Patent Publication Number: US-2013250841-A1

Title: Out-of-sector message stream delivery

Description:
RELATED CASES 
     This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/087,132 that was filed on Apr. 14, 2011 and that is entitled “OUT-OF-SECTOR MESSAGE STREAM DELIVERY.” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/087,132 is hereby incorporated by reference into this patent application. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL BACKGROUND 
     Continually increasing numbers of individuals are utilizing wireless communication devices to conduct mobile communications. In response to the prominence of modern wireless communication networks and the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act passed by Congress in 2006, the Federal Communications Commission has adopted a network structure, operational procedures, and technical requirements for the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS). CMAS is an alerting network designed to aggregate emergency notifications from federal agencies and distribute these notification messages to participating wireless communication service providers. The wireless communication service providers may then broadcast these emergency notifications to wireless communication devices that are affected by the emergency. 
     To support CMAS, participating wireless communication service providers typically reserve a dedicated communication channel in each sector of a wireless access network for broadcasting emergency notifications to users located in each of the sectors. These reserved emergency broadcast channels are separate from the other communication channels and resources utilized to exchange typical user communications with wireless devices over the network, such as Internet access and voice communications. Reserving a dedicated emergency broadcast channel is necessary because user communications often increase during an emergency, which could prevent or delay the transmission of CMAS emergency notifications if the user communication channels were shared for such emergency broadcasts. 
     OVERVIEW 
     An LTE communication system has an eNodeB that exchanges wireless communications with a plurality of wireless communication devices within its a wireless coverage area. The eNodeB, wirelessly broadcasts information associated with a location included within the wireless coverage area for receipt by the wireless communication devices. The LTE communication system also has a control system that receives a request for at least some of the broadcast information associated with the location from a communication device that is not in the wireless coverage area. The control system transfers the requested broadcast information for delivery to the communication device that is not in the wireless coverage area. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram that illustrates a communication system. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram that illustrates an operation of the communication system. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram that illustrates a communication system in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a sequence diagram that illustrates an operation of the communication system in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a sequence diagram that illustrates an operation of the communication system in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram that illustrates a wireless access node. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram that illustrates a communication control system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description and associated drawings teach the best mode of the invention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles, some conventional aspects of the best mode may be simplified or omitted. The following claims specify the scope of the invention. Some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of the invention as specified by the claims. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate variations from the best mode that fall within the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described below can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific examples described below, but only by the claims and their equivalents. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram that illustrates communication system  100 . Communication system  100  includes wireless communication devices  101 ,  102 , and  103 , wireless access nodes  110  and  140 , communication network  120 , and communication control system  130 . Wireless communication device  101  and wireless access node  110  are in communication over wireless communication link  111 . Likewise, wireless communication device  102  and wireless access node  110  communicate over wireless communication link  112 . Wireless access node  110  and communication network  120  are in communication over communication link  121 . Wireless communication device  103  and wireless access node  140  are in communication over wireless communication link  113 . Wireless access node  140  and communication network  120  are in communication over communication link  141 . Communication network  120  and communication control system  130  communicate over communication link  131 . Each of the wireless access nodes  110  and  140  have approximate wireless coverage areas as indicated by the dotted lines on  FIG. 1 , which are represented by respective sectors  155  and  165 . In particular, wireless access node  110  provides a wireless coverage area of sector  155  which serves wireless communication devices  101  and  102 , while wireless access node  140  provides a wireless coverage area of sector  165  serving wireless communication device  103 . 
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram that illustrates an operation of communication system  100 . The steps of the operation are indicated below parenthetically. Initially, wireless access node  110  exchanges wireless communications with a plurality of wireless communication devices  101 - 102  located in a sector  155  served by wireless access node  110  to provide wireless internet access ( 201 ). The wireless communications exchanged between wireless access node  110  and wireless communication devices  101 - 102  could include both signaling messages and bearer communications. In some examples the wireless internet access provided by wireless access node  110  could comprise access to a telephony network for voice communications. 
