Paging for a radio access network having pico base stations

Abstract

Methods and apparatus provide paging control to a femto radio base station (28fj) of a radio access network (24). Paging to a femto radio base station (28fj) is controlled by maintaining a paging control database (46) of allowed user equipment units for which paging is permitted in a cell of a femto radio base station (28fj). The paging control database (46) is used to determine if a paging message for a target user equipment unit is to be forwarded to the femto radio base station. The database (46) thus serves to redefine the effective paging area by preferably including in the effective paging area only those femto radio base station for which the target user equipment unit is listed as a paging-allowed user equipment unit.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit and priority of the following United States provisional patent applications (all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety): [0002] U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 722,983, entitled “REDIRECTION OF IP-CONNECTED RBS TO THE CORRECT RNC”; [0003] U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 722,984, entitled “AUTOMATIC RNC SELECTION FOR IP-CONNECTED RBS”; [0004] U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 722,982, entitled FINE-GRAINED ACCESS CONTROL IN A WCDMA SYSTEM USING PICO BASE STATIONS”; [0005] U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 723,946, entitled “PAGING FOR A WCDMA SYSTEM USING PICO BASE STATIONS”; [0006] U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 728,780, entitled “AUTOMATIC BUILDING OF NEIGHBOR LISTS IN A MOBILE SYSTEM”; and [0007] U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 731,495, entitled “AUTOMATIC CONFIGURATION OF THE MACRO RADIO IN A PICO BASE STATION”. [0008] This applicatio...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

As a correlative disadvantage, however, the Paging Area is also very wide when the Location (and Routing) Area is large.

Paging handling is problematic and sorely lacking for a WCDMA system with femto radio base stations.

Paging in all femto radio base stations of a MS[UE connected to one particular femto radio base station would create a vast amount of traffic on the backhaul part connecting the femto radio base station to the RNC and would degrade the total bandwidth available.

However, assigning a unique LAI and RAI to each femto radio base station is also problematic.

In addition, assigning a unique LAI to each femto radio base station would impose large operation and maintenance (O&M) overhead (considerable more O&M tasks).

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