EP1797733A1 - Expansion of a bandwidth between a mobile and base station - Google Patents

Expansion of a bandwidth between a mobile and base station

Info

Publication number
EP1797733A1
EP1797733A1 EP04767048A EP04767048A EP1797733A1 EP 1797733 A1 EP1797733 A1 EP 1797733A1 EP 04767048 A EP04767048 A EP 04767048A EP 04767048 A EP04767048 A EP 04767048A EP 1797733 A1 EP1797733 A1 EP 1797733A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
mobile
base station
link
wcdma
station
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP04767048A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Jussi Jaatinen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nokia Oyj
Original Assignee
Nokia Oyj
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nokia Oyj filed Critical Nokia Oyj
Publication of EP1797733A1 publication Critical patent/EP1797733A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/69—Spread spectrum techniques
    • H04B1/7163—Spread spectrum techniques using impulse radio
    • H04B1/71632—Signal aspects
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/69—Spread spectrum techniques
    • H04B1/707—Spread spectrum techniques using direct sequence modulation
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W76/00—Connection management
    • H04W76/10—Connection setup
    • H04W76/15—Setup of multiple wireless link connections
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W92/00—Interfaces specially adapted for wireless communication networks
    • H04W92/04—Interfaces between hierarchically different network devices
    • H04W92/10—Interfaces between hierarchically different network devices between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a technique for expanding the spectrum bandwidth between a mobile and base station. Especially the invention relates to a method, arrangement, mobile station and base station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station.
  • WCDMA Wideband Code-Division Multiple-Access
  • 3G third-generation
  • WCDMA uses a spectrum with a 5 MHz carrier, and data bandwidth up to 2 Mbps for local area access or 384 Kbps for wide area access.
  • WCDMA provides about 50 times higher data rate than in present GSM networks and 10 times higher data rate than in GPRS networks, it is already realized that WCDMA cannot provide sufficiently large bit-rates for all future-generation services and therefore expansions, such as HSDPA and EUPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access, Enhanced Uplink Packet Access), are already in the implementation phase.
  • HSDPA High Speed Downlink Packet Access, Enhanced Uplink Packet Access
  • HSDPA is an advanced downlink protocol in WCDMA that can substantially increase downlink bit-rates.
  • EUPA is a similar extension in the uplink direction. These are standardised by 3gpp.
  • the objects of the present invention are fulfilled by expanding a WCDMA spectrum bandwidth between the mobile and base station with an additional slice of spectrum bandwidth, which is provided by opening a second radio link between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum when needed.
  • the present invention relates to a method for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
  • the present invention relates also to an arrangement for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
  • the present invention relates to a mobile station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
  • the present invention relates to a base station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
  • a mobile station is adapted to send a request to open a second radio link (say UWB link) between the mobile and base station, when downloading or viewing large web pages and/or files, or when estimated download time seems to be over a predetermined time limit, such as 2 minutes, for example.
  • a second radio link say UWB link
  • UWB is a generic term for wideband. More specifically it is used to denote a wideband or ultra-wideband link on the unlicensed spectrum, such as WLAN, for example.
  • the base station is adapted to calculate the path loss of the channel between the mobile and base station, and further adapted to estimate based on the calculated path loss, if the UWB link is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
  • the UWB link between the mobile and base station is formed.
  • the link is advantageously formed using the unlicensed part of the radio spectrum.
  • the protocol for the second link to be opened between the mobile and base station is advantageously WLAN or another wideband protocol to be standardised specifically for use with WCDMA.
  • the bandwidth available between the mobile and base station will be the sum of the bandwidths of the WCDMA/HSDPA link and the second link.
  • the second link is advantageously an unlicensed-spectrum wideband link.
  • UWB is used to denote a wideband link on the unlicensed spectrum and it can refer to WLAN or any other protocol in this band, including ones designed specifically to be used concurrently with WCDMA in this manner.
  • the entire process would be completely transparent to the user, and s/he would not need to be notified of any of the messaging and handshaking related to forming, using and relinquishing the second link.
  • the user would only notice a much faster connection that appears to be a single WCDMA connection. Especially the user does not need to configure any UWB settings or contracts into his/her mobile.