     Communication control system  130  configures wireless access node  110  to broadcast a message stream comprising information associated with a location covered by the sector  155  serving the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  ( 202 ). Typically, wireless access node  110  broadcasts the message stream on a dedicated communication channel that is reserved for such broadcasts and is separate from the resources utilized by wireless access node  110  to exchange the wireless communications with wireless communication devices  101 - 102  to provide the wireless internet access. The information associated with the location covered by the sector  155  could comprise several types of information, such as local news, weather updates, traffic reports, sports results, advertisements, coupons, and other messages pertaining to the location served by sector  155 . The information for the message stream could be provided by communication control system  130  or some other system in communication with communication network  120 . 
     Wireless access node  110  broadcasts the message stream to the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  located in the sector  155  ( 203 ). Typically, the message stream comprises short message service (SMS) messaging, although other techniques of providing the message stream to wireless communication devices  101 - 102  could also be used, including customized messages tailored for a particular application executing on devices  101 - 102 . In some examples, wireless access node  110  could utilize broadcast channel associated with a commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) to broadcast the message stream to the wireless communication devices  101 - 102 . 
     Communication control system  130  receives an interest indicator that indicates a level of interest in the message stream by the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  ( 204 ). In some examples, wireless communication devices  101 - 102  may subscribe to the message stream or portions thereof by transferring a keyword, SMS short code, or some other indicator for delivery to communication control system  130  in order to opt-in to the message stream. The broadcast message stream could then include device and/or subscriber identifiers of the subscribing wireless communication devices  101 - 102  so that these subscribing devices  101 - 102  can receive and display the message stream. In this case, communication control system  130  could receive the interest indicator by receiving subscription requests transmitted from the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  when subscribing to the message stream, and could base the level of interest in the message stream on the quantity of the subscription requests. In other examples, wireless access node  110  could broadcast the message stream indiscriminately to all wireless communication devices  101 - 102  within the sector  155 , and devices  101 - 102  could be configured to only display the message stream or portions thereof upon request from a user of device  101  or  102 , such as when the user selects a particular message for display from a menu of available messages. In this case, wireless communication devices  101 - 102  could be configured to report which messages are accessed and displayed by their users. Communication control system  130  could thus receive the interest indicator by receiving usage metrics transmitted from the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  that indicate portions of the message stream displayed by the wireless communication devices  101 - 102 . 
     Communication control system  130  receives a request to receive the message stream transmitted from an out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  served by a different sector  165  from the sector  155  serving the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  ( 205 ). Since wireless communication device  103  is not presently being served by sector  155  of wireless access node  110 , wireless communication device  103  would not otherwise receive the information associated with the location covered by sector  155  being broadcast by wireless access node  110 . Therefore, wireless communication device  103  actively requests to receive the message stream in order to receive the information associated with the location covered by sector  155  when device  103  is not at that location. In some examples, the request to receive the message stream could include an information type. For example, if the message stream comprises several types of information, such as local news, weather updates, traffic reports, sports results, advertisements, and coupons, the request to receive the message stream could specify only one of these information types. Additionally, the request could include further levels of granularity, such as only sports results pertaining to a specific team, or only advertisements from a particular company or for certain types of products and services. Typically, the request to receive the message stream would identify the location covered by the sector  155  serving the wireless communication devices  101 - 102 . In some examples, the request to receive the message stream is submitted via an application executing on the out-of-sector wireless communication device  103 , such as a web browser, SMS text messaging client, or an application specifically designed for submitting requests to receive broadcast message streams. 
     The request to receive the message stream also includes interest filter criteria ( 205 ). Typically, the interest filter criteria provides a threshold level of interest in the message stream and/or particular messages within the stream that should be met before out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  will receive the requested information included in the message stream. In some examples, the interest filter criteria could comprise a threshold quantity of the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  that are interested in the message stream based on the interest indicator. In other examples, the interest filter criteria could comprise a percent growth per day of the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  that are interested in the message stream based on the interest indicator. Other criteria and metrics related to the level of interest in the message stream by the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  are also possible. 
