Patent Publication Number: US-2013235750-A1

Title: Out-of-band radio for supporting compressed mode in a femto deployment

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of Ser. No. 12/983,576 filed Jan. 3, 2011, patent issued on Apr. 23, 2013, as U.S. Pat. No. 842,975, entitled “OUT-OF-BAND RADIO FOR SUPPORTING COMPRESSED MODE IN A FEMTO DEPLOYMENT” and claims the benefit thereto. The entirety of the aforementioned application is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Information communication provided by various forms of networks is in wide use in the world today. Networks having multiple nodes in communication using wireless and wireline links are used, for example, to carry voice and/or data. The nodes of such networks may be computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), phones, servers, routers, switches, multiplexers, modems, radios, access points, base stations, etc. Many client device nodes (referred to herein as user equipment (UE)), such as cellular phones, PDAs, laptop computers, etc. are mobile and thus may connect with a network through a number of different interfaces. 
     Mobile client devices may connect with a network wirelessly via a base station, access point, wireless router, etc. (collectively referred to herein as access points). A mobile client device may remain within the service area of such an access point for a relatively long period of time (referred to as being “camped on” the access point) or may travel relatively rapidly through access point service areas, with cellular handoff or reselection techniques being used for maintaining a communication session or for idle mode operation as association with access points is changed. 
     Issues with respect to available spectrum, bandwidth, capacity, etc. may result in a network interface being unavailable or inadequate between a particular client device and access point. Moreover, issues with respect to wireless signal propagation, such as shadowing, multipath fading, interference, etc. may result in a network interface being unavailable or inadequate between a particular client device and access point. 
     Cellular networks have employed the use of various cell types, such as macrocells, microcells, picocells, and femtocells, to provide desired bandwidth, capacity, and wireless communication coverage within service areas. For example, the use of femtocells is often desirable to provide wireless communication in areas of poor network coverage (e.g., inside of buildings), to provide increased network capacity, to utilize broadband network capacity for backhaul, etc. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for using communications over an out-of-band (OOB) link to support compressed mode communications by user equipment (UE) in a femto deployment. Typically, UEs must tune away from an active communications channel to make inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements. When making these measurements, data communications may be compressed to allow time to tune away for those measurements. Embodiments integrate an OOB proxy with the femtocell to provide OOB link capability to supplement WWAN link resources. According to various techniques, the OOB link is used to compensate for reductions in data rate and/or quality resulting from compressed mode operation. For example, the OOB link is used to communicate compressed mode signaling data, retransmissions, and/or other compensatory data. 
     An exemplary method includes: detecting a measurement trigger condition with user equipment while the user equipment is communicating with a femtocell over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and switching the user equipment to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that the user equipment communicates with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames and performs measurements on at least a second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data between the user equipment and an out-of-band (OOB) femto-proxy over an OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     According to certain configurations, the femtocell and the OOB femto-proxy are integrated with each other as part of a femto-proxy system. Additionally or alternatively, the second WWAN channel is an inter-frequency neighbor or an inter-RAT (radio access technology) neighbor of the first WWAN channel. Additionally or alternatively, the OOB link is a Bluetooth link. 
     According to some such methods, communicating according to the second communications mode further includes generating signaling data configured to facilitate communications by the user equipment according to the second mode; and communicating the supplemental data between the user equipment and the OOB femto-proxy over the OOB link includes communicating at least some of the signaling data over the OOB link. 
     According to other such methods, the user equipment communicates data with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel, the data having a payload portion and a redundancy portion configured to satisfy the quality target; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel includes reducing the data quality by reducing the redundancy portion of the data; and communicating the supplemental data between the user equipment and the OOB femto-proxy over the OOB link includes communicating retransmissions over the OOB link to at least partially compensate for the reducing of the data quality (e.g., without substantially increasing instantaneous transmit power associated with the WWAN link). 
     According to still other such methods, communicating according to the second communications mode further includes generating signaling data configured to facilitate communications by the user equipment according to the second mode; and communicating the supplemental data between the user equipment and the OOB femto-proxy over the OOB link further includes communicating at least some of the signaling data over the OOB link. According to even other such methods, communicating according to the first communications mode includes communicating data with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames, each data frame having a first duration; and communicating according to the second communications mode includes communicating data with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames, each data frame having a second duration that is shorter than the first duration. 
     According to yet other such methods, compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel includes reducing the data rate by communicating data with the femtocell only during the data frames and without substantially changing the data quality, such that only a first portion of the data can be communicated over the WWAN link; and communicating the supplemental data between the user equipment and the OOB femto-proxy over the OOB link includes communicating a remaining portion of the data over the OOB link to at least partially compensate for the reducing of the data rate. Additionally or alternatively, the remaining portion of the data is communicated over the OOB link only during the measurement blocks. Additionally or alternatively, communicating according to the second communications mode further includes generating signaling data configured to facilitate communications by the user equipment according to the second mode; and communicating the supplemental data between the user equipment and the OOB femto-proxy over the OOB link further includes communicating at least some of the signaling data over the OOB link. 
     An exemplary user equipment includes: an in-band communications subsystem configured to communicatively couple with a femtocell over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel and to communicate with at least one macrocell over the WWAN link on a second WWAN channel; an out-of-band (OOB) communications subsystem configured to communicatively couple with an OOB femto-proxy over an OOB link; and a communications management subsystem, communicatively coupled with the in-band communications subsystem and the OOB communications subsystem, and configured to: detect a measurement trigger condition while communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and direct the in-band communications subsystem and the OOB communications subsystem to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel occur during the data frames and measurements are performed on at least the second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data with the OOB femto-proxy over the OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     An exemplary processor includes: an in-band communications controller configured to communicatively couple with a femtocell over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel and to communicate with at least one macrocell over the WWAN link on a second WWAN channel; an out-of-band (OOB) communications controller configured to communicatively couple with an OOB femto-proxy over an OOB link; and 
     a communications management controller, communicatively coupled with the in-band communications subsystem and the OOB communications subsystem, and configured to: detect a measurement trigger condition while communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and direct the in-band communications controller and the OOB communications controller to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel occur during the data frames and measurements are performed on at least the second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data with the OOB femto-proxy over the OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     An exemplary computer program product residing on a processor-readable medium has processor-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a processor to perform steps including: detecting a measurement trigger condition with user equipment while the user equipment is communicating with a femtocell over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and switching the user equipment to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that the user equipment communicates with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames and performs measurements on at least a second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data between the user equipment and an out-of-band (OOB) femto-proxy over an OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     Another exemplary system includes: means for communicating with a femtocell over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; means for detecting a measurement trigger condition while the means for communicating is communicating according to the first communications mode; and means for directing the means for communicating to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that the user equipment communicates with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames and performs measurements on at least a second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data with an out-of-band (OOB) femto-proxy over an OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     An exemplary femto-proxy system includes: a femtocell, configured to provide macro network access to a number of user equipment authorized to attach to the femtocell according to an access control list over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel; an out-of-band (OOB) communications subsystem, integrated with the femtocell and configured to communicatively couple with the number of user equipment over an OOB link; and a communications management subsystem, communicatively coupled with the femtocell and the OOB communications subsystem, and configured to: detect a measurement trigger condition for one of the user equipment that is in communication with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and direct the one of the user equipment to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel occur during the data frames and measurements are performed on at least the second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data with the OOB communications subsystem over the OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     Another exemplary processor includes: a femtocell controller, configured to direct a femtocell to provide macro network access to a number of user equipment authorized to attach to the femtocell according to an access control list over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel; an out-of-band (OOB) communications controller, configured to direct an OOB radio integrated with the femtocell to communicatively couple with the number of user equipment over an OOB link; and a communications management controller, communicatively coupled with the femtocell controller and the OOB communications controller, and configured to: detect a measurement trigger condition for one of the user equipment that is in communication with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and direct the one of the user equipment to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel occur during the data frames and measurements are performed on at least the second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data with the OOB radio over the OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     Another computer program product residing on a processor-readable medium has processor-readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a processor to perform steps including: detecting a measurement trigger condition corresponding to a user equipment while the user equipment is communicating with a femtocell over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and directing the user equipment to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger. Communicating according to the second communications mode includes: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that the user equipment communicates with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames and performs measurements on at least a second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data between the user equipment and an out-of-band (OOB) femto-proxy over an OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     Another exemplary system includes: means for detecting a measurement trigger condition corresponding to a user equipment while the user equipment is communicating with a femtocell over a wireless wide area network (WWAN) link on a first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target; and means for directing the user equipment to communicate according to a second communications mode in response to detecting the measurement trigger, communicating according to the second communications mode including: interspersing measurement blocks with data frames, such that the user equipment communicates with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames and performs measurements on at least a second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks; compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality; and communicating supplemental data between the user equipment and an out-of-band (OOB) femto-proxy over an OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Features which are believed to be characteristic of the concepts disclosed herein, both as to their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and not as a definition of the limits of the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A further understanding of the nature and advantages of examples provided by the disclosure may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the several drawings to refer to similar components. In some instances, a sub-label is associated with a reference numeral to denote one of multiple similar components. When reference is made to a reference numeral without specification to an existing sub-label, the reference numeral refers to all such similar components. 
         FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of a wireless communications system; 
         FIG. 2A  shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communications system that includes a femto-proxy system; 
         FIG. 2B  shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communications system that includes an architecture of a femto-proxy system that is different from the architecture shown in  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 3  shows detail regarding an example of a femtocell architecture for an illustrative Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network; 
         FIG. 4A  shows a block diagram of an example of a mobile user equipment for use with the femto-proxy systems of  FIGS. 2A and 2B  in the context of the communications systems and networks of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 4B  shows a block diagram of another configuration of a mobile user equipment for use with the femto-proxy systems of  FIGS. 2A and 2B  in the context of the communications systems and networks of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for using multiple communications modes to support inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements; 
         FIG. 6  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for using OOB communications to facilitate compressed mode operations; 
         FIG. 7A  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for using OOB communications to communicate signaling data in support of compressed mode operations; 
         FIG. 7B  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for using OOB communications to communicate retransmissions and/or similar supplemental data in support of compressed mode operations; 
         FIG. 7C  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for using OOB communications to communicate portions of data not communicated over the WWAN link in support of compressed mode operations; 
         FIG. 8A  shows a simplified communication diagram for data communications over a communications link in a non-compressed mode; 
         FIG. 8B  shows a simplified communication diagram for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode; 
         FIG. 9A  shows a simplified communication diagram for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of retransmissions; 
         FIG. 9B  shows a simplified communication diagram for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of remaining data not communicated over the WWAN link; 
         FIG. 9C  shows a simplified communication diagram for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of signaling data; and 
         FIGS. 9D and 9E  show simplified communication diagrams for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of combinations of supplemental data. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for using an out-of-band (OOB) link to facilitate one or more compressed modes of operation of user equipment (UE) in a femto deployment. To make certain measurements (e.g., inter-frequency, inter-RAT, etc.), a UE typically tunes away from its current frequency during measurement blocks, which may reduce resources available for data (i.e., non-measurement-related) communications. While various techniques are available for compressing data communications, various factors limit the ability of those techniques to preserve desired data rates and/or data fidelities during compressed mode operation of the UE. 
     Accordingly, a femto-proxy system is provided including a femtocell and an out-of-band (OOB) proxy. The OOB proxy is used to establish an OOB link with the UE which is used in one or more ways to compensate for impacts of compressed mode operations on data rate and/or data fidelity by concurrently communicating one or more types of supplemental data over the OOB link. In some embodiments, data blocks are compressed (e.g., by reducing redundancy communicated with each data block), and the OOB link is used to communicate retransmissions and/or other similar types of data. This may allow compression of data blocks without increasing instantaneous transmit power, while substantially maintaining data fidelity. In other embodiments, data blocks are not compressed, data is not communicated over the in-band link during measurement blocks, and the not communicated during the measurement blocks is communicated instead using the OOB link. In still other embodiments, the OOB link is used to communicate various types of signaling data to support compressed mode operations of the UE without using in-band bandwidth for that data. Yet other embodiments include combinations of multiple of those techniques. 
     Techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and other systems. The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releases 0 and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM®, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as for other systems and radio technologies. 
     Thus, the following description provides examples, and is not limiting of the scope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussed without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various examples may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, the methods described may be performed in an order different from that described, and various operations may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to certain examples may be combined in other examples. 
     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a block diagram illustrates an example of a wireless communications system  100 . The system  100  includes transceiver stations (referred to herein as NodeBs  105 ), disposed in cells  110 , mobile user equipment  115  (UE), and a base station controller (BSC)  120 . It is worth noting that, while the term user equipment (UE) typically denotes UNIVERSAL MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (UMTS) networks, similar functionality may be deployed in other types of networks via their corresponding network elements (e.g., mobile stations (MSs), access terminals (ATs), etc.) without departing from the scope of the disclosure or the claims. 
     The system  100  may support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). Multi-carrier transmitters can transmit modulated signals simultaneously on the multiple carriers. Each modulated signal may be a CDMA signal, a TDMA signal, an OFDMA signal, a SC-FDMA signal, etc. Each modulated signal may be sent on a different carrier and may carry pilot, redundancy information, data, etc. The system  100  may be a multi-carrier LTE network capable of efficiently allocating network resources. 
     The NodeBs  105  can wirelessly communicate with the UEs  115  via a base station antenna. The NodeBs  105  are configured to communicate with the UEs  115  under the control of the BSC  120  via multiple carriers. Each of the NodeBs  105  can provide communication coverage for a respective geographic area, here the cell  110 - a ,  110 - b , or  110 - c . The system  100  may include NodeBs  105  of different types, e.g., macro, pico, and/or femto base stations. 
     The UEs  115  can be dispersed throughout the cells  110 . The UEs  115  may be referred to as mobile stations, mobile devices, or subscriber units. The UEs  115  here include cellular phones and a wireless communication device, but can also include personal digital assistants (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks, notebook computers, etc. 
     For the discussion below, the UEs  115  operate on (are “camped” on) a macro or similar network facilitated by multiple “macro” NodeBs  105 . Each macro NodeB  105  may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscription. The UEs  115  are also registered to operate on at least one femto network facilitated by a “femto” or “home” NodeB  105  (as described below). It will be appreciated that, while the macro NodeBs  105  may typically be deployed according to network planning (e.g., resulting in the illustrative hexagonal cells  110  shown in  FIG. 1 ), a femto NodeB  105  may typically be deployed by individual users (or user representatives) to create a localized femtocell. The localized femtocell does not typically follow the macro network planning architecture (e.g., the hexagonal cells), although it may be accounted for as part of various macro-level network planning and/or management decisions (e.g., load balancing, etc.). 
     The UE  115  may generally operate using an internal power supply, such as a small battery, to facilitate highly mobile operations. Strategic deployment of network devices, such as femtocells, can mitigate mobile device power consumption to some extent. For example, femtocells may be utilized to provide service within areas which might not otherwise experience adequate or even any service (e.g., due to capacity limitations, bandwidth limitations, signal fading, signal shadowing, etc.), thereby allowing client devices to reduce searching times, to reduce transmit power, to reduce transmit times, etc. Femtocells provide service within a relatively small service area (e.g., within a house or building). Accordingly, a client device is typically disposed near a femtocell when being served, often allowing the client device to communicate with reduced transmission power. 
