Radio resource management

1. A method for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas;

receiving information about a status of resources in said candidate areas;

based on said information about the status of resources, estimating for each candidate area a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said parameter comprises the total load and/or increase in load in said candidate area.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said parameter comprises throughput.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account the current traffic load in a candidate area.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said current traffic load comprises a real time load, a non real time load and/or a total load.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account the interference status of a candidate area.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account the status of one or more entities in said network.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account configuration information relating to a candidate area.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account handover margins between different areas.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account a parameter indicative of signal strength and/or link quality.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account the quality of service requirements of said user.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account the traffic class or classes associated with said user.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account parameters associated with said user.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and/or estimating step takes into account the measurements made by said user relating to one or more of said candidate areas.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said measurements comprise the strength of signals received form at least some of said candidate areas.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said prioritising and estimating step takes into account information relating to channel allocation in at least some of said candidate areas.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said estimating and/or prioritising step(s) are arranged to determine a required maximum power for each candidate cell.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said maximum power is determined by an admission control algorithm.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said candidate areas include the area to which the user is currently assigned.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said user comprises a mobile station.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said areas comprise cells.

22. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said network comprises a plurality of systems.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 , wherein at least two of said systems use different radio access methods and/or radio interfaces.

24. A method as claimed in claim 22 , wherein at least two of said systems overlap at least partially.

25. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the estimation and assignment steps are done in a centralised entity.

26. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said estimation and assignment steps are done by a plurality of different entities.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26 , wherein said plurality of different entities comprise entities in said different systems.

28. A method for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas;

estimating for each candidate area a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter;

wherein in said estimating and/or prioritising step(s) a carrier to interference ratio is calculated for at least some time slots associated with at least one of said candidate areas.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28 , wherein said carrier to interference ratio is calculated using dynamic frequency and channel allocation algorithm.

30. A method as claimed in claim 28 , wherein background interference values are used to determine said carrier to interference ratio.

31. A method as claimed in claim 28 , wherein said carrier to interference ratios are mapped to corresponding throughput values.

32. A method as claimed in claim 28 , wherein said carrier to interference ratios and a measure of available time slots is used to provide throughput, said parameter comprising throughput.

33. A method as claimed in claim 28 , wherein said carrier to interference ratio is calculated by said candidate areas.

34. A method for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas;

estimating for each candidate area a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter;

wherein in said estimating and/or prioritising step(s), a number of channels or transceivers used for a given frequency and/or time slot is determined.

35. A method for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas;

estimating for each candidate area a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter;

wherein in said estimating and/or prioritising step(s), the number of channels or transceivers in at least one candidate cell is determined.

36. A method for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas;

estimating for each candidate area a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter;

wherein said area with which said user is associated is divided into a plurality of smaller areas and information relating to each of said smaller areas is used in said estimating and/or prioritising step.

37. A method as claimed in claim 36 , wherein said information is collected as a function of user position.

38. A method as claimed in claim 36 , wherein said information is collected as a function of pathloss.

39. A method for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas;

estimating for each candidate area a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter;

wherein said estimating and/or prioritising step(s) are arranged to determine a required maximum power for each candidate cell, and

wherein measurements provided by the user is used with said required maximum power to determine available throughput for a candidate area.

40. A radio resource manager for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said radio resource manager comprising:

means for receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas and information about a status of resources in said areas;

means for estimating for each candidate area, based on said information about the status of resources, a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

means for prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter.

41. A manager as claimed in claim 40 , wherein said receiving means, estimating means and prioritising means are provided in a single entity.

42. A manager as claimed in claim 40 , wherein a plurality of said entities are provided.

43. A manager as claimed in claim 42 , wherein at least two of said entities are arranged to be connected.

44. A manager as claimed in claim 40 , wherein said receiving means, estimating means and prioritising means are provided by a plurality of different entities.

45. A radio resource manager for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, said radio resource manager comprising:

a receiver configured to receive information identifying said plurality of candidate areas and configured to receive information about a status of resources in said areas;

an estimator configured to estimate, for each candidate area, based on said information about the status of resources, a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

a prioritisor configured to prioritise said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter.

46. A computer program, embodied on a machine readable medium, the computer program comprising a method for use in a network covering a region, said region comprising a plurality of areas, a user being assigned to at least one of said areas and having associated therewith a plurality of candidate areas to which the user may be assigned, wherein, when run on a computer, said computer program is configured to perform the following steps:

receiving information identifying said plurality of candidate areas;

receiving information about a status of resources in said candidate areas;

based on said information about the status of resources, estimating for each candidate area a parameter, said parameter assuming that said user is assigned to said candidate area; and

prioritising said plurality of candidate areas which takes into account the estimated value of said parameter.