     Communication control system  130  applies the interest filter criteria to activate a subscription to the message stream for the out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  when the interest filter criteria is met based on the interest indicator ( 206 ). The subscription to the message stream could comprise only a particular message, information type, or portion of the message stream as discussed above with respect to the request to receive the message stream. Typically, the interest indicator and the interest filter criteria are provided in interchangeable units to facilitate comparison by communication control system  130  to determine when the interest filter criteria is met. Alternatively, communication control system  130  could convert the interest indicator and/or the interest filter criteria to render the units or metrics compatible. In some examples, communication control system  130  could apply the interest filter criteria to activate the subscription to the message stream for the out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  by determining the interest indicator as a quantity of the subscription requests received from the wireless communication devices  101 - 102 , processing the interest indicator with the interest filter criteria to determine that the interest filter criteria is met, and responsively activating the subscription to the message stream for the out-of-sector wireless communication device  103 . 
     In response to activating the subscription to the message stream, communication control system  130  transfers a message for delivery to the out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  ( 207 ). The message typically comprises the information associated with the location covered by the sector  155  serving the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  ( 207 ). In some examples, the information included in the message comprises the information type or particular message to which the out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  subscribed in the request to receive the message stream. Typically, communication control system  130  provides the message as an SMS text message, although other types of messages and delivery techniques are also possible. 
     Advantageously, out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  can request to receive the message stream that is broadcast to sector  155  when device  103  is located in a different sector  165 . Further, by providing the interest filter criteria in the request, out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  will not receive information being broadcast in the message stream until a requisite level of interest in the information has been generated as determined by the interest indicator received by communication control system  130 . In this manner, a user of out-of-sector wireless communication device  103  can stay updated on information local to the area served by sector  155  that is of interest to the wireless communication devices  101 - 102  located in sector  155 , even when device  103  is remotely located in a different sector  165 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , wireless communication devices  101 - 103  individually comprise any device having wireless communication connectivity with hardware and circuitry programmed to function as a telecommunications device, such as Radio Frequency (RF) communication circuitry and an antenna. The RF communication circuitry typically includes an amplifier, filter, modulator, and signal processing circuitry. Wireless communication devices  101 - 103  may also include a user interface, memory system, software, processing circuitry, or some other communication components. For example, wireless communication devices  101 - 103  could each comprise a telephone, transceiver, mobile phone, cellular phone, smartphone, computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), e-book, game console, mobile Internet device, wireless network interface card, media player, or some other wireless communication apparatus—including combinations thereof. Wireless network protocols that may be utilized by wireless communication devices  101 - 103  include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 1xRTT, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), EV-DO rev. A, B, and C, Third Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution (3GPP LTE), LTE Advanced, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), IEEE 802.11 protocols (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Internet, telephony, or any other wireless network protocol that facilitates communication between wireless communication devices  101 - 103  and a wireless access node  110  or  140 . 
     Wireless access nodes  110  and  140  individually comprise RF communication circuitry and an antenna. The RF communication circuitry typically includes an amplifier, filter, RF modulator, and signal processing circuitry. Wireless access nodes  110  and  140  may also comprise a router, server, memory device, software, processing circuitry, cabling, power supply, network communication interface, structural support, or some other communication apparatus. Wireless access nodes  110  and  140  could each comprise a base station, Internet access node, telephony service node, wireless data access point, or some other wireless communication system—including combinations thereof. Some examples of wireless access nodes  110  and  140  include a base transceiver station (BTS), base station controller (BSC), radio base station (RBS), Node B, enhanced Node B (eNodeB), and others—including combinations thereof. Wireless network protocols that may be utilized by wireless access nodes  110  and  140  include CDMA, GSM, UMTS, HSPA, EV-DO, EV-DO rev. A, B, and C, 3GPP LTE, LTE Advanced, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Internet, telephony, or some other communication format—including combinations thereof. 
     Communication network  120  comprises the core network of a wireless communication service provider, and could include routers, gateways, telecommunication switches, servers, processing systems, or other communication equipment and systems for providing communication and data services. Communication network  120  could comprise wireless communication nodes, telephony switches, Internet routers, network gateways, computer systems, communication links, or some other type of communication equipment—including combinations thereof. Communication network  120  may also comprise optical networks, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, packet networks, radio access networks (RAN), local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN), wide area networks (WAN), or other network topologies, equipment, or systems—including combinations thereof. Communication network  120  may be configured to communicate over metallic, wireless, or optical links—including combinations thereof. Communication network  120  may be configured to use time-division multiplexing (TDM), Internet Protocol (IP), Ethernet, optical networking, wireless protocols, communication signaling, or some other communication format—including combinations thereof. In some examples, communication network  120  includes further access nodes and associated equipment for providing communication services to many wireless communication devices across a large geographic region. 