     For example, the femtocell is implemented as a femto NodeB, referred to herein as a Home Node B (HNB), located in a user premises, such as a residence, an office building, etc. The location may be chosen for maximum coverage (e.g., in a centralized location), to allow access to a global positioning satellite (GPS) signal (e.g., near a window), and/or in any other useful location. For the sake of clarity, the disclosure herein assumes that a set of UEs  115  are registered for (e.g., on a whitelist of) a single HNB that provides coverage over substantially an entire user premises. The HNB provides the UEs  115  with access to communication services over the macro network. As used herein, the macro network is assumed to be a wireless wide-area network (WWAN). As such, terms like “macro network” and “WWAN network” are interchangeable. Similar techniques may be applied to other types of network environments without departing from the scope of the disclosure or claims. 
     In example configurations, the HNB is integrated with one or more out-of-band (OOB) proxies as a femto-proxy system. As used herein, “out-of-band,” or “OOB,” includes any type of communications that are out of band with respect to the WWAN link. For example, the OOB proxies and/or the UEs  115  may be configured to operate using Bluetooth (e.g., class 1, class 1.5, and/or class 2), ZigBee (e.g., according to the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 wireless standard), WiFi, and/or any other useful type of communications out of the macro network band. Notably, OOB integration with the HNB may provide a number of features, including, for example, reduced interference, lower power femto discovery, etc. 
     Further, the integration of OOB functionality with the HNB may allow the UEs  115  attached to the HNB to also be part of an OOB piconet. The piconet may facilitate enhanced HNB functionality, other communications services, power management functionality, and/or other features to the UEs  115 . These and other features will be further appreciated from the description below. 
       FIG. 2A  shows a block diagram of a wireless communications system  200   a  that includes a femto-proxy system  290   a . The femto-proxy system  290   a  includes a femto-proxy module  240   a , a HNB  230   a , and a communications management subsystem  250 . The HNB  230   a  may be a femto NodeB  105 , as described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The femto-proxy system  290   a  also includes antennas  205 , a transceiver module  210 , memory  215 , and a processor module  225 , which each may be in communication, directly or indirectly, with each other (e.g., over one or more buses). The transceiver module  210  is configured to communicate bi-directionally, via the antennas  205 , with the UEs  115 . The transceiver module  210  (and/or other components of the femto-proxy system  290   a ) is also configured to communicate bi-directionally with a macro communications network  100   a  (e.g., a WWAN). For example, the transceiver module  210  is configured to communicate with the macro communications network  100   a  via a backhaul network. The macro communications network  100   a  may be the communications system  100  of  FIG. 1 . 
     The memory  215  may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory  215  may also store computer-readable, computer-executable software code  220  containing instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor module  225  to perform various functions described herein (e.g., call processing, database management, message routing, etc.). Alternatively, the software  220  may not be directly executable by the processor module  225 , but may be configured to cause the computer, e.g., when compiled and executed, to perform functions described herein. 
     The processor module  225  may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) such as those made by Intel® Corporation or AMD®, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor module  225  may include a speech encoder (not shown) configured to receive audio via a microphone, convert the audio into packets (e.g., 30 ms in length) representative of the received audio, provide the audio packets to the transceiver module  210 , and provide indications of whether a user is speaking. Alternatively, an encoder may only provide packets to the transceiver module  210 , with the provision or withholding/suppression of the packet itself providing the indication of whether a user is speaking. 
     The transceiver module  210  may include a modem configured to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the antennas  205  for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antennas  205 . While some examples of the femto-proxy system  290   a  may include a single antenna  205 , the femto-proxy system  290   a  preferably includes multiple antennas  205  for multiple links. For example, one or more links may be used to support macro communications with the UEs  115 . Also, one or more out-of-band links may be supported by the same antenna  205  or different antennas  205 . 
     Notably, the femto-proxy system  290   a  is configured to provide both HNB  230   a  and femto-proxy module  240   a  functionality. For example, when the UE  115  approaches the femtocell coverage area, the UE&#39;s  115  OOB radio may begin searching for the OOB femto-proxy module  240   a . Upon discovery, the UE  115  may have a high level of confidence that it is in proximity to the femtocell coverage area, and a scan for the HNB  230   a  can commence. 
     The scan for the HNB  230   a  may be implemented in different ways. For example, due to the femto-proxy module  240   a  discovery by the UE&#39;s  115  OOB radio, both the UE  115  and the femto-proxy system  290   a  may be aware of each other&#39;s proximity. The UE  115  scans for the HNB  230   a . Alternatively, the HNB  230   a  polls for the UE  115  (e.g., individually, or as part of a round-robin polling of all registered UEs  115 ), and the UE  115  listens for the poll. When the scan for the HNB  230   a  is successful, the UE  115  may attach to the HNB  230   a.    
     When the UE  115  is in the femtocell coverage area and attached to the HNB  230   a , the UE  115  may be in communication with the macro communications network  100   a  via the HNB  230   a . As described above, the UE  115  may also be a slave of a piconet for which the femto-proxy module  240   a  acts as the master. For example, the piconet may operate using Bluetooth and may include Bluetooth communications links facilitated by a Bluetooth radio (e.g., implemented as part of the transceiver module  210 ) in the HNB  230   a.    
     Examples of the HNB  230   a  have various configurations of base station or wireless access point equipment. As used herein, the HNB  230   a  may be a device that communicates with various terminals (e.g., client devices (UEs  115 , etc.), proximity agent devices, etc.) and may also be referred to as, and include some or all the functionality of, a base station, a Node B, and/or other similar devices. Although referred to herein as the HNB  230   a , the concepts herein are applicable to access point configurations other than femtocell configuration (e.g., picocells, microcells, etc.). Examples of the HNB  230   a  utilize communication frequencies and protocols native to a corresponding cellular network (e.g., the macro communications network  100   a , or a portion thereof) to facilitate communication within a femtocell coverage area associated with the HNB  230   a  (e.g., to provide improved coverage of an area, to provide increased capacity, to provide increased bandwidth, etc.). 
     The HNB  230   a  may be in communication with other interfaces not explicitly shown in  FIG. 2A . For example, the HNB  230   a  may be in communication with a native cellular interface as part of the transceiver module  210  (e.g., a specialized transceiver utilizing cellular network communication techniques that may consume relatively large amounts of power in operation) for communicating with various appropriately configured devices, such as the UE  115 , through a native cellular wireless link (e.g., an “in band” communication link). Such a communication interface may operate according to various communication standards, including but not limited to wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), CDMA2000, global system for mobile telecommunication (GSM), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMax), and wireless LAN (WLAN). Also or alternatively, the HNB  230   a  may be in communication with one or more backend network interfaces as part of the transceiver module  210  (e.g., a backhaul interface providing communication via the Internet, a packet switched network, a switched network, a radio network, a control network, a wired link, and/or the like) for communicating with various devices or other networks. 
     As described above, the HNB  230   a  may further be in communication with one or more OOB interfaces as part of the transceiver module  210  and/or the femto-proxy module  240   a . For example, the OOB interfaces may include transceivers that consume relatively low amounts of power in operation and/or may cause less interference in the in-band spectrum with respect to the in-band transceivers. Such an OOB interface may be utilized according to embodiments to provide low power wireless communications with respect to various appropriately configured devices, such as an OOB radio of the UE  115 . The OOB interface may, for example, provide a Bluetooth link, an ultra-wideband (UWB) link, an IEEE 802.11 (WLAN) link, etc. 
     The terms “high power” and “low power” as used herein are relative terms and do not imply a particular level of power consumption. Accordingly, OOB devices (e.g., OOB femto-proxy module  240   a ) may simply consume less power than native cellular interface (e.g., for macro WWAN communications) for a given time of operation. In some implementations, OOB interfaces also provide relatively lower bandwidth communications, relatively shorter range communication, and/or consume relatively lower power in comparison to the macro communications interfaces. There is no limitation that the OOB devices and interfaces be low power, short range, and/or low bandwidth. Devices may use any suitable out-of-band link, whether wireless or otherwise, such as IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, PEANUT, UWB, ZigBee, a wired link, etc. 
