Bandwidth signalling

Abstract

The invention relates to bandwidth signalling in a multicarrier wireless telecommunication system. The information is transferred in the band itself (bold carriers) and contains information of the size (f 2 -f 1 ) and location (f 1 , f 2 ) of the band (I). The information is repeated in a number of carriers (bold) through out the band.

1 - 13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . A method in a multicarrier wireless telecommunication system for radio communication between base stations and mobile user stations, comprising the step of: 
 transmitting information signals, over an air interface, relating to operational bands of the radio spectrum used by the system;    wherein the signalling comprises information of the bandwidth and location in the spectrum of the operational bands as part of the information in one or more sub carriers of the bands.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the location information is explicitly signalled or implicitly derivable from synchronisation signals.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the signalling is received by the mobile user stations which detect the information about available blocks of spectrum and stores it into a memory.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the size information is repeated regularly in subsequent carriers, or sub-carriers, of the operational band.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the information comprises the start and stop frequencies of the band and, thereby, the bandwidth.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the information comprises an identifying number representing the size and location of available operational bands.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the mobile user stations repeatedly scan the information signalling for updating its memory about changing conditions relating to the operational bands.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the operational bands belong to different network operators and wherein the subscribers of an operator may partly or wholly have access to the operational bands of another operator.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a mobile user station requests access to a multicarrier band with N carriers for downloading information, comprising the steps of: 
 the mobile station searching the radio interface for an N-carrier band by looking for location and size information;    the communication system assigning a free band with N+ε carriers to the mobile upon the request where ε is zero or a small number compared to N; and,    the mobile station downloads the information.    
   
   
       23 . A wireless multicarrier telecommunication system, comprising: 
 a traffic controlling centre; and,    transmitting units controlled by said traffic controlling centre, wherein the transmitting units transmit information signals relating to available resources of the system to mobile units, wherein the information signals comprise information about the size and location of available bandwidth in a number of operational bands allocated to the system.    
   
   
       24 . A base station node in a multicarrier telecommunication system, comprising: 
 transmitting means for transmitting information relating to properties of available operational bands of the spectrum allocated to the system, wherein the transmitting means include means for transferring data related to size and location of the available operational bands.    
   
   
       25 . A mobile station node in a multicarrier telecommunication system, comprising means for receiving information relating to available operational bands in terms of size and location in the radio spectrum.  
   
   
       26 . The mobile station of  claim 25 , wherein said mobile station further comprises memory means for storing the operational band relating data.