Method and apparatus for FDD and TDD terminal entry into a wireless communication network

1. A wireless communications system enabling entry of terminals operable in a frequency-division duplex or a time-division duplex mode, the system comprising:

at least one control terminal being compatible with frequency-division duplex and time-division duplex operation, having capability for transmission using a first carrier frequency and a second carrier frequency and having capability for reception using at least the first carrier frequency;

a defined discovery protocol comprising a message format for join request messages and a message format for response messages;

a join request message format comprising a field defining the duplex capability of a joining terminal and transmitted to the control terminal using the first carrier frequency; and

a response message format comprising a field defining network information and transmitted from the control terminal using a selected one of either the first carrier frequency or the second carrier frequency, selection being based on the duplex capability information received in a corresponding join request message.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one control terminal is further capable of reception using the second carrier frequency.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one control terminal further comprises a switchable diplexer.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one control terminal further comprises:

a traffic channel receiver for reception of data traffic;

a traffic channel transmitter for transmission of data traffic; and

wherein the traffic channel receiver and transmitter use at least one traffic channel carrier frequency different from the first carrier frequency and different from the second carrier frequency.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the response messages comprises a field defining the at least one traffic channel carrier frequency.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein least one of the response messages comprises a field defining a traffic channel mode of operation.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one member terminal, the member terminal capable of transmission on the first carrier frequency and capable of reception on the second carrier frequency; and

wherein the member terminal is in communication with the control terminal.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one member terminal, the member terminal capable of transmission on the first carrier frequency and capable of reception on the first carrier frequency; and

wherein the member terminal is in communication with the control terminal.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information defining the duplex capability of the joining terminal comprises a terminal receive carrier frequency field within the join request message.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information defining the duplex capability of the joining terminal comprises a terminal duplex mode field within the join request message, and a defined relationship between terminal duplex mode and terminal receive carrier frequency is known by the communications network.

11. A terminal for use within a communications network, the terminal comprising:

a message formatter configured to format a join request message having a duplex capability indicator, the duplex capability indicator being associated with a defined receive carrier frequency;

a transmitter coupled to the message formatting and configured to transmit the join request message using a defined transmit carrier frequency;

a receiver coupled to the transmitter and configured to receive a response message using the defined receive carrier frequency; and

a decoder coupled to the receiver and configured to extract communications network parameters from the response message, the communications network parameters suitable to enable entry of the terminal into the communications network.

12. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the duplex capability indicator comprises a field defining a receive carrier frequency.

13. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the duplex capability indicator comprises a field defining whether the terminal operates in frequency-division or time-division duplex.

14. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the defined receive carrier frequency equals the defined transmit carrier frequency.

15. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the defined receive carrier frequency is different from the defined transmit carrier frequency.

16. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the communications network parameters comprises at least one field within the response message having at least one of the following parameters: a traffic channel carrier frequency, a traffic channel data rate, a traffic channel duplex mode, a traffic channel modulation mode, and a traffic channel synchronization parameter.