     Femto-proxy modules  240   a  may provide various types of OOB functionality and may be implemented in various ways. A femto-proxy module  240   a  may have any of various configurations, such as a stand-alone processor-based system, a processor-based system integrated with a host device (e.g., access point, gateway, router, switch, repeater, hub, concentrator, etc.), etc. For example, the femto-proxy modules  240   a  may include various types of interfaces for facilitating various types of communications. 
     Some femto-proxy modules  240   a  include one or more OOB interfaces as part of the transceiver module  210  (e.g., a transceiver that may consume relatively low amounts of power in operation and/or may cause less interference than in the in-band spectrum) for communicating with other appropriately configured devices (e.g., UE  115 ) for providing interference mitigation and/or femtocell selection herein through a wireless link. One example of a suitable communication interface is a Bluetooth-compliant transceiver that uses a time-division duplex (TDD) scheme. 
     Femto-proxy modules  240   a  may also include one or more backend network interfaces as part of the transceiver module  210  (e.g., packet switched network interface, switched network interface, radio network interface, control network interface, a wired link, and/or the like) for communicating with various devices or networks. A femto-proxy module  240   a  that is integrated within a host device, such as with HNB  230   a , may utilize an internal bus or other such communication interface in the alternative to a backend network interface to provide communications between the femto-proxy module  240   a  and other devices, if desired. Additionally or alternatively, other interfaces, such as OOB interfaces, native cellular interfaces, etc., may be utilized to provide communication between the femto-proxy module  240   a  and the HNB  230   a  and/or other devices or networks. 
     Various communications functions (e.g., including those of the HNB  230   a  and/or the femto-proxy module  240   a ) may be managed using the communications management subsystem  250 . For example, the communications management subsystem  250  may at least partially handle communications with the macro (e.g., WWAN) network, one or more OOB networks (e.g., piconets, UE  115  OOB radios, other femto-proxies, OOB beacons, etc.), one or more other femtocells (e.g., HNBs  230 ), UEs  115 , etc. For example, the communications management subsystem  250  may be a component of the femto-proxy system  290   a  in communication with some or all of the other components of the femto-proxy system  290   a  via a bus. 
     Various other architectures are possible other than those illustrated by  FIG. 2A . The HNB  230   a  and femto-proxy module  240   a  may or may not be collocated, integrated into a single device, configured to share components, etc. For example, the femto-proxy system  290   a  of  FIG. 2A  has an integrated HNB  230   a  and femto-proxy module  240   a  that at least partially share components, including the antennas  205 , the transceiver module  210 , the memory  215 , and the processor module  225 . 
       FIG. 2B  shows a block diagram of a wireless communications system  200   b  that includes an architecture of a femto-proxy system  290   b  that is different from the architecture shown in  FIG. 2A . Similar to the femto-proxy system  290   a , the femto-proxy system  290   b  includes a femto-proxy module  240   b  and a HNB  230   b . Unlike the system  290   a , however, each of the femto-proxy module  240   b  and the HNB  230   b  has its own antenna  205 , transceiver module  210 , memory  215 , and processor module  225 . Both transceiver modules  210  are configured to communicate bi-directionally, via their respective antennas  205 , with UEs  115 . The transceiver module  210 - 1  of the HNB  230   b  is illustrated in bi-directional communication with the macro communications network  100   b  (e.g., typically over a backhaul network). 
     For the sake of illustration, the femto-proxy system  290   b  is shown without a separate communications management subsystem  250 . In some configurations, a communications management subsystem  250  is provided in both the femto-proxy module  240   b  and the HNB  230   b . In other configurations, the communications management subsystem  250  is implemented as part of the femto-proxy module  240   b . In still other configurations, functionality of the communications management subsystem  250  is implemented as a computer program product (e.g., stored as software  220 - 1  in memory  215 - 1 ) of one or both of the femto-proxy module  240   b  and the HNB  230   b.    
     In yet other configurations, some or all of the functionality of the communications management subsystem  250  is implemented as a component of the processor module  225 . For example, the processor module  225   a  may include a WWAN communications controller and a user equipment controller, and may be in communication (e.g., as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B ) with the HNB  230  and the femto-proxy module  240 . In an exemplary configuration, the WWAN communications controller is configured to receive a WWAN communication for a designated UE  115 . The user equipment controller  320  determines how to handle the communication, including affecting operation of the HNB  230  and/or the femto-proxy module  240 . 
     Both the HNB  230   a  of  FIG. 2A  and the HNB  230   b  of  FIG. 2B  are illustrated as providing a communications link only to the macro communications network  100   a . However, the HNB  230  may provide communications functionality via many different types of networks and/or topologies. For example, the HNB  230  may provide a wireless interface for a cellular telephone network, a cellular data network, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), the public switched telephone network (PSTN), the Internet, etc. 
       FIG. 3  shows detail regarding an exemplary femtocell (HNB) deployment in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network. For example, the illustrative architecture shows a 3GPP deployment, which may include portions of the communications systems and networks shown in  FIGS. 1-2B . As illustrated, a UE  115  is in communication with a HNB  230  deployed as part of consumer premises equipment (CPE). The CPE facilitates communications with a security gateway through the public network infrastructure (e.g., the Internet), which further provides access to the HNB&#39;s gateway (HNB-GW) and the HNB&#39;s management system. 
     For example, the HNB  230  supports NodeB and RNC-like functions. It connects to the UEs  115  via existing “Uu” interface and to the HNB-GW via a new “Iu-h” interface and may typically be owned by an end user. The HNB-GW concentrates HNB  230  connections (many-to-one relationship between HNBs and HNB-GW) and presents itself as a single RNC to the core network using the existing “Iu” interface. This may allow for scaling to large numbers of HNBs  230 , and may avoid new interfaces and HNB-specific functions at the core network. The HNB management system may provision HNB configuration data remotely (e.g., using the TR-069 family of standards). The security gateway may authenticate the HNB  230 , and/or may use “IPSec” to provide a secure link between the HNB  230  and the HNB-GW (e.g., over “Iu-h”) and between the HNB  230  and the HNB management system (e.g., using a single or different security gateways). 
     As described above, the femto-proxy systems  290  are configured to communicate with client devices, including the UEs  115 .  FIGS. 4A and 4B  show exemplary configurations of UEs  115 . Turning to  FIG. 4A , a block diagram  400   a  of a mobile user equipment (UE)  115   a  for use with the femto-proxy systems  290  of  FIGS. 2A and 2B  in the context of the communications systems and networks of  FIGS. 1-3  is shown. The UE  115   a  may have any of various configurations, such as personal computers (e.g., laptop computers, netbook computers, tablet computers, etc.), cellular telephones, PDAs, digital video recorders (DVRs), internet appliances, gaming consoles, e-readers, etc. For the purpose of clarity, the UE  115   a  is assumed to be provided in a mobile configuration, having an internal power supply (not shown), such as a small battery, to facilitate mobile operation. 
     The UE  115   a  includes an in-band communications subsystem  430   a  in communication with an in-band antenna  405   a , an OOB communications subsystem  435   a  in communication with an OOB antenna  407   a , a communications management subsystem  440   a , memory  415 , and a processor module  425   a , which each may be in communication, directly or indirectly, with each other (e.g., via one or more buses). The in-band communications subsystem  430   a  and the OOB communications subsystem  435   a  are each configured to communicate bi-directionally, via their respective in-band antenna  405   a  and OOB antenna  407   a , and/or via one or more wired or wireless links, with one or more networks, as described above. 
