Patent ID: 8817736

Claim:
A method comprising: a) transmitting, by each base station in a plurality of base stations, during each frame in a plurality of frames, a system frame number (SFN) assigned to said frame; and b) transmitting, by each base station in said plurality of base stations, during each frame in said plurality of frames, a synchronization signal indicating a cell ID, the transmission of said synchronization signals being substantially time aligned among said plurality of base stations; and c) transmitting, by each base station in said plurality of base stations, a message to a plurality of wireless devices in connected mode, for each of said plurality of base stations, said message comprising: i) a subframe allocation repetition period in terms of p frames, p being an integer greater than or equal to one; ii) a subframe allocation offset i, i being an integer greater than or equal to zero; and iii) a subframe allocation bitmap indicating a plurality of subframes in k frames, k being an integer where 1≦k≦p, said bitmap applying to subframes in k frames starting from frames whose SFN meets (SFN mod p=i) criterion, said plurality of subframes comprising a first plurality of special subframes, during a majority of symbols of a special subframe of a base station: (1) no signal is transmitted by said base station; or (2) signals are transmitted at a special subframe power level that is substantially lower than a transmit power during a non-special subframe; and wherein all the base stations in said plurality of base stations transmit the same system frame number in frames that are transmitted substantially at the same time.