means that as soon as the number of iBSs in the macrocell region exceeds the number of CGIs available for iBSs in the MSC / iBSC region (eg 9), at least one iBS must be able to activate the channel for handover (and It should be possible to send back channel activation confirmation commands to iBSC), but the mobile requesting the handover will of course only be listened to by one of them. IBSC then checks that any iBS (uniquely identified by its IP address) in the common CGI group in the macrocell's "pointer list" (see section 2.6.4) that it is actually receiving the mobile. Indicating that it responds with a handover detection message, and then iBSC instructs all other iBSs with channels enabled for this handover to release those channels again (or the corresponding standard timer expires). When they are released).

Before the iBSC sends back a handover request confirmation message to the MSC, it must wait until all iBSs (if one or more) addressed for such handover respond with a channel activation confirmation message, or the first iBS or addressed address. When a predetermined percentage of iBSs responds, it is configurable whether a handover request confirmation message should already be sent.

All iBSs addressed in parallel as possible target cells in this macrocell-to-iBS handover must activate the same channel (i.e., the same timeslot number of the same frequency) to take over the call. This is because the handover signaling specification requires this. Thus, one (or several) specific timeslot number (s), for example timeslot number 7, is retained in all iBSs for handover requests and never assigned to delivery of other traffic. Immediately after the call is handed over to iBS timeslot number 7, the call will be forwarded to another timeslot with a handover in the cell to free timeslot number 7 for subsequent handover request.

The message flow for macrocell-to-iBS handover with five iBSs in the pointer list of a macrocell sharing a common CGI is shown in FIG. 5.

3.2.2 iBS-to-Macrocell Handover

iBS-to-maccelell handover is actually a standard GSM handover procedure and does not involve the overhead in signaling and channel activations described for the opposite case in section 3.2.1. This is because it can be written to or rewritten by iSM when connected online (see section 2.6.1).

The mobile served by iBS will send its measurement reports via iBS to iBSC where reported signal strengths, ARFCNs of neighboring cells received and BSICs are evaluated. The iBSC will have a contiguous list for each iBS that links the reported ARFCNs and BSICs to the CGI of each neighboring cell as a result of the radio environment survey described in section 1. When the iBSC determines the need for handover, the iBSC will send a handover request to the associated target cell (via MSC) addressing as its CGI. After the handover is complete, the iBSC will clear the channel of the "old" (iBS) cell.

3.2.3 iBS-to-iBS Handover

This procedure consists of the elements of the other two handover procedures described above in sections 3.2.2 and 3.2.1. This begins in such a way that the most suitable cell for handover is identified from the iBS cell, such as the iBS-to-macrocell handover described in section 3.2.2. However, the current target cell is not a macrocell but a different iBS, which is because the CGI of the target cell can now be uniquely identified by identifying one iBS, not a group of iBSs sharing this CGI. This means that the relevant part of the versus-iBS handover procedure (see section 3.2.1) applies. However, the iBS pointer list in iBS is usually much shorter than the normal iBS pointer list in macrocells, since iBS usually has much fewer other iBSs (if any) as physical neighbors than macrocells (see section 2.6.4). ). Most iBS-to-iBS handovers are actually handovers in iBSC / MSC, meaning that the old and new iBS cells involved in the handover belong to the same iBSC / MSC.

Another possibility is that iBSC can handle more than 32 or 64 neighbors, which is important if some iBSs are installed outdoors with a larger cell radius so that many cells can be present in the neighbor list.

4. Locate iBS

US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 280,733, entitled "Internet Base Station," proposes the use of macrocell information on an iBS site. If iBS cannot find any macrocell information, other methods can be used to identify the iBS location.

4.1 GPS

iBS has an integrated GPS receiver and reports the coordinates to iSM. This is the easiest way, but it increases the cost of iBS. The registration procedure with the iSM can be performed without any data entered by the subscriber.

4.2 Location Information for Mobile Handsets

During the registration process, if the mobile station is switched on and has a link to the macrocell network, the mobile may send cell information (strongest cell, neighbor list, etc.) or coordinates to the iSM.

This can be done by setting up a call from the iSM to the mobile station and downloading a cookie (eg, a SIM toolkit) so that the mobile can send this information to the iSM. The mobile may have an integrated GPS receiver or calculate coordinates based on other information.