     In some configurations, the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  communicates bi-directionally with NodeBs  105  of the macro communications network (e.g., the communications system  100  of  FIG. 1 ) and with at least one HNB  230 . The in-band communications subsystem  430   a  communicates over at least one in-band link. For example, one or more WWAN channels (e.g., frequencies) are used to communicate with macrocells, femtocells, etc. As described more fully below, the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  may be tuned in to a particular WWAN channel over which active communications are conducted. The in-band communications subsystem  430   a  may tune away to other WWAN channels to make inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements, as desired. 
     Configurations of the OOB communications subsystem  435   a  are configured to communicate over one or more OOB links. For example, the UE  115   a  communicates with a femto-proxy system  290  (e.g., as described with reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B ) over both an in-band (e.g., WWAN) link to the HNB  230  and at least one OOB link to the femto-proxy module  240 . The in-band communications subsystem  430   a  and the in-band antenna  405   a  are used for the WWAN communications, and the OOB communications subsystem  435   a  and the OOB antenna  407   a  are used for the OOB communications. Each communications subsystem may include a modem configured to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the respective antennas (i.e.,  405   a  and  407   a ) for transmission, and to demodulate packets received via the respective antennas. 
     Notably, in some configurations, components of the communications subsystems are combined (e.g., shared, integrated, etc.). For example, the UE  115   a  may include a single antenna that can be used for both in-band and OOB communications. Similarly, a single modem and/or other devices may be used by both the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  and the OOB communications subsystem  435   a.    
     The memory  415  may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory  415  may store computer-readable, computer-executable software code  420  containing instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor module  425   a  to perform various functions described herein (e.g., call processing, database management, message routing, etc.). Alternatively, the software  420  may not be directly executable by the processor module  425   a  but be configured to cause the computer, e.g., when compiled and executed, to perform functions described herein. 
     The processor module  425   a  may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) such as those made by Intel® Corporation or AMD®, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor module  425   a  may include a speech encoder (not shown) configured to receive audio via a microphone, convert the audio into packets (e.g., 30 ms in length) representative of the received audio, provide the audio packets to one or more of the communications subsystems, and provide indications of whether a user is speaking. Alternatively, an encoder may only provide packets to the communications subsystems, with the provision or withholding/suppression of the packet itself providing the indication of whether a user is speaking. 
     According to the architecture of  FIG. 4A , the UE  115   a  further includes a communications management subsystem  440 . The communications management subsystem  440  may manage communications with the macro (e.g., WWAN) network, one or more OOB networks (e.g., piconets, femto-proxy modules  240 , etc.), one or more femtocells (e.g., HNBs  230 ), other UEs  115  (e.g., acting as a master of a secondary piconet), etc. For example, the communications management subsystem  440  may be a component of the UE  115   a  in communication with some or all of the other components of the UE  115   a  via a bus. Alternatively, functionality of the communications management subsystem  440  is implemented as a computer program product, and/or as one or more controller elements of the processor module  425 . 
     The UE  115   a  includes communications functionality for interfacing with both the macro (e.g., cellular) network and one or more OOB networks (e.g., the femto-proxy module  240  link). For example, some UEs  115  include native cellular interfaces as part of the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  or the communications management subsystem  440  (e.g., a transceiver utilizing cellular network communication techniques that consume relatively large amounts of power in operation) for communicating with other appropriately configured devices (e.g., for establishing a link with a macro communication network via HNB  230 ) through a native cellular wireless link. The native cellular interfaces may operate according to one or more communication standards, including, but not limited to, W-CDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, WiMax, and WLAN. 
     Furthermore, the UEs  115  may also include OOB interfaces implemented as part of the OOB communications subsystem  435   a  and/or the communications management subsystem  440  (e.g., a transceiver that may consume relatively low amounts of power in operation and/or may cause less interference than in the in-band spectrum) for communicating with other appropriately configured devices over a wireless link. One example of a suitable OOB communication interface is a Bluetooth-compliant transceiver that uses a time-division duplex (TDD) scheme. 
     According to exemplary configurations of UEs  115 , like the one illustrated in  FIG. 400   a , the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  is configured to communicatively couple with a femtocell (e.g., HNB  230 ) over a WWAN link on a first WWAN channel and to communicate with at least one macrocell (e.g., macro NodeB  105 ) over the WWAN link on a second WWAN channel. The OOB communications subsystem  435   a  is configured to communicatively couple with an OOB femto-proxy  240  over an OOB link. The communications management subsystem  440   a  is communicatively coupled with the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  and the OOB communications subsystem  435   a , and is configured to perform various functions in support of compressed mode operations, as described below. 
       FIG. 4B  shows a block diagram  400   b  of another configuration of a mobile user equipment (UE)  115   b  for use with the femto-proxy systems  290  of  FIGS. 2A and 2B  in the context of the communications systems and networks of  FIGS. 1-3 . The configuration of the UE  115   b  illustrated in  FIG. 4B  provides similar or identical functionality to the configuration of the UE  115   a  illustrated in  FIG. 4A , except that much of the functionality is implemented as controllers of the processor  425   b , rather than as subsystems. 
     In particular, the UE  115   b  includes an in-band communications controller  430   b  in communication with an in-band antenna  405   b , an OOB communications controller  435   b  in communication with an OOB antenna  407   b , and a communications management controller  440   b , all implemented as part of the processor module  425   b . The processor module  425   b  may be in communication, directly or indirectly, with a memory  415  (e.g., via one or more buses). 
     According to exemplary configurations of UEs  115 , like the one illustrated in  FIG. 4B , the in-band communications controller  430   a  is configured to communicatively couple with a femtocell (e.g., HNB  230 ) over a WWAN link on a first WWAN channel and to communicate with at least one macrocell (e.g., macro NodeB  105 ) over the WWAN link on a second WWAN channel. The OOB communications controller  435   a  is configured to communicatively couple with an OOB femto-proxy  240  over an OOB link. The communications management controller  440   a  is communicatively coupled with the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  and the OOB communications subsystem  435   a , and is configured to perform various functions in support of compressed mode operations, as described below. 
     Compressed Mode Operations 
     Compressed modes of operation are used by UEs  115  to make measurements, when desired, for example, to determine suitable target cells for handoffs, etc. Many UMTS femtocell deployments are dedicated frequency deployments where femtocells and macrocells are deployed on different frequencies. For such deployments, the Femto UEs (referred to herein as UEs  115 , when the UEs  115  are attached to a serving femtocell) have to do inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements when the serving femtocell&#39;s signal strength (e.g., CPICH Ec/Io) drops below a certain threshold (e.g., the S_intersearch threshold). For example, the measurements may be needed to determine whether handoffs are required, to determine suitable target cells for handoffs, etc. 
     Typically, UEs  115  are configured to communicate only on a single WWAN channel (e.g., WCDMA carrier frequency) at any given time. Accordingly, in order to make the inter-frequency measurements, the UEs  115  tune away from the current WWAN channel (where femtocell is deployed) to make the measurements on the different WWAN channel. It is generally desirable to maintain a target data rate at a target data quality. Each data packet includes a payload portion and a redundancy portion, and the amount of redundancy is configured to provide certain data quality. For example, a larger amount of redundancy at a given instantaneous transmit power may reduce the number of retransmissions needed, the average bit error rate, etc. To allow the UE  115  time to tune away from the current WWAN channel while still maintaining a target data rate, techniques may be used for compressing the data communications. 
     In the so-called compressed mode, transmission and reception are stopped for a short time and the measurements are performed on another frequency or another RAT in that time. For the sake of illustration and clarity, the communications over the WWAN link when not in compressed mode can be considered as having data frames of certain duration, where a certain amount of data is communicated during each frame (e.g., to satisfy the target data rate). During compressed mode operations, the data frames may be compressed to make room for interspersed (e.g., periodic) measurement blocks. For example, the measurement blocks are effectively gaps in the data transmissions. The measurement blocks may be configured to have a duration that is long enough to support tuning away from the current WWAN channel, making one or more measurements (typically a measurement on a single WWAN channel per measurement block), and tuning back to the active WWAN channel. 