     Communication control system  130  comprises a processing system and communication transceiver. Communication control system  130  may also include other components such as a router, server, data storage system, and power supply. Communication control system  130  may reside in a single device or may be distributed across multiple devices. Communication control system  130  may be a discrete system or may be integrated within other systems—including other systems within communication system  100 . In some examples, communication control system  130  could comprise a network switch, mobile switching center, router, switching system, packet gateway, network gateway system, Internet access node, application server, service node, firewall, or some other communication system—including combinations thereof. 
     Wireless communication links  111 - 113  use the air or space as the transport medium. Wireless communication links  111 - 113  may use various protocols, such as CDMA, GSM, UMTS, HSPA, EV-DO, EV-DO rev. A, B, and C, 3GPP LTE, LTE Advanced, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Internet, telephony, or some other communication format—including combinations thereof. Wireless communication links  111 - 113  may individually comprise many different signals sharing the same link. For example, wireless communication links  111 - 113  could include multiple signals operating in a single propagation path comprising multiple communication sessions, frequencies, timeslots, transportation ports, logical transportation links, network sockets, IP sockets, packets, or communication directions—including combinations thereof. 
     Communication links  121 ,  131 , and  141  use metal, air, space, optical fiber such as glass or plastic, or some other material as the transport medium—including combinations thereof. Communication links  121 ,  131 , and  141  could use various communication protocols, such as TDM, IP, Ethernet, telephony, optical networking, hybrid fiber coax (HFC), communication signaling, wireless protocols, or some other communication format—including combinations thereof. Communication links  121 ,  131 , and  141  may be direct links or could include intermediate networks, systems, or devices. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram that illustrates communication system  300  in an exemplary embodiment. Communication system  300  includes wireless communication device  301 , base stations  310  and  340 , and commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) control system  330 . Base station  310  provides an example of wireless access node  110  and CMAS control system  330  provides an example of communication control system  130 , although node  110  and system  130  may use alternative configurations. Each of the base stations  310  and  340  has approximate wireless coverage areas as indicated by the dotted lines on  FIG. 3 . In particular, base station  310  provides a wireless coverage area designated as an urban sector for serving a plurality of smartphones in communication with base station  310 . Base station  340  provides a wireless coverage area to wireless communication device  301  designated as a rural sector in  FIG. 3 . The urban sector served by base station  310  and the rural sector served by base station  340  do not overlap in this example and cover separate and distinct geographical areas. 
     In  FIG. 3 , CMAS control system  330  is configured to control the dissemination of emergency notifications and alerts via SMS text messages to mobile communication devices that are located in an area affected by an emergency. For example, if a tornado threatens to enter the urban sector served by base station  310 , CMAS control system  330  could direct base station  310  to issue an SMS tornado warning to the smartphones within the urban sector. Base station  310  has a dedicated communication channel that is reserved for broadcasting these emergency notifications as directed by CMAS control system  330 . However, at times when no emergency is occurring, this broadcast channel may used to provide other types of localized information to devices within a sector, such as news, weather, traffic, sports, retail promotions, and other messages that are related to the location covered by the sector. In some cases, a user of a wireless communication device  301  that is not located in the urban sector may still want to receive some of these messages that are being broadcast to the smartphones within the urban sector. The following description of  FIGS. 4 and 5  provide two examples of techniques for delivering message content to wireless communication device  301  related to a message stream being broadcast to the smartphones within the urban sector when device  301  is located in the rural sector of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 4  is a sequence diagram that illustrates an operation of communication system  300  in an exemplary embodiment. Initially, CMAS control system  330  provides message content to base station  310  and instructs base station  310  to broadcast the content to the smartphones located in the urban sector it serves. CMAS control system  330  would typically receive the message content from news or weather servers, participating retail establishments, or other message systems. Base station  310  then broadcasts the message content in a message stream to the smartphones in the urban sector. 