  • the WCDMA and the second link fade independently, which can be used in channel coding. For instance, data can be interleaved over the links to improve performance and decrease needed power. Further the available bandwidth is greatly increased and no additional load is added to the WCDMA band since traffic is routed to the unlicensed spectrum. Furthermore, if the cell becomes congested, also voice calls could be routed to the unlicensed spectrum to save WCDMA capacity. In addition round-trip time and path loss are known from the already-existing WCDMA channel, which helps in determining if and how an UWB link can be established. Still the invention integrates WCDMA and UWB seamlessly together in such a way, that all mobiles that support this invention would automatically be backward compatible to normal WCDMA networks.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method for providing an expanded WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary spectrum of compounded link between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary arrangement for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary mobile station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary base station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 100 for providing an expanded WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where at first a large file is started to download to the mobile station at step 102.
  • the mobile station can estimate at step 104 based on the file size and used bandwidth, how long it will take to download the file. If the file to be downloaded is large (size is over a predetermined size limit) and/or download time will be relatively long, say 2 minutes, for example (over a predetermined time limit), the mobile station will advantageously transmit to the base station a request for expanding a used bandwidth at step 108. Otherwise only a WCDMA/HSDPA link is used, step 106. Also the available WCDMA transmission capacity affects the download or upload time estimate. In a lightly loaded cell the file can be expected to be transmitted faster than in a highly loaded cell. If cell load status information is available, it can be used to improve the file transmission time estimate.
  • the request (REQ_UWB_LINK ("Request UWB link")) sent to the base station can be for example as following:
  • UEJD is identification information of the user equipment or mobile station.
  • the base station knows the power it transmits the CPICH channel (it is constant and used to set the cell size), and by computing CPICH_TX - REQ_UWB_LINK.CPICH_RX_POWER (difference of power transmitted by the mobile station and power received by the mobile station) it can calculate at step 110 the path loss of the channel to the user equipment or the mobile station. This is relevant, since the path loss in the unlicensed spectrum is larger than in the WCDMA download band and the base station can estimate at step 112 if an UWB link is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
  • the mobile station estimated the CPICH power over a time interval, so that the effects of radio channel fading can be mitigated.
  • the base station If the base station decides a UWB is not feasible due to path loss, for example (the user equipment is too far away and/or the radio channel is too difficult), it will transmit a DENYJJWBJJNK message at step 114 to the mobile station, whereupon only a WCDMA/HSDPA link is used, step 106. Otherwise, the base station will transmit a SETUP_UWB_LINK -message to the mobile station at step 116 indicating, that the UWB will be formed.
  • the message sent from the base station can be for example as following:
  • the user equipment or mobile station and base station can then proceed to form the second radio link. It should be noted, that the existence of the
  • WCDMA link facilitates this process greatly, since the two radios can exchange information through this channel while performing synchronization on the UWB link. Also, a good guess for the needed start power can be computed as described above, from the REQJJWBJJNK message.
  • the number of OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) channels or wideband bandwidth/chip rate and modulation type can be chosen according to the bandwidth the mobile station requests on the
  • the channel impulse response measurement can be used to determine, if an UWB link is feasible and how it should be formed.
  • the second link can be disconnected automatically.
  • Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary spectrum 200 of compounded link between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the first link 202 is operator's WCDMA band using a spectrum with a 5 MHz carrier, and data bandwidth up to 2 Mbps.
  • the additional link 204 is advantageously an unlicensed band using a spectrum with 2.4 - 5 GHz carrier.
  • Data bandwidth of the additional (UWB) link 204 is typically 11 - 54 Mbps.
  • a mobile station uses the WCDMA link 202 as a primary channel and when a large file is downloaded, for example, the additional link 204 is established, if it is feasible.
  • the mobile station can use the first WCDMA link 202 as a primary link, or both first 202 and second additional link 204 at same time, when needed, but also only the additional link 204 to save WCDMA capacity, for example, if the cell becomes congested.
  • the bandwidth of the additional (UWB) link is advantageously selected according to the bit rate needed and channel situation.
  • Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary arrangement 300 for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the arrangement comprises at least one base station 302 and plurality of mobile stations 304 using a WCDMA technology as a primary data link 306.
  • the mobile station 304 When the mobile station 304 starts to download a large file or a large page(s) is/are viewed, for example, the mobile station 304 send 308 a request to the base station 302 to open a second radio link, whereupon the base station advantageously calculates the path loss of the channel 306 between the mobile 304 and base station 302a, and further estimates based on the calculated path loss, if the second link 310 is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
  • the second link 310 is not feasible, a deny message 309 is sent to the mobile station 304 and the link 310 is not formed, but only a WCDMA link 306 is used. But if the second link 310 is feasible, it is formed between the mobile 304 and base station 302.