     It will be appreciated that various techniques are possible for implementing frames. For example, in some configurations, each data frame includes a number of slots, and 1 to 7 slots per data frame can be allocated as a measurement block for the UE  115  to perform inter-frequency measurements. Further, the slots designated for the measurement block can be in the middle of a single data frame, spread over two data frames, etc. 
     Conventionally, because of bandwidth and/or other constraints, compressed mode operations involve reducing the amount of payload and/or redundancy data being communicated. For example, a spreading factor may be decreased (e.g., by a factor of 2) to increase the data rate so bits will get sent twice as fast, bits may be “punctured” by removing various bits from the original data to reduce the amount of information that needs to be transmitted, or higher layer scheduling can be changed to use fewer timeslots for user traffic. It will be appreciated that attempting to send the same amount of data in a smaller amount of time may limit the amount of redundancy data that may be communicated, which may reduce the quality (e.g., fidelity) of the data. Accordingly, the instantaneous transmit power may be increased in the compressed frame in an attempt to maintain satisfaction of the quality target (BLER, FER, etc.) in light of reduced processing gain. The amount of power increase may depend on the compression technique used. 
     In many typical femto deployments, the transmit power of the femtocell is capped. Accordingly, it may be difficult or impossible to increase the transmit power to a level that is sufficient to compensate for the data compression. For example, transmitting with higher transmit power during compressed data frames may increase interference between the femtocell and any neighboring macrocells and femtocells, especially those on the same frequency (note that macrocells sharing a frequency with the femtocell could belong to a different RAT, as well). 
     Limitations of conventional compressed mode operations may be further impacted by additional signaling needed to support the compressed mode. For example, signaling may be needed to dictate when and how measurement blocks are interspersed among data frames (e.g., if measurement blocks occur periodically, if measurement blocks are requested on demand, etc.). The rate and type of compressed frames may be variable and may depend on the environment and on various measurement requirements. The added signaling data may further reduce the amount of resources available for communicating payload data, which may require, for example, further data compression, further transmit power increases, etc. 
       FIGS. 5-9E  describe various novel techniques for using an OOB link to address certain limitations of conventional compressed mode operations. These techniques may be implemented, for example, using UEs  115  like those described with reference to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , in communication with femto-proxy systems  290 , like those described with reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B . According to various embodiments, certain conventional communications are implemented between the in-band communications subsystem  430   a  of the UE  115  and the HNB  230  of the femto-proxy system  290 , and supplemental communications are implemented to support compressed mode operations over the OOB link between the OOB communications subsystem  435   a  of the UE  115  and the OOB femto-proxy  240  of the femto-proxy system  290 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method  500  for using multiple communications modes to support inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements. The method  500  begins at stage  504  when a UE is communicating with a femtocell over a WWAN link on first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target. For example, a UE  115  is communicating with a HNB  230  of a femto-proxy system  290  over the WWAN link according to a normal (i.e., uncompressed) communications mode. 
     At stage  508 , a determination is made as to whether a measurement trigger condition has been detected. For example, it may be desirable for the UE  115  to perform inter-frequency measurements when the serving femtocells signal strength (CPICH Ec/Io) drops below a predetermined S_intersearch threshold. If it is determined at stage  508  that no measurement trigger condition has been detected, the UE  115  may continue to communicate according to the first communications mode (e.g., according to stage  504 ). 
     If it is determined at stage  508  that a measurement trigger condition has been detected, the UE  115  may be switched to communicate according to a second communications mode at stage  512 . For example, the UE  115  may enter a compressed mode of operation, whereby data communications are compressed to make room for interspersed measurement blocks. At stage  516 , according to the second (e.g., compressed) communications mode, the UE  115  performs inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements. For example, each measurement block is long enough to allow the UE  115  to tune away from the serving femtocell&#39;s WWAN channel, measure signal strength on a different WWAN channel, and tune back to the serving femtocell&#39;s WWAN channel. 
     At stage  520 , a determination is made as to whether measurements no longer need to be made. For example, the signal strength on the current channel may rise above a predetermined threshold level before any handoff occurs, a handoff may occur, etc. If it is determined at stage  520  that measurements still need to be made, additional inter-frequency and/or inter-RAT measurements are made at stage  516 . 
     If it is determined at stage  520  that no more measurements need to be made, the method  500  may proceed in various ways. For example, as illustrated, a determination may be made at stage  524  as to whether a handoff is required according to the measurements made in stage  520 . If a handoff is required, a handoff routine may commence at stage  528 , Otherwise, the UE  115  may switch back to operating in the first (non-compressed mode) communications mode at stage  504 . 
     As described above, embodiments include various novel approaches to compressed mode operations.  FIG. 6  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method  600  for using OOB communications to facilitate compressed mode operations. For the sake of clarity, the method is shown in context of stages  504  and  512  of  FIG. 5 . In particular, the method  600  may begin at stage  504  when a UE  115  is communicating with a femtocell over a WWAN link on first WWAN channel according to a first communications mode at a data rate in satisfaction of a rate target and at a data quality in satisfaction of a quality target. 
     Unlike the determination at stage  508  shown in  FIG. 5 , it is assumed in the context of the method  600  of  FIG. 6  that a measurement trigger condition is detected by the UE  115  while communicating in the first communications mode at stage  608 . Accordingly, at stage  512 , the UE  115  may be switched to communicate according to a second communications mode. As described above, the second communications mode is a type of compressed mode of operation, whereby data communications are compressed to make room for interspersed measurement blocks. 
     At stage  616 , measurement blocks are interspersed with data frames, such that the UE communicates with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel during the data frames and performs measurements on at least a second WWAN channel during the measurement blocks. Interspersing of measurement blocks may be implemented in a number of different ways. According to one technique, each data frame includes a number of slots. In the first communications mode, all these slots are used for data communications, while, in the second communications mode, a portion of the slots (e.g., 1-7 per frame) are used as a measurement block). 
     As discussed above, interspersing measurement blocks at stage  616  may reduce the resources available on the WWAN link for data communications. Accordingly, at stage  620 , communications with the femtocell are compressed over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel by reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. For example, techniques like bit puncturing or adjustment of coding or modulation schemes may be used to send substantially the same amount of payload data in a smaller effective data frame (e.g., a data frame having fewer slots, etc.). Some of these techniques are described more fully below. 
     The reduction in data rate or data quality according to stage  620  may cause undesirable effects, such as a decrease in the amount of data that can be communicated during compressed mode operations, or an increase in packet erasure rate, bit error rate, etc. To avoid or at least mitigate these undesirable effects, techniques are used to compensate for the reduction in data rate or data quality. As discussed above, conventional deployments may increase instantaneous transmit power, which may create other undesirable effects (e.g., increased interference) and/or may not be sufficient to compensate for the reduction in data rate or data quality. 
     At stage  624 , supplemental data is communicated between the UE and an out-of-band (OOB) femto-proxy over an OOB link substantially concurrently with communicating with the femtocell over the WWAN link, such that communicating the supplemental data at least partially compensates for the reducing at least one of the data rate or the data quality. In some configurations, more than one OOB link is used (e.g., concurrently) for communicating the supplemental data. For example, as described with reference to  FIG. 4A , the UE  115   a  communicates with a femto-proxy system  290  (e.g., as described with reference to  FIGS. 2A and 2B ) over both an in-band (e.g., WWAN) link to the HNB  230  and at least one OOB link to the femto-proxy module  240 . The in-band communications subsystem  430   a  and the in-band antenna  405   a  are used for the WWAN communications, and the OOB communications subsystem  435   a  and the OOB antenna  407   a  are used for the OOB communications of supplemental data in support of the compressed mode operations. Alternatively, multiple OOB antennae  407  can be used to support multiple concurrent OOB links (e.g., Bluetooth and Zigbee). 