     In this example, base station  310  broadcasts the message stream indiscriminately to all of the smartphones served by base station  310  in the urban sector in a similar manner to broadcasting emergency notifications. However, the message stream for the non-emergency content contains a flag or indicator bit to inform the smartphones that the message stream in this case is not an emergency broadcast. The smartphones therefore receive and cache the message content but are not configured to display the non-emergency content by default. Instead, a smartphone user may access a menu or listing of the received content that provides a description of each of the messages of the message stream, and the phone will only display a particular message when the user selects that message for display. In some examples, the user may provide predetermined authorizations to display particular types of messages or messages from certain content providers or entities. 
     When a user selects a message for display, the user&#39;s smartphone is configured to report this selection to CMAS control system  330 . The smartphones report these interest indicators to inform CMAS control system  330  that the user of the smartphone was interested in the message and selected the message for display. In some examples, the user may also provide a rating of the message content, such as like/dislike, a numerical rating on a scale of one to five, or some other metric, and this user feedback could also be transferred by the smartphones to CMAS control system  330  as part of the interest indicator. 
     While located in the rural sector of  FIG. 3 , wireless communication device  301  transfers a subscription request to CMAS control system  330  requesting to receive a particular message or messages from the message stream being broadcast to the smartphones in the urban sector. For example, the user of wireless communication device  301  may commute to the location served by the urban sector on a daily basis and thus desires to stay informed of weather updates pertaining to the urban location. However, the user does not wish to receive every weather update, but only updates that are of significant interest to users of the smartphones within the urban sector. Therefore, the subscription request to receive the weather updates includes interest filter criteria to instruct CMAS control system  330  to only transfer weather updates that a majority of the urban-sector smartphones receiving the broadcast message stream have chosen to display or otherwise reported as interesting. For example, a weather update advising of a severe winter snow storm might be displayed more frequently by the smartphones in the urban sector than a less eventful weather pattern. 
     CMAS control system  330  therefore compares the interest indicators received from the urban-sector smartphones to the interest filter criteria received in the subscription request from the rural-sector wireless communication device  301 . In this case, a majority of the smartphones have indicated an interest in a recent weather update, so the interest filter criteria is met. CMAS control system  330  thus transfers message content comprising an SMS text message of the interesting weather update for delivery to wireless communication device  301  within the rural sector. Base station  340  that serves the rural sector receives the SMS text message via a communication network and transmits the message to wireless communication device  301 . In this manner, the user of wireless communication device  301  is informed of an impending snow storm that will impact the location served by the urban sector, even when device  301  is not located in the urban sector and is therefore not privy to the initial broadcast of this information in the message stream. 
       FIG. 5  is a sequence diagram that illustrates an operation of communication system  300  in an exemplary embodiment. The operation of  FIG. 5  is similar to the operation of  FIG. 4 , except that in  FIG. 5 , the smartphones located in the urban sector must actively subscribe to message content in order to receive messages in the broadcast message stream. The operation of  FIG. 5  thus begins with the smartphones transmitting subscription requests for particular messages for delivery to CMAS control system  330  by way of SMS short codes. In this example, a new retail establishment has opened in the location served by the urban sector and has offered a discount promotion for the first one hundred users that subscribe to their message stream. CMAS control system  330  maintains a data structure of device identifiers of the smartphones that have subscribed to the retail establishment&#39;s message stream, and provides these identifiers to base station  310  along with the message content. Base station  310  broadcasts the message stream to the subscribers by including the device identifiers of the subscribers in the overhead of the broadcast. The subscribing smartphones are configured to identify their respective device identifiers in the message stream and responsively receive and display the messages based on these identifiers. 
     After receiving the subscription requests, CMAS control system  330  determines a quantity of subscribers that have subscribed to the message stream of the retail establishment. Wireless communication device  301  transfers a subscription request to CMAS control system  330  to subscribe to the message stream of the retail establishment. However, since wireless communication device  301  is located in the rural sector of  FIG. 3  and not the urban sector, device  301  will not receive the broadcast message stream from base station  310 . The subscription request from wireless communication device  301  includes a subscription threshold requiring that three devices in the urban sector subscribe to the broadcast message stream before the subscription to the message stream for device  301  is activated. CMAS control system  330  compares the quantity of subscribers to the broadcast message stream to the subscriber threshold of three devices, which in this case is met since all four smartphones within the urban sector have subscribed to the message stream of the retail establishment to take advantage of the promotion. Thus, CMAS control system  330  activates the subscription to the message stream for wireless communication device  301 . 