  • the link 310 is advantageously the unlicensed part of the radio spectrum, such as WLAN.
  • the antenna or radio 302b used for the second link 310 is typically separate antenna or radio than antenna or radio 302a used for WCDMA link. These radios are further advantageously co-located and integrated so that a common channel coding scheme can be employed for the compound 306+310 radio link.
  • the bandwidth available between the mobile 304 and base station 302 will be the sum of the bandwidths of the WCDMA/HSDPA link 306 and the second link 310, because they are advantageously used simultaneously.
  • the second link 310 can be used, for example in a situation, where the WCDMA/HSDPA link 306 is congested.
  • the existence of the WCDMA link 306 facilitates the process of forming the additional link greatly, since information can be exchanged through the WCDMA channel 306 while performing synchronization on the second link 310.
  • This information can comprise synchronization location in delay space and power offset information, knowing which make radio link setup appreciably faster and more convenient.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary mobile station 304 used in expansion of a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention.
  • the mobile station 304 comprises transceiver means 402 for transmitting and receiving data via a WCDMA/HSDPA channel. Further the mobile station 304 comprises estimation means 404 for estimating, whether a file to be downloaded is larger than predetermined size and/or whether downloading time takes more than predetermined time.
  • the transceiver means 402 is also used for sending a request to the base station to expand a used bandwidth.
  • the mobile station 304 advantageously comprises also an additional receiver means 406 for receiving data via the second link.
  • the second link is advantageously an unlicensed part of the radio spectrum, such as WLAN.
  • Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary base station 302 for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station 302 according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the base station comprises transceiver means 502 for transmitting and receiving data via a WCDMA/HSDPA channel.
  • the transceiver means 502 is connected with an antenna or radio means 302a Further the base station 302 comprises calculating means 504 for calculating the path loss of the channel to the user equipment or the mobile station and estimation means 506 for estimating, whether it is feasible to form the second link between the base and mobile station within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
  • the base station 302 is adapted to transmit a deny message to the mobile station via a WCDMA link, if it is not feasible to form the second link, whereupon only the WCDMA/HSDPA link is used. Otherwise the base station is adapted to transmit a set up the second link -message to the mobile station indicating that the second link will be formed between the base and mobile station.
  • the base station can also be adapted to compute also a good guess for the needed start power, if the second link will be formed.
  • the base station 302 advantageously comprises also an additional transmitter means 508 for transmitting data via the second link to the mobile station, where the transmitter means 508 is connected with an antenna or radio 302b.
  • the second link is advantageously an unlicensed part of the radio spectrum, such as WLAN.

Abstract

The invention relates to a technique for expanding a bandwidth between a mobile (304) and base (302) station. Especially the invention relates to a method, arrangement, mobile station and base station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth (306) between the mobile and base station, where the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link (310) established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.

Description

Expansion of a bandwidth between a mobile and base station
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a technique for expanding the spectrum bandwidth between a mobile and base station. Especially the invention relates to a method, arrangement, mobile station and base station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wideband Code-Division Multiple-Access (WCDMA) standard is one of the main technologies for the implementation of third-generation (3G) cellular systems and it has gained global pre-eminence as the next-generation cellular standard providing higher capacity for voice, video, data and image transmission rates. WCDMA uses a spectrum with a 5 MHz carrier, and data bandwidth up to 2 Mbps for local area access or 384 Kbps for wide area access.
Although WCDMA provides about 50 times higher data rate than in present GSM networks and 10 times higher data rate than in GPRS networks, it is already realized that WCDMA cannot provide sufficiently large bit-rates for all future-generation services and therefore expansions, such as HSDPA and EUPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access, Enhanced Uplink Packet Access), are already in the implementation phase.
HSDPA is an advanced downlink protocol in WCDMA that can substantially increase downlink bit-rates. EUPA is a similar extension in the uplink direction. These are standardised by 3gpp.
