Patent ID: 8559952
Filing Date: 2013-10-15
Classification: H04J,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method implemented in a cellular radio communications network, comprising: detecting a cell identifier conflict that requires changing a cell identifier associated with a cell in a cellular radio communications network from a first cell identifier to a second cell identifier; sending a cell identifier change message including the second cell identifier to one or more radio transceiver nodes; and changing the cell identifier from the first cell identifier to the second cell identifier (1) without having to disrupt ongoing communications with user equipment (UE) terminals initially established at a particular known frequency by a base station in the cell, (2) without having to use a different base station to support the ongoing UE communications in the cell, and (3) without using handover procedures to transfer the UE terminals to the second cell identifier, wherein the cell identifier change message includes a time parameter from which the one or more radio transceiver nodes can determine when to change the cell identifier for the cell from the first cell identifier to the second cell identifier, wherein the cell is served by a service base station, and wherein the serving base station sends a message to a different base station including a time parameter from which the different cell can determine when the cell changes from the first cell identifier to the second cell identifier.