     CMAS control system  330  generates an SMS text message for wireless communication device  301  that includes the advertising content provided by the retail establishment and transfers the message for delivery to wireless communication device  301 . Base station  340  receives the SMS text message via a communication network and wirelessly transmits the message to wireless communication device  301 . In this manner, wireless communication device  301  is able to subscribe to the message stream of the retail establishment as one of the first one hundred subscribers in fulfillment of the terms of the promotional offer, and therefore avoids missing out on the promotion, despite being located in the rural sector. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram that illustrates wireless access node  600 . Wireless access node  600  provides an example of wireless access node  110 , although node  110  may use alternative configurations. Wireless access node  600  comprises communication transceiver  601 , wireless communication transceiver  602 , and processing system  603 . Processing system  603  is linked to communication transceiver  601  and wireless communication transceiver  602 . Processing system  603  includes processing circuitry  605  and memory system  606  that stores operating software  607 . Operating software  607  comprises software modules  608  and  609 . 
     Communication transceiver  601  comprises components that communicate over communication links, such as network cards, ports, RF transceivers, processing circuitry and software, or some other communication components. Communication transceiver  601  may be configured to communicate over metallic, wireless, or optical links. Communication transceiver  601  may be configured to use TDM, IP, Ethernet, optical networking, wireless protocols, communication signaling, or some other communication format—including combinations thereof. 
     Wireless communication transceiver  602  comprises RF communication circuitry and an antenna. The RF communication circuitry typically includes an amplifier, filter, RF modulator, and signal processing circuitry. Wireless communication transceiver  602  may also include a memory system, software, processing circuitry, or some other communication device. Wireless communication transceiver  602  may use various protocols, such as CDMA, GSM, UMTS, HSPA, EV-DO, EV-DO rev. A, B, and C, 3GPP LTE, LTE Advanced, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Internet, telephony, or some other wireless communication format. Wireless communication transceiver  602  is configured to exchange wireless communications with a plurality of wireless communication devices located in a sector served by wireless access node  600  to provide wireless internet access. Further, wireless communication transceiver  602  is configured to broadcast a message stream to the wireless communication devices located in the sector. 
     Processing circuitry  605  comprises microprocessor and other circuitry that retrieves and executes operating software  607  from memory system  606 . Processing circuitry  605  may comprise a single device or could be distributed across multiple devices—including devices in different geographic areas. Processing circuitry  605  may be embedded in various types of equipment. Memory system  606  comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as a disk drive, flash drive, data storage circuitry, or some other hardware memory apparatus. Memory system  606  may comprise a single device or could be distributed across multiple devices—including devices in different geographic areas. Memory system  606  may be embedded in various types of equipment. Operating software  607  comprises computer programs, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable processing instructions. Operating software  607  may include an operating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications, or some other type of software. In this example, operating software  607  comprises software modules  608  and  609 , although software  607  could have alternative configurations in other examples. 
     When executed by circuitry  605 , operating software  607  directs processing system  603  to operate as described herein for wireless access node  110 . In particular, operating software  607  directs processing system  603  to direct wireless communication transceiver  602  to exchange wireless communications with a plurality of wireless communication devices located in a sector served by wireless access node  600  to provide wireless internet access. Further, operating software  607  directs processing system  603  to direct wireless communication transceiver  602  to broadcast a message stream to the wireless communication devices located in the sector. 
     In this example, operating software  607  comprises a wireless communication software module  608  that exchanges wireless communications with a plurality of wireless communication devices located in a sector served by wireless access node  600  to provide wireless internet access. Operating software  607  also comprises a broadcast software module  609  that broadcasts a message stream to the wireless communication devices located in the sector. 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram that illustrates communication control system  700 . Communication control system  700  provides an example of communication control system  130 , although system  130  may use alternative configurations. Communication control system  700  comprises communication transceiver  701  and processing system  703 . Processing system  703  is linked to communication transceiver  701 . Processing system  703  includes processing circuitry  705  and memory system  706  that stores operating software  707 . Operating software  707  comprises software modules  708 - 711 . 