There are, however, some problems in prior art and present WCDMA and HSDPA systems. Bandwidth provided by WCDMA is maximally about 2 Mbit/s and 10 Mbit/s with HSDPA, but it is shared among users, which means that in real use cases, the bit rates available to individual users are substantially less, and the use experience is inferior to LAN and in many cases (e.g. viewing large web pages, downloading files) the wait-times can become too long to support fluent use, which in turn can discourage use of mobile data services, for example. In addition HSPDA and EUPA rely on the same spectrum as other WCDMA traffic, whereupon the benefit they can provide is dependant on the load in the cell as other voice and data users cause interference. Furthermore also operating a WCDMA network requires a licence, which has become very expensive in some countries.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Object of the present invention is to shorten wait-times wasted for downloading large web pages and files using a mobile station and to make possible a fluent use of the mobile station. Still another object of the present invention is to offer an economical and licence free way for download and upload traffic between a base station and mobile station, which is further independent of other WCDMA traffic.
The objects of the present invention are fulfilled by expanding a WCDMA spectrum bandwidth between the mobile and base station with an additional slice of spectrum bandwidth, which is provided by opening a second radio link between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum when needed.
The present invention relates to a method for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
The present invention relates also to an arrangement for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
The present invention relates to a mobile station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
The present invention relates to a base station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station, wherein the WCDMA bandwidth is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention a mobile station is adapted to send a request to open a second radio link (say UWB link) between the mobile and base station, when downloading or viewing large web pages and/or files, or when estimated download time seems to be over a predetermined time limit, such as 2 minutes, for example.
In this document UWB is a generic term for wideband. More specifically it is used to denote a wideband or ultra-wideband link on the unlicensed spectrum, such as WLAN, for example.
According to a second embodiment of the invention the base station is adapted to calculate the path loss of the channel between the mobile and base station, and further adapted to estimate based on the calculated path loss, if the UWB link is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
According to a third embodiment of the invention the UWB link between the mobile and base station is formed. The link is advantageously formed using the unlicensed part of the radio spectrum. According to an embodiment of the invention the protocol for the second link to be opened between the mobile and base station is advantageously WLAN or another wideband protocol to be standardised specifically for use with WCDMA.
When opening the second parallel link between the mobile and base station, the bandwidth available between the mobile and base station will be the sum of the bandwidths of the WCDMA/HSDPA link and the second link. The second link is advantageously an unlicensed-spectrum wideband link. In this document the term "UWB" is used to denote a wideband link on the unlicensed spectrum and it can refer to WLAN or any other protocol in this band, including ones designed specifically to be used concurrently with WCDMA in this manner.
The entire process would be completely transparent to the user, and s/he would not need to be notified of any of the messaging and handshaking related to forming, using and relinquishing the second link. The user would only notice a much faster connection that appears to be a single WCDMA connection. Especially the user does not need to configure any UWB settings or contracts into his/her mobile.
Further the present invention offers remarkable advantages over the prior art solutions. The WCDMA and the second link fade independently, which can be used in channel coding. For instance, data can be interleaved over the links to improve performance and decrease needed power. Further the available bandwidth is greatly increased and no additional load is added to the WCDMA band since traffic is routed to the unlicensed spectrum. Furthermore, if the cell becomes congested, also voice calls could be routed to the unlicensed spectrum to save WCDMA capacity. In addition round-trip time and path loss are known from the already-existing WCDMA channel, which helps in determining if and how an UWB link can be established. Still the invention integrates WCDMA and UWB seamlessly together in such a way, that all mobiles that support this invention would automatically be backward compatible to normal WCDMA networks.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Next the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiments in accordance with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method for providing an expanded WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,
Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary spectrum of compounded link between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,
Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary arrangement for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary mobile station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, and
Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary base station for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 100 for providing an expanded WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where at first a large file is started to download to the mobile station at step 102. When starting the download operation the mobile station can estimate at step 104 based on the file size and used bandwidth, how long it will take to download the file. If the file to be downloaded is large (size is over a predetermined size limit) and/or download time will be relatively long, say 2 minutes, for example (over a predetermined time limit), the mobile station will advantageously transmit to the base station a request for expanding a used bandwidth at step 108. Otherwise only a WCDMA/HSDPA link is used, step 106. Also the available WCDMA transmission capacity affects the download or upload time estimate. In a lightly loaded cell the file can be expected to be transmitted faster than in a highly loaded cell. If cell load status information is available, it can be used to improve the file transmission time estimate.