Alternatively, the HLR of the MSC will send the last cell information to the iSM. When the mobile station is switched off, the mobile will send a log-off message to the HLR and indicate the new state and last location of the mobile.

Alternatively, mobile station information may be transmitted via a Bluetooth or WiFi connection between the mobile station and iBS.

The E911-system can be used to obtain coordinates from the mobile and send data to the iSM. In this case, since the mobile will be required to transmit access bursts, the E911-receivers may also receive the mobile.

It is important that the transmission of information via Bluetooth or WiFi occurs in seconds or minutes rather than hours or days, since the mobile station can be moved in the meantime.

Once the location is confirmed, the iBS transmitter can be switched on and iBS can start operating.

Other embodiments and implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such additional embodiments and implementations are included within this specification, are included within the scope of the present invention, and will be protected by the appended claims.

Claims (40)

As a communication system, Wireless base station for wireless communication network Including, The wireless base station, Configured for connection to a central base station controller device, Configured to collect information about other base stations in the vicinity through its wireless receiver, Based on the collected information and other carrier-specific requirements, it is configured to be automatically integrated into the network with the help of a central configuration device. Communication system. The method of claim 1, Mobile switching center (MSC); And A base station controller device which handles communication between the base station and the MSC, is disposed with the MSC, and uses the public Internet for communication with the base stations. Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 1, The wireless network is selected from the group consisting of GSM network, CDMA network and 3G network. The method of claim 1, The base station utilizes a combination of network configuration parameter settings to allow full interoperation of the base station and the network for roaming and handover without having to change the parameter settings of other existing network elements. The method of claim 4, wherein The combination of parameter settings enables a very high density deployment for them while maintaining full interoperability between a large number of base stations. The method of claim 1, The base station receiver operates in the uplink frequency band (from the mobile station to the base station) as well as in the downlink frequency band (from the base station to the mobile station). The method of claim 2, The base station scans the downlink frequency band for Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) signals from other base stations, measures the received signal strength, and measures (Location Area Code) and Cell Identifier (CI). And decode broadcast parameters of these base stations, such as a Cell Global Identifier (CGI), a Base Station Identity Code (BSIC), and a neighbor cell list, and report the measurements to the configuration apparatus. The method of claim 7, wherein A configuration device for storing information about frequencies available for a carrier and for automatically assigning a suitable radio frequency to the base station based on measurements for the base station Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 8, The configuration apparatus stores information about frequencies used as BCCH frequencies in the network, and among those frequencies, assigns to the base station a frequency at which lowest interference signal levels are received in the measurements. The method of claim 9, The configuration apparatus identifies a strongest other base station that the base station can receive, and assigns to the base station the same frequency that is also used as the BCCH frequency by the weakest receiving neighbor cell of the strongest other base station. system. The method of claim 1, A configuration device for storing information about frequencies available to the carrier and automatically assigning the appropriate radio frequency to the base station based on the information and random or periodic algorithms Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 7, wherein Separate LACs and CIs from location area codes (LACs) and cell identifiers (CIs) used by conventional base stations in the network, wherein a plurality of base stations share a common cell global identifier (CGI) and thus common And pre-defined for each MSC or each BSC in the network in such a way that it will share the LAC and CI of the network. The method of claim 12, Has stored information about LACs used by different MSCs or BSCs in the network, and based on this information and measurements of the base station, not only controls the location area to which the strongest neighbor cell of the base station belongs A configuration apparatus for allocating a LAC to a base station outside a predefined set of LACs belonging to the same MSC or BSC linking the base station to the base station controller connected to the same MSC via the Internet Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 2, A configuration device for linking the base station to the base station controller using a geographical database comprising postal code areas and / or individual streets, combined with location information provided by the user of the base station during activation Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 13, The configuration apparatus uses a random or periodic algorithm to ensure that the predefined LACs are evenly distributed among all base stations in the MSC region or the BSC region. The method of claim 7, wherein A configuration device for identifying other base stations adjacent to the base station based on the measurement reports and assigning the same LAC to it Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 13, Based on the measurement reports, a configuration apparatus for identifying other base stations adjacent to the base station and assigning it a different LAC among a predefined set of the