System and method for combined MAC level message with CQI channel control message for channel feedback report

1. A method of managing network channel quality for a particular user in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

if one of a plurality of channel quality information channels (CQICH) is available during a first data frame, reporting a channel quality measurement from the particular user to a base station (BS) over the available CQICH, and assigning a modulation coding scheme (MCS) based, at least in part, upon the channel quality measurement;

if a threshold network CQICH capacity is reached during a subsequent data frame and if one of the plurality of CQICH is not available, generating Medium Access Control (MAC) level messages between the BS and the particular user to trigger reporting of signal quality information to the BS by the particular user;

receiving the reported signal quality information at the BS at least until a next CQICH cycle commences and determining whether one of the plurality of CQICH is available during the next CQICH cycle;

if a CQICH is not available during the next CQICH cycle, continuing to receive the signal quality information via the MAC level messages or, otherwise, allocating an available CQICH for reporting the channel quality measurement from the particular user to the BS.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

allocating a CQICH to the particular user during the first data frame;

responsive to the allocated CQICH no longer being available, generating MAC level messages by the particular user during a second data frame; and

responsive to one of the plurality of channel quality information channels subsequently being available, allocating a different CQICH to the particular user during a subsequent data frame.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold network CQICH capacity is a maximum CQICH capacity of the wireless communications network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communications network is a WiMAX network and the MAC level messages comprise REP-REQ/RSP messages.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communications network is an LTE network.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a CQICH cycle length comprises a predetermined number of frames, the method further comprising, for the particular user, extending a period of the CQICH cycle to be greater than the predetermined number of frames; and using REP-REQ/RSP messaging on selected frames in the extended period where a CQICH is unavailable.

7. A system for wireless packet-based communications, the system comprising:

a base station (BS) and a subscriber station (SS) arranged to communicate over a wireless network,

wherein the BS is configured to:

allocate an available channel quality information channel (CQICH) to the SS during a first data frame and,

if a threshold network CQICH capacity is reached during a subsequent data frame such that a CQICH is not available to the SS, or if a CQICH is not available during the first data frame, generate a first Medium Access Control (MAC) level message to the SS to trigger reporting of signal quality information to the BS by the SS using a second MAC level message, and

determine whether a different CQICH is available during a next CQICH cycle;

wherein the SS is configured to:

if a CQICH is available during the first data frame, report a channel quality measurement to the BS over the allocated CQICH, or

responsive to the first MAC level message, report the signal quality information to the BS using the second MAC level message at least until the next CQICH cycle commences, and

continue to report the signal quality information via the second MAC level messages if the different CQICH is not available during the next CQICH cycle.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein:

the BS is further configured to:

allocate a CQICH to the SS during the first data frame, and

subsequent to the first data frame, allocate a different CQICH to the SS during a subsequent data frame;

wherein the SS is further configured to:

generate the second MAC level message during a second data frame responsive to the allocated CQICH no longer being available, said second data frame being arranged between the first data frame and the subsequent data frame.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the threshold network CQICH capacity is a maximum CQICH capacity of the wireless network.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless network is a WiMAX network, the first MAC level messages is a REP-REQ message, and the second MAC level message is a REP-RSP message.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless network is an LTE network.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein a CQICH cycle length comprises a predetermined number of frames, wherein the BS is further configured to:

extend a period of, the CQICH cycle for the SS to be greater than the predetermined number of frames; and

use a REP-REQ message on selected frames in the extended period where a CQICH is unavailable for allocation to the SS by the BS.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer readable code physically embodied thereon which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to carry out a plurality of operations, the operations comprising:

if one of a plurality of channel quality information channels (CQICH) is available during a first data frame, reporting a channel quality measurement from a user node to a base station (BS) over the available CQICH, and assigning a modulation coding scheme (MCS) based, at least in part, upon the channel quality measurement;

if a threshold network CQICH capacity is reached during a subsequent data frame and if one of the plurality of CQICH is not available, generating Medium Access Control (MAC) level messages between the BS and the user node to trigger reporting of signal quality information to the BS by the user node;

receiving the reported signal quality information at the BS at least until a next CQICH cycle commences and determining whether one of the plurality of CQICH is available during the next CQICH cycle;

if a CQICH is not available during the next CQICH cycle, continuing to receive the signal quality information via the MAC level messages or, otherwise, allocating an available CQICH for reporting the channel quality measurement from the user node to the BS.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , the operations further comprising:

allocating a CQICH to the user node during the first data frame;

responsive to the allocated CQICH no longer being available, generating MAC level messages by the user node during a second data frame; and

responsive to one of the plurality of channel quality information channels subsequently being available, allocating a different CQICH to the user node during a subsequent data frame.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the threshold network CQICH capacity is a maximum CQICH capacity of the wireless communications network.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the wireless communications network is a WiMAX network and the MAC level messages comprise REP-REQ/RSP messages.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the wireless communications network is an LTE network.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein a CQICH cycle length comprises a predetermined number of frames, the operations further comprising:

for the user node, extending a period of the CQICH cycle to be greater than the predetermined number of frames; and

using REP-REQ/RSP messaging on selected frames in the extended period where a CQICH is unavailable.