     Various techniques for using the OOB link to provide supplemental data in support of the compressed mode operations are illustrated in  FIGS. 7A-7C .  FIG. 7A  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method  700   a  for using OOB communications to communicate signaling data in support of compressed mode operations. For the sake of context, the method  700   a  is shown beginning at stage  512 , when the UE  115  is communicating in the second communications mode (e.g., compressed mode) in response to detecting a measurement trigger condition. 
     At stage  704 , signaling data is generated to facilitate communications by the user equipment according to the second mode. For example, signaling data can be used in compressed mode to define what frames are compressed; a rate, periodicity, and/or type of compressed frames, a request for on-demand compressed frames, etc. At stage  616 , measurement blocks are interspersed with data frames according to the signaling data generated in stage  704 . 
     Data communications over the WWAN link may be compressed at stage  620 . According to some techniques, compression of the data communications is implemented in a conventional way (e.g., by compressing data into smaller frames with less redundancy and increasing instantaneous transmit power as a compensatory technique). According to other techniques, compression of the data communications is implemented in such a way that substantially the same amount of payload data is communicated in a smaller amount of time (e.g., by reducing redundancy, and thereby reducing the data quality) without increasing instantaneous transmit power to compensate for the reduction in data quality. According to still other techniques, compression of the data communications is implemented in such a way that data communications over the WWAN link are effectively halted during measurement blocks (e.g., thereby reducing the data rate). 
     According to some embodiments of stage  624  of  FIG. 6  (illustrated as stage  624   a  in  FIG. 7A ), at least a portion of the signaling data is communicated over the OOB link at stage  708 . For example, as described above, the added signaling data may further impact resources available on the WWAN link for data communications. Accordingly, the method  700   a  uses the OOB link to communicate the added signaling data, thereby leaving the WWAN link for the compressed data communications only. 
       FIG. 7B  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method  700   b  for using OOB communications to communicate retransmissions and/or similar supplemental data in support of compressed mode operations. As in  FIG. 7A , for the sake of context, the method  700   b  is shown beginning at stage  512 , when the UE  115  is communicating in the second communications mode (e.g., compressed mode) in response to detecting a measurement trigger condition. Also as in  FIG. 7A , some configurations of the method  700   b  include generation of compressed mode signaling data at stage  704  and communication of at least some of the signaling data over the OOB link at stage  708 . 
     For the sake of clarity, the method is shown in the context of stages  616 - 624  of  FIG. 6 . Measurement blocks are interspersed with data frames at stage  616 , data communications over the WWAN link are compressed to make room for the measurement blocks at stage  620 , and supplemental data is communicated over the OOB link in support of the compressed mode operations at stage  624 . 
     According to the technique of  FIG. 7B , compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel (illustrated as  620   b ) involves reducing the data quality by reducing the redundancy portion of the data at stage  712 . As used herein, the “redundancy data” or “redundancy portion of the data” is intended to generally refer to any bits used to reinforce the data transmission for more reliable communications. This may typically include redundant bits and/or data that can be used to derive redundant bits using defined algorithms. One illustrative technique uses bit puncturing to reduce the amount of data being transmitted. Another illustrative technique selects a higher order modulation scheme and/or coding scheme that uses a smaller amount of redundancy data (e.g., forward error correction (FEC) data, etc.). 
     Compressing the data communications according to stage  712  may allow substantially continued satisfaction of the data rate target at the expense of a reduction in data quality. For example, a reduction in redundancy data may cause fewer packets to be successfully delivered. Rather than increasing instantaneous transmit power to compensate for these effects (e.g., or rather than increasing instantaneous transmit power to the same extent as in conventional deployments), the OOB link can be used to compensate for the reduction in data quality. 
     Notably, the total data rate will certainly be reduced by reducing the redundancy. However, the data rate target is concerned with the “goodput,” or the effective throughput. This goodput can be increased or maintained without sending more redundant bits, so long as other compensatory techniques are used. Accordingly, reference to increasing or maintaining the “data rate” herein is intended to suggest increasing or maintaining the goodput. For example, maintaining the data rate according to stage  712  corresponds to maintaining the amount of desired payload data that is successfully delivered, even though the total amount of sent data is reduced. 
     Compensatory use of the OOB link according to the method  700   b  is illustrated as stage  624   b . For example, it may be assumed that the reduction in data quality will cause an increase in the amount of retransmissions and/or other compensatory data needed to satisfy the quality target. At stage  716 , retransmissions are communicated over the OOB link to at least partially compensate for the reducing of the data quality. As used herein, “retransmissions” is used to generally include any type of compensatory data that may be useful for improving the data quality (e.g., FEC data, punctured bits, etc.). Further, as discussed above, the need for additional signaling data (according to stage  704 ) may place additional resource burdens on the compressed mode communications. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the compensatory use of the OOB link (according to stage  624   b ) also includes communication of at least some signaling data over the OOB link at stage  708 . 
       FIG. 7C  shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method  700   c  for using OOB communications to communicate portions of data not communicated over the WWAN link in support of compressed mode operations. As in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , for the sake of context, the method  700   c  is shown beginning at stage  512 , when the UE  115  is communicating in the second communications mode (e.g., compressed mode) in response to detecting a measurement trigger condition. Also as in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , some configurations of the method  700   c  include generation of compressed mode signaling data at stage  704  and communication of at least some of the signaling data over the OOB link at stage  708 . 
     For the sake of clarity, the method is shown in the context of stages  616 - 624  of  FIG. 6 . Measurement blocks are interspersed with data frames at stage  616 , data communications over the WWAN link are compressed to make room for the measurement blocks at stage  620 , and supplemental data is communicated over the OOB link in support of the compressed mode operations at stage  624 . 
     According to the technique of  FIG. 7C , compressing communications with the femtocell over the WWAN link on the first WWAN channel (illustrated as  620   c ) involves communicating data with the femtocell only during the data frames and without substantially changing the data quality, such that only a first portion of the data can be communicated over the WWAN link at stage  720 . For example, in the first communications mode, each data frame includes a number of slots, and a certain amount of data is communicated at a certain fidelity during each slot. In the second communications mode (e.g., compressed mode), the number of frames available for data communications is decreased to make room for measurement blocks (e.g., according to stage  612 ). In the reduced number of data communications slots, data continues to be communicated at substantially the same rate and fidelity, causing the overall data rate to be reduced (i.e., due to fewer slots being available for the communications). 
     Compensatory use of the OOB link according to the method  700   c  is illustrated as stage  624   c . For example, suppose a certain amount of data would be communicated over a certain amount of time and at a certain fidelity according to the first communications mode, but only a portion of the data is communicated over the same amount of time at the same fidelity according to the second communications mode (i.e., as data is not communicated during the measurement blocks and is not otherwise being substantially compressed). This may effectively leave a remaining portion of data that is not communicated over the WWAN link (e.g., the portion that would otherwise have been communicated during the measurement blocks). At stage  724 , the remaining portion of the data is communicated over the OOB link to at least partially compensate for reducing the data rate. According to various techniques, the remaining portion of the data may be communicated over the OOB link only during the measurement blocks, or alternatively, communication of the remaining portion may be spread over a larger and/or or other time duration. Further, as discussed above, the need for additional signaling data (according to stage  704 ) may place additional resource burdens on the compressed mode communications. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the compensatory use of the OOB link (according to stage  624   b ) also includes communication of at least some signaling data over the OOB link at stage  708 . 