The request (REQ_UWB_LINK ("Request UWB link")) sent to the base station can be for example as following:
REQJJWBJJNK {
UEJD
CPICH_RX_POWER BANDWIDTH_NEEDED
} where UEJD is identification information of the user equipment or mobile station. The base station knows the power it transmits the CPICH channel (it is constant and used to set the cell size), and by computing CPICH_TX - REQ_UWB_LINK.CPICH_RX_POWER (difference of power transmitted by the mobile station and power received by the mobile station) it can calculate at step 110 the path loss of the channel to the user equipment or the mobile station. This is relevant, since the path loss in the unlicensed spectrum is larger than in the WCDMA download band and the base station can estimate at step 112 if an UWB link is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power. The mobile station estimated the CPICH power over a time interval, so that the effects of radio channel fading can be mitigated. If the base station decides a UWB is not feasible due to path loss, for example (the user equipment is too far away and/or the radio channel is too difficult), it will transmit a DENYJJWBJJNK message at step 114 to the mobile station, whereupon only a WCDMA/HSDPA link is used, step 106. Otherwise, the base station will transmit a SETUP_UWB_LINK -message to the mobile station at step 116 indicating, that the UWB will be formed. The message sent from the base station can be for example as following:
SETUPJJWBJJNK {
UEJD UWB_FREQUENCY_BAND
UWBJVIODULATION
UWB_CHANNEL_CODING_PARAMETERS }
The user equipment or mobile station and base station can then proceed to form the second radio link. It should be noted, that the existence of the
WCDMA link facilitates this process greatly, since the two radios can exchange information through this channel while performing synchronization on the UWB link. Also, a good guess for the needed start power can be computed as described above, from the REQJJWBJJNK message. The number of OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) channels or wideband bandwidth/chip rate and modulation type can be chosen according to the bandwidth the mobile station requests on the
REQJJWBJJNK message, and the path loss. If path loss is large, then a simpler modulation scheme will work better. A similar adaptive modulation scheme is used in HSDPA, which can choose between QPSK (Quadrature
Phase Shifted Keying) and 16-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation). In addition it should be noted that also the channel impulse response measurement can be used to determine, if an UWB link is feasible and how it should be formed.
When the large file has been downloaded, the second link can be disconnected automatically.
Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary spectrum 200 of compounded link between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the first link 202 is operator's WCDMA band using a spectrum with a 5 MHz carrier, and data bandwidth up to 2 Mbps. The additional link 204 is advantageously an unlicensed band using a spectrum with 2.4 - 5 GHz carrier. Data bandwidth of the additional (UWB) link 204 is typically 11 - 54 Mbps. According to the invention a mobile station uses the WCDMA link 202 as a primary channel and when a large file is downloaded, for example, the additional link 204 is established, if it is feasible. According to the invention the mobile station can use the first WCDMA link 202 as a primary link, or both first 202 and second additional link 204 at same time, when needed, but also only the additional link 204 to save WCDMA capacity, for example, if the cell becomes congested. The bandwidth of the additional (UWB) link is advantageously selected according to the bit rate needed and channel situation.
Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary arrangement 300 for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the arrangement comprises at least one base station 302 and plurality of mobile stations 304 using a WCDMA technology as a primary data link 306.
When the mobile station 304 starts to download a large file or a large page(s) is/are viewed, for example, the mobile station 304 send 308 a request to the base station 302 to open a second radio link, whereupon the base station advantageously calculates the path loss of the channel 306 between the mobile 304 and base station 302a, and further estimates based on the calculated path loss, if the second link 310 is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
If the second link 310 is not feasible, a deny message 309 is sent to the mobile station 304 and the link 310 is not formed, but only a WCDMA link 306 is used. But if the second link 310 is feasible, it is formed between the mobile 304 and base station 302. The link 310 is advantageously the unlicensed part of the radio spectrum, such as WLAN. Now it should be noted that the antenna or radio 302b used for the second link 310 is typically separate antenna or radio than antenna or radio 302a used for WCDMA link. These radios are further advantageously co-located and integrated so that a common channel coding scheme can be employed for the compound 306+310 radio link.
When the second link 310 is formed, the bandwidth available between the mobile 304 and base station 302 will be the sum of the bandwidths of the WCDMA/HSDPA link 306 and the second link 310, because they are advantageously used simultaneously. However, according to an embodiment of the invention, also the second link 310 can be used, for example in a situation, where the WCDMA/HSDPA link 306 is congested.
It should be noted, that the existence of the WCDMA link 306 facilitates the process of forming the additional link greatly, since information can be exchanged through the WCDMA channel 306 while performing synchronization on the second link 310. This information can comprise synchronization location in delay space and power offset information, knowing which make radio link setup appreciably faster and more convenient.
Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary mobile station 304 used in expansion of a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention. The mobile station 304 comprises transceiver means 402 for transmitting and receiving data via a WCDMA/HSDPA channel. Further the mobile station 304 comprises estimation means 404 for estimating, whether a file to be downloaded is larger than predetermined size and/or whether downloading time takes more than predetermined time.
The transceiver means 402 is also used for sending a request to the base station to expand a used bandwidth. In addition the mobile station 304 advantageously comprises also an additional receiver means 406 for receiving data via the second link. The second link is advantageously an unlicensed part of the radio spectrum, such as WLAN. Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary base station 302 for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth between the mobile and base station 302 according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where the base station comprises transceiver means 502 for transmitting and receiving data via a WCDMA/HSDPA channel. The transceiver means 502 is connected with an antenna or radio means 302a Further the base station 302 comprises calculating means 504 for calculating the path loss of the channel to the user equipment or the mobile station and estimation means 506 for estimating, whether it is feasible to form the second link between the base and mobile station within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
In addition the base station 302 is adapted to transmit a deny message to the mobile station via a WCDMA link, if it is not feasible to form the second link, whereupon only the WCDMA/HSDPA link is used. Otherwise the base station is adapted to transmit a set up the second link -message to the mobile station indicating that the second link will be formed between the base and mobile station. The base station can also be adapted to compute also a good guess for the needed start power, if the second link will be formed.
Furthermore the base station 302 advantageously comprises also an additional transmitter means 508 for transmitting data via the second link to the mobile station, where the transmitter means 508 is connected with an antenna or radio 302b. The second link is advantageously an unlicensed part of the radio spectrum, such as WLAN.
The invention has been explained above with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, and several advantages of the invention have been demonstrated. It is clear that the invention is not only restricted to these embodiments, but comprises all possible embodiments within the spirit and scope of the inventive thought and the following patent claims.

Claims

Claims
1. A method (100) for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth (306) between the mobile (304) and base (302) station, characterized in that the WCDMA bandwidth (306) is expanded with a second radio link established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile station (304) sends a request to the base station (302) to open the second radio link (310), if a file to be downloaded to or uploaded from the mobile station exceeds a predetermined file size or estimated download or upload time of the file exceeds a predetermined time limit.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the base station (302) calculates the path loss of the channel between the mobile and base station, and further estimates based on the calculated path loss, if the second radio link (310) is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the second radio link (310) is additional link with the WCDMA link.
5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the second radio link (310) is a WLAN link.
6. An arrangement (300) for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth (306) between the mobile (304) and base (302) station, characterized in that the WCDMA bandwidth (306) is expanded with a second radio link (310) established between the mobile (304) and base (302) station using the unlicensed spectrum.
7. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the mobile station (304) is adapted to send a request to the base station (302) to open the second radio link (310), if a file to be downloaded to or uploaded from the mobile station exceeds a predetermined file size or estimated download or upload time of the file exceeds a predetermined time limit.
8. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the base station (302) is adapted to calculate the path loss of the channel between the mobile and base station, and further adapted to estimate based on the calculated path loss, if the second radio link (310) is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
9. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the second radio link (310) is additional link with the WCDMA link.
10. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the second radio link (310) is a WLAN link.
11. A mobile station (304) for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth (306) between the mobile (304) and base (302) station, characterized in that the WCDMA bandwidth (306) is expanded with a second radio link (310) established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
12. A mobile station according to claim 11 , wherein the mobile station (304) is adapted to send a request to the base station (302) to open the second radio link (310), if a file to be downloaded to or uploaded from the mobile station exceeds a predetermined file size or estimated download or upload time of the file exceeds a predetermined time limit.
13. A base station (302) for expanding a WCDMA bandwidth (306) between the mobile (304) and base (302) station, characterized in that the WCDMA bandwidth (306) is expanded with a second radio link (310) established between the mobile and base station using the unlicensed spectrum.
14. A base station according to claim 13, wherein the base station (302) is adapted to calculate the path loss of the channel between the mobile and base station, and further adapted to estimate based on the calculated path loss, if the second radio link (310) is feasible within the constraints of maximum transmit power.
EP04767048A 2004-09-15 2004-09-15 Expansion of a bandwidth between a mobile and base station Withdrawn EP1797733A1 (en)

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