     Communication transceiver  701  comprises components that communicate over communication links, such as network cards, ports, RF transceivers, processing circuitry and software, or some other communication components. Communication transceiver  701  may be configured to communicate over metallic, wireless, or optical links. Communication transceiver  701  may be configured to use TDM, IP, Ethernet, optical networking, wireless protocols, communication signaling, or some other communication format—including combinations thereof. Communication transceiver  701  may be configured to receive an interest indicator that indicates a level of interest in a message stream by a plurality of wireless communication devices, and to receive a request to receive the message stream transmitted from an out-of-sector wireless communication device served by a different sector from a sector serving the wireless communication devices, wherein the request includes interest filter criteria. Further, communication transceiver  701  may be configured to transfer a message for delivery to the out-of-sector wireless communication device in response to activating a subscription to the message stream, wherein the message comprises information associated with a location covered by the sector serving the wireless communication devices. 
     Processing circuitry  705  comprises microprocessor and other circuitry that retrieves and executes operating software  707  from memory system  706 . Processing circuitry  705  may comprise a single device or could be distributed across multiple devices—including devices in different geographic areas. Processing circuitry  705  may be embedded in various types of equipment. Memory system  706  comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as a disk drive, flash drive, data storage circuitry, or some other hardware memory apparatus. Memory system  706  may comprise a single device or could be distributed across multiple devices—including devices in different geographic areas. Memory system  706  may be embedded in various types of equipment. Operating software  707  comprises computer programs, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable processing instructions. Operating software  707  may include an operating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications, or some other type of software. In this example, operating software  707  comprises software modules  708 - 711 , although software  707  could have alternative configurations in other examples. 
     When executed by circuitry  705 , operating software  707  directs processing system  703  to operate as described herein for communication control system  130 . In particular, operating software  707  directs processing system  703  to configure a wireless access node to broadcast a message stream comprising information associated with a location covered by a sector serving a plurality of wireless communication devices. Further, operating software  707  directs processing system  703  to direct communication transceiver  701  to receive an interest indicator that indicates a level of interest in the message stream by the wireless communication devices, and to receive a request to receive the message stream transmitted from an out-of-sector wireless communication device served by a different sector from the sector serving the wireless communication devices, wherein the request includes interest filter criteria. In addition, operating software  707  directs processing system  703  to apply the interest filter criteria to activate a subscription to the message stream for the out-of-sector wireless communication device when the interest filter criteria is met based on the interest indicator. Operating software  707  directs processing system  703  to direct communication transceiver  701  to transfer a message for delivery to the out-of-sector wireless communication device in response to activating the subscription to the message stream, wherein the message comprises the information associated with the location covered by the sector serving the wireless communication devices. 
     In this example, operating software  707  comprises a node configuration software module  708  that configures a wireless access node to broadcast a message stream comprising information associated with a location covered by a sector serving a plurality of wireless communication devices. In addition, operating software  707  comprises an interest indicator and request receiver software module  709  that receives an interest indicator that indicates a level of interest in the message stream by the wireless communication devices, and that receives a request to receive the message stream transmitted from an out-of-sector wireless communication device served by a different sector from the sector serving the wireless communication devices, wherein the request includes interest filter criteria. Further, operating software  707  comprises an interest filter criteria analysis software module  710  that applies the interest filter criteria to activate a subscription to the message stream for the out-of-sector wireless communication device when the interest filter criteria is met based on the interest indicator. Finally, operating software  707  comprises a message transfer software module  711  that transfers a message for delivery to the out-of-sector wireless communication device in response to activating the subscription to the message stream, wherein the message comprises the information associated with the location covered by the sector serving the wireless communication devices. 
     The above description and associated figures teach the best mode of the invention. The following claims specify the scope of the invention. Note that some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of the invention as specified by the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described above can be combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but only by the following claims and their equivalents.