     For the sake of added clarity,  FIGS. 8A-9E  illustrate various embodiments of compressed mode techniques, with  FIGS. 9A-9E  focusing on various embodiments of the methods  700  of  FIGS. 7A-7C . The embodiments shown are intended only to be illustrative and should not be construed as limiting. Rather, it will be appreciated that the various techniques described in  FIGS. 7A-7C  can be used independently or in various combinations, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the disclosure or the claims. 
     Turning to  FIG. 8A , a simplified communication diagram  800   a  is shown for data communications over a communications link in a non-compressed mode. As illustrated, data is communicated in data blocks  810 . Each data block  810  may represent a data frame, which may include a number of slots during which data is communicated at a certain rate and at a certain quality (e.g., fidelity). For the sake of simplicity, each data block  810  is shown to directly follow a preceding data block  810  of the same duration. It will be appreciated that various communications protocols and techniques are possible, which may, for example, have different and/or varying data block  810  durations, certain periods during which data is not communicated, etc. 
       FIG. 8B  shows a simplified communication diagram  800   b  for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode. As illustrated, data is communicated in compressed data blocks  812  with interspersed measurement blocks  815 . Each compressed data block  812  may represent a data frame having fewer slots than a corresponding uncompressed data block  810  (e.g., with the other slots being used as a measurement block  815 . For the sake of simplicity, each compressed data block  812  is shown to directly follow a preceding compressed data block  812  of the same duration, and measurement blocks  815  are shown interspersed with each compressed data block  812 . 
     It will be appreciated that various compressed mode techniques are possible, which may, for example, have different and/or varying compressed data block  812  durations; different and/or varying measurement block  815  durations, periodicity, etc. (e.g., including on-demand techniques); certain periods during which data is not communicated; etc. As described above, these various compressed mode techniques are typically supported by generation and communication of signaling data  820 . 
     According to conventional techniques, non-compressed communications modes as in  FIG. 8A  and compressed communications modes as in  FIG. 8B  involve data communications only on a WWAN channel (e.g., with measurement blocks involving measurements on one or more other WWAN channels). As described above, novel techniques described herein use the OOB link to communicate supplementary data in support of compressed mode operations. Some such techniques are illustrated in  FIGS. 9A-9E . 
       FIG. 9A  shows a simplified communication diagram  900   a  for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of retransmissions. The communication diagram  900   a  may, for example, represent an embodiment of techniques, such as those described with reference to  FIG. 7B . As in  FIG. 8B , data is communicated on the in-band (WWAN) link in compressed data blocks  812  with interspersed measurement blocks  815 . Signaling data  820  is also communicated on the in-band link. The OOB link is used to communicate retransmissions and/or other types of data to compensate for any reduction in data quality resulting from the use of compressed data blocks  812 . 
       FIG. 9B  shows a simplified communication diagram  900   b  for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of remaining data not communicated over the WWAN link. The communication diagram  900   b  may, for example, represent an embodiment of techniques, such as those described with reference to  FIG. 7C . Rather than using compressed data blocks  812  to communicate data over the WWAN link, partial data blocks are used with uncompressed data communications, indicated as partial un-compressed data blocks  910 . 
     For example, each un-compressed data block  810  includes a number of slots for data communications, and each partial un-compressed data block  910  includes fewer slots for data communications. However, the data communicated during those slots is communicated at substantially the same rate and quality for both un-compressed data blocks  810  and partial un-compressed data blocks  910 . Accordingly, slots that were used for data communications in non-compressed mode are now used for measurement block  815  in compressed mode, and data that would otherwise be communicated during those slots in non-compressed mode is not communicated over the WWAN link. This “remaining” data  935  is, instead, communicated over the OOB link to maintain satisfaction of the overall data rate target. Notably, as illustrated in  FIG. 9B , signaling data  820  may also be communicated on the in-band link. 
       FIG. 9C  shows a simplified communication diagram  900   c  for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of signaling data. The communication diagram  900   c  may, for example, represent an embodiment of techniques, such as those described with reference to  FIG. 7A . As shown, some or all of the signaling data  920  for compressed mode operation is communicated over the OOB link, while conventional techniques are otherwise used for compressed mode communications over the WWAN link (e.g., including compressed data blocks  812  with interspersed measurement blocks  815 . 
       FIGS. 9D and 9E  show simplified communication diagrams  900   d  and  900   e  for data communications over a communications link in a compressed mode, where the OOB link is used for communication of combinations of supplemental data. The communication diagram  900   d  of  FIG. 9D  may represent alternate embodiments of techniques, such as those described with reference to  FIGS. 7B and 9A . The communication diagram  900   e  of  FIG. 9E  may represent alternate embodiments of techniques, such as those described with reference to  FIGS. 7C and 9B . 
     According to the communication diagram  900   d  of  FIG. 9D , data is communicated on the in-band (WWAN) link in compressed data blocks  812  with interspersed measurement blocks  815 . The OOB link is used concurrently to communicate signaling data  920  and retransmissions and/or other types of data to compensate for any reduction in data quality resulting from the use of compressed data blocks  812 . According to the communication diagram  900   e  of  FIG. 9E , data is communicated on the in-band (WWAN) link in partial un-compressed data blocks  910  with interspersed measurement blocks  815 . The OOB link is used concurrently to communicate signaling data  920  and “remaining” data  935  (i.e., data that would otherwise be communicated during those slots being used for the measurement blocks  815  in compressed mode). 
     It is worth noting that the diagrams  900  of  FIGS. 9A-9E  are illustrative only and are not intended to show all possible scenarios. For example, in  FIG. 9A , retransmissions may be communicated periodically, at a variable data rate as needed, using multiple OOB links concurrently, etc. Similarly, remaining data  935  in  FIG. 9B  may be communicated in a way that takes more or less time than the measurement blocks  815  (e.g., at different times, as bursts, at different data rates, etc.). For example, mismatches between physical rates supported over the WWAN and OOB links may cause there to be more or less remaining data  935  than the compressed mode measurement gap durations. Accordingly, the “remaining data” may, in fact, not be an identical dataset to the dataset not otherwise transmitted during the compressed mode measurement blocks  815 . 
     The signaling data  820  shown in  FIGS. 9C-9E  may similarly be communicated in a number of different ways not illustrated by the figures. For example, the signaling data  820  can be communicated in short bursts, at different data rates, over multiple OOB links concurrently or at different times, etc. Further, use of the OOB link to communicate the data may affect the amount and type of signaling data  820 . 
     The various operations of methods described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions. The means may include various hardware and/or software component(s) and/or module(s), including, but not limited to a circuit, an application specific integrate circuit (ASIC), or processor. 
     The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array signal (FPGA), or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate, or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. 
     The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the present disclosure may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in any form of tangible storage medium. Some examples of storage media that may be used include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, and so forth. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. A software module may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across multiple storage media. 
     The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more actions for achieving the described method. The method and/or actions may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and/or use of specific actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. 
     The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions on a tangible computer-readable medium. A storage medium may be any available tangible medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-Ray® disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. 
     Thus, a computer program product may perform operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may be a computer readable tangible medium having instructions tangibly stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. The computer program product may include packaging material. 
     Software or instructions may also be transmitted over a transmission medium. For example, software may be transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a transmission medium such as a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology such as infrared, radio, or microwave. 
     Further, modules and/or other appropriate means for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and/or base station as applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can be provided via storage means (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a CD or floppy disk, etc.), such that a user terminal and/or base station can obtain the various methods upon coupling or providing the storage means to the device. Moreover, any other suitable technique for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a device can be utilized. 
     Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described above can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items prefaced by “at least one of” indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Further, the term “exemplary” does not mean that the described example is preferred or better than other examples. 
     Various changes, substitutions, and alterations to the techniques described herein can be made without departing from the technology of the teachings as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the disclosure and claims is not limited to the particular aspects of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and actions described above. Processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or actions, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding aspects described herein may be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or actions.