LACs Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 1, The frequencies to be used by the base station are predefined differently from the frequencies used by other base stations in the network, and neighbor lists for those other base stations in the network and their neighbor cell description for their BSCs. Communication system in addition to). The method of claim 1, All BCCH frequencies used in the network are predefined as possible frequencies used by the base station and added to the neighbor lists for those other base stations of the network and to their neighbor cell technologies for their BSCs. Communication system. The method of claim 7, wherein Based on the signal level measurement reports of the base station, identify other base stations adjacent to the base station, add BCCH frequencies of the adjacent base stations to the neighbor list of the base station, and apply cell descriptions of the adjacent base stations to the base station controller. A device for adding to the neighbor list of the base station in More, The cell technologies include radio frequency (ARFCN), cell global identifier (CGI) and base station identity code (BSIC) of the adjacent base stations. Communication system. The method of claim 1, A certain number of neighbor cell technologies are held in the conventional base station controller for techniques for the base stations as neighbors for a conventional base station, and radio frequencies (ARFCN), CGIs (cell globals) to be used by the base stations. A communication system filing with predefined parameters, such as identifiers and base station identity codes. The method of claim 1, A predefined number of base station identity codes (BSICs) are predefined for use by the base stations and stored in a conventional base station controller for pre-defined neighbor lists for all of the conventional base stations of the network. Communication system to be filled in. The method of claim 7, wherein Stores information about base station identity codes (BSICs) used in the network and based on this information and measurement reports from the base station, differs from other strongest base stations in the region using the same radio frequency. Configuration device to allocate BSIC to base station Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 7, wherein Based on the measurement reports from the base stations, a pointer list of base stations adjacent to the base station is generated for all base stations in the network, and the list is sent to the base station controller connected to the same MSC to which the base station is connected. Conveying configuration device Communication system further comprising. The method of claim 24, And the base station controller uses the pointer list to direct handovers from one base station to another base station in the pointer list of the base station. The method of claim 2, The base station controller maintains, for every base station, a record of which mobiles last performed a location update procedure with the base station, and establishes intervals to establish that the mobiles still exist in the coverage area of the base station. Communication system to delete the record of the mobile after polling the mobiles or alternatively the mobile has been inactive for a specified time. The method of claim 26, The base station controller directs mobile terminating calls (MTCs) to only one particular base station using the records of the mobile. The method of claim 27, The base station controller, when receiving a handover request message from the MSC to which it is connected, shares a CGI specified as a handover target in the handover request message and the base station to which the handover was initiated-the base station is the hand. A communication system for transmitting a channel activation command to all base stations present in the pointer list of-identified by its CGI in an over request message. The method of claim 28, The base station controller, when receiving a handover detection message from the base station in response to a channel activation command, signals all other base stations to which the same channel activation command has been sent to release the activated channel again. . The method of claim 13, And the base station controller addresses the base station using an IP address when addressing a base station sharing a common CGI with these other base stations. The method of claim 13, The configuration apparatus, when addressing the base station, shares a common CGI with these other base stations and addresses that base station using an IP address. The method of claim 30, A call taken over in the handover is immediately transferred from its original channel to another channel to clear the original channel for further handover requests. The method of claim 2, The base station controller allows more than 64 neighbor relationships per cell. The method of claim 1, The transmit power level is adjusted between a minimum and a maximum value in accordance with user input regarding wireless coverage goals. The method of claim 7, wherein The transmit power level is adjusted between a minimum and a maximum value based on the number of neighbor cells the base station could receive in its measurements. The method of claim 1, The transmit power level is adjusted between the minimum and maximum values based on average signal levels and bit error rates reported by the serving mobile stations. The method of claim 1, The base station continuously monitors signal levels and bit error rates reported from the serving mobile stations and reselects a suitable new frequency when poor radio conditions persist over a period of time. The method of claim 1, And the base station has an integrated GPS receiver for determining its location. The method of claim 1, Wherein the base station communicates with mobile stations locally and has an integrated Bluetooth or WiFi transceiver to exchange location information. At least one number of location area codes (LACs) identifies a mobile switching center (MSC) that controls a location area and at least one other number of LACs identifies a base station controller (BSC) that controls the location area. Numbering the LACs in a wireless communication network.

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