Patent ID: 9100886
Filing Date: 2015-08-04
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for performing handover of at least a first User Equipment from a first cell to a second cell, wherein the first cell comprises a pico cell and is controlled by a first Remote Radio Unit connected via a first connection to a Main unit, the first Remote Radio unit serving the first User Equipment via a first wireless link, the second cell comprises a macro cell and is controlled by a second Remote Radio Unit connected via a second connection to said Main Unit, the second Remote Radio unit configured to serve the first User Equipment via a second wireless link, the first Remote Radio unit and the second Remote radio unit forming a distributed base station together with the Main unit, the second cell having a coverage area that includes the first cell, characterised in, monitoring, by the main unit, the state of the first connection between said first Remote Radio Unit and said Main Unit, sending handover information to said User Equipment through said second cell using resources assigned for control signalling in said first cell, if the state of the first connection between said first Remote Radio Unit and said Main Unit indicates that said first Remote Radio Unit has ceased to be functional; prior to the first connection between said first Remote Radio Unit and said Main Unit of the pico cell ceasing to be functional, a resource block allocated to the macro cell is unused so as not to disturb an orthogonal resource block allocated to the pico cell; and after the first connection between said first Remote Radio Unit and said Main Unit of the pico cell ceases to be functional, the resource block that was unused is allocated to transmit control channel information to the first User Equipment that was served by the second Remote Radio Unit of the pico cell.