Base station, method and computer program product

Abstract

A base station, a method and a computer program product are disclosed. The base station is operable, in concert with other base stations within a group, to support wireless communications with user equipment. The base station comprises: transmission logic operable to generate a cell having a coverage area supporting wireless communications with user equipment; reception logic operable to receive load information indicative of a user equipment communications load experienced by base stations within said group; and coverage area adjustment logic operable to determine changes required to said coverage area to change a user equipment communications load experienced by at least one base station within said group. In this way, it can be seen that each base station within the group may receive information about the user loading on other base stations within that group and is able to adjust its coverage area to cause that communications loading to be rebalanced to enable efficient use of resources and optimise the overall performance of each of the base stations within the group. The group of base stations with co-ordinated and optimised coverage can achieve higher end user data rates and improved quality of service than would otherwise be possible.

1 . A base station operable, in concert with other base stations within a group, to support wireless communications with user equipment, said base station comprising:
 transmission logic operable to generate a cell having a coverage area supporting wireless communications with user equipment;   reception logic operable to receive load information indicative of a user equipment communications load experienced by base stations within said group; and   coverage area adjustment logic operable to determine changes required to said coverage area to change a user equipment communications load experienced by at least one base station within said group;   wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is configured, when said user equipment communications load experienced by said base station is above an average user equipment communications load for said group and exceeds a predetermined maximum user equipment communications load supportable by said base station, to decrease said coverage area to decrease said user equipment communications load experienced by said base station.   
     
     
         2 . The base station as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable to determine changes required said coverage area within a predetermined range bounded by an upper and lower threshold. 
     
     
         3 . The base station as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable, when said user equipment communications load supported by said base station is below an average user equipment communications load for said group but fails to exceed a predetermined maximum user equipment communications load supportable by said base station, to increase said coverage area to no more than a maximum coverage area defined by said upper threshold of said predetermined range to increase said user equipment communications load experienced by said base station. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The base station as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable, when said decrease in said coverage area is to below said lower threshold, to reduce said lower threshold. 
     
     
         6 . The base station as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable, when said user equipment communications load experienced by said base station is above an average user equipment communications load for said group but fails to exceed a predetermined maximum user equipment communications load experienced said base station and when base stations identified from said load information as being candidates to support user equipment communications load which would no longer be supported by said base station fail to exceed a predetermined maximum user equipment communications load supportable by those base stations, to decrease said coverage area to no less than a minimum coverage area defined by said lower threshold of said predetermined range to decrease user equipment communications load experienced by said base station. 
     
     
         7 . The base station as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said reception logic is operable to receive receiver sensitivity information indicative of a sensitivity of receivers of user equipment supported by base stations within said group and said coverage area adjustment logic is operable to determine from said receiver sensitivity information whether said decrease to said coverage area would cause user equipment communications load to no longer be supported by said base stations within said group and, if so, to prevent said decrease. 
     
     
         8 . The base station as claimed  claim 1 , wherein said load information indicative of a user equipment communications load experienced by base stations within said group comprises information indicative of numbers of user equipment supported by said base stations within said group and said coverage area adjustment logic is operable to determine changes required to said coverage area by changing its pilot channel transmission power to change said user equipment communications load experienced by at least one base station within said group by changing numbers of users supported by said at least one base station within said group. 
     
     
         9 . The base station as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said predetermined range bounded by an upper and lower threshold comprises a predetermined pilot channel transmission power range bounded by an upper pilot channel transmission power threshold and a lower pilot channel transmission power threshold. 
     
     
         10 . The base station as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable, when said number of user equipment supported by said base station is below an average number of user equipment supported by base stations within said group but fails to exceed a predetermined maximum number of user equipment supportable by said base station, to increase said coverage area to no more than a maximum coverage area defined by said upper threshold of said predetermined range to increase said number of user equipment supported by said base station. 
     
     
         11 . The base station as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable, when said number of user equipment supported by said base station is above an average number of user equipment supported by base stations within said group and exceeds a predetermined maximum number of user equipment supportable by said base station, to decrease said coverage area to decrease said number of user equipment supported by said base station. 
     
     
         12 . The base station as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable, when said number of user equipment supported by said base station is above an average number of user equipment supported by base stations within said group but fails to exceed a predetermined maximum number of user equipment supportable said base station and when base stations identified from said information indicative of numbers of user equipment supported by said base stations as being candidates to support user equipment which would no longer be supported by said base station fail to exceed a predetermined maximum number of user equipment supportable by those base stations, to decrease said coverage area to no less than a minimum coverage area defined by said lower threshold of said predetermined range to decrease said number of user equipment supported by said base station. 
     
     
         13 . The base station as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said reception logic is operable to receive an indication of quality of service provided to user equipment supported by said base station and said coverage area adjustment logic operable to adjust said lower threshold of said predetermined range to vary said minimum coverage area definable by said predetermined range in response to said indication. 
     
     
         14 . The base station as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said coverage area adjustment logic is operable to perform at least one of:
 when said indication of quality of service indicates that less than or equal to a predetermined quality of service is being provided to user equipment supported by said base station, to increase said lower threshold of said predetermined range by a first predetermined amount; and   when said indication of quality of service indicates that greater than a predetermined quality of service is being provided to user equipment supported by said base station, to decrease said lower threshold of said predetermined range by a second predetermined amount.   
     
     
         15 . A method, comprising:
 generating a cell having a coverage area supporting wireless communications with user equipment;   receiving load information indicative of a user equipment communications load experienced by base stations operating in concert with other base stations within a group to support wireless communications with user equipment;   determining changes required to said coverage area to change a user equipment communications load experienced by at least one base station within said group; and   decreasing said coverage area to decrease said user equipment communications load experienced by said base station when said user equipment communications load experienced by said base station is above an average user equipment communications load for said group and exceeds a predetermined maximum user equipment communications load supportable by said base station.