Patent ID: 8537774
Filing Date: 2013-09-17
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of optimizing effective data rates available at a first user equipment terminal in a radio communications network comprising a first base station of a first type, a second base station of a second type that is different from the first type, wherein the method comprises: determining first and second measures of signal quality of radio communications received at the first user equipment terminal from the first and second base stations respectively; determining first and second measures of loading of the first and said second base stations respectively, wherein the first and second measures of loading each comprises both uplink and downlink measures of loading, and wherein the first and second measures of loading relate to radio resource or to backhaul resource; determining a first uplink effective data rate and a first downlink effective date rate for the first user equipment terminal and the first base station based on the first measure of signal quality and the first measure of loading; determining a second uplink effective data rate and a second downlink effective data rate for the first user equipment terminal and the second base station based on the second measure of signal quality and the second measure of loading; comparing the first uplink effective data rate with the second uplink effective data rate; comparing the first downlink effective data rate with the second downlink effective data rate; selecting one of the first and second base station for communication based on said comparing the first uplink effective data rate with the second uplink effective data rate and on said comparing the first downlink effective data rate with the second downlink effective data rate; and performing communication between the selected base station and the first user equipment terminal based on said selecting.