Controlling relay-UE operation based on bearer content type
A method and system are disclosed for a base station to manage air interface communications with a user equipment device (UE) served by the base station. The base station will determine whether the served UE is a relay-UE that provides wireless backhaul connectivity for a relay base station and whether the relay base station serves at least a threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic. Based on a determination that the served UE is a relay-UE and that the relay base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic, the base station will responsively cause the relay-UE to be served by the base station on a particular carrier frequency, in an effort to reduce a total delay resulting from the wireless relay arrangement.
1. A method for managing wireless backhaul communication between a donor base station and a relay, wherein the relay comprises a relay user equipment device (relay-UE) and a relay base station, wherein the donor base station serves the relay-UE over an air interface defining a wireless backhaul connection for the relay, and wherein the relay base station serves one or more UEs, the method comprising:
determining that the relay-UE is a relay-UE rather than an end-user UE;
determining that the relay base station serves at least a threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic; and
based on the relay-UE being a relay-UE rather than an end-user UE and the relay base station serving at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic,
causing the donor base station to transition from serving the relay-UE on a first carrier frequency to serving the relay-UE on a second carrier frequency.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the relay base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic comprises determining that at least a threshold number of UEs being served by the relay base station are capable of receiving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bearer traffic.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the relay base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic comprises determining that at least a threshold number of UEs being served by the relay base station are engaged in receiving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bearer traffic.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second carrier frequency is lower than the first carrier frequency, and wherein the donor base station transitions from serving the relay-UE on the first carrier frequency to serving the relay-UE on the second carrier frequency based on the second carrier frequency being lower than the first carrier frequency.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the donor base station operates on a set of carrier frequencies ranging from a lowest carrier frequency to a highest carrier frequency, wherein the second carrier frequency is the lowest carrier frequency of the set, and wherein the donor base station transitions from serving the relay-UE on the first carrier frequency to serving the relay-UE on the second carrier frequency based on the second carrier frequency being the lowest carrier frequency of the set.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the relay base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic is done at least in part by the relay base station.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the relay base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic is done at least in part by a core network gateway system through which the delay-sensitive communication traffic passes.
8. A base station comprising:
a transmitter for transmitting downlink air interface communications in a plurality of downlink channels;
a receiver for receiving uplink air interface communications in a plurality of uplink channels; and
a controller, wherein the controller is configured to (i) determine that a user equipment device (UE) served by the base station is a relay-UE rather than an end-user UE, (ii) determine that the base station transmits at least a threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic to the UE, and (iii) based on the UE being a relay-UE and the base station transmitting the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic to the UE, cause the base station to transition from serving the UE on a first carrier frequency to serving the UE on a second carrier frequency.
9. The base station of claim 8 , wherein determining that the base station transmits the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic to the UE comprises determining that the base station transmits at least a threshold extent of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bearer traffic to the UE.
10. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the UE provides wireless backhaul connectivity for a relay base station that serves one or more end user UEs, and wherein determining that the base station transmits a threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic to the UE comprises determining that at least a threshold number of UEs being served by the relay base station are capable of receiving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bearer traffic.
11. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the UE provides wireless backhaul connectivity for a relay base station that serves one or more end user UEs, and wherein determining that the base station transmits a threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic to the UE comprises receiving a signal indicating that the relay base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic.
12. The base station of claim 11 , wherein the signal indicating that the relay base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic comprises a signal indicating that at least a threshold number of UEs being served by the relay base station are capable of receiving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bearer traffic.
13. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the second carrier frequency is lower than the first carrier frequency, and wherein the base station transitions from serving the UE on the first carrier frequency to serving the UE on the second carrier frequency based on the second carrier frequency being lower than the first carrier frequency.
14. The base station of claim 8 , wherein the base station operates on a set of carrier frequencies ranging from a lowest carrier frequency to a highest carrier frequency, wherein the second carrier frequency is the lowest carrier frequency of the set, and wherein the base station transitions from serving the UE on the first carrier frequency to serving the UE on the second carrier frequency based on the second carrier frequency being the lowest carrier frequency of the set.
15. A wireless communication system comprising:
a first base station configured to serve user equipment devices (UEs) over a first air interface; and
a relay including a relay-UE and a second base station, wherein the first base station is configured to serve the relay-UE over the first air interface, and wherein the second base station is configured to serve UEs over a second air interface,
wherein the first base station is further configured to (i) determine that the relay-UE is a relay-UE rather than an end-user UE, (ii) determine that the second base station serves at least a threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic, and (iii) based on the relay-UE being a relay-UE rather than an end-user UE and the second base station serving at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic, cause the first base station to transition from serving the relay-UE on a first carrier frequency to serving the relay-UE on a second carrier frequency.
16. The wireless communication system of claim 15 , wherein determining that the second base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic comprises determining that at least a threshold number of UEs being served by the second base station are capable of receiving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bearer traffic.
17. The wireless communication system of claim 15 , wherein determining that the second base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic comprises determining that at least a threshold number of UEs being served by the second base station are engaged in receiving Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) bearer traffic.
18. The wireless communication system of claim 15 , wherein determining that the second base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic comprises receiving by the first base station a signal indicating that the second base station serves at least the threshold extent of delay-sensitive communication traffic.
19. The wireless communication system of claim 15 , wherein the second carrier frequency is lower than the first carrier frequency, and wherein the first base station transitions from serving the relay-UE on the first carrier frequency to serving the relay-UE on the second carrier frequency based on the second carrier frequency being lower than the first carrier frequency.
20. The wireless communication system of claim 15 , wherein the first base station operates on a set of carrier frequencies ranging from a lowest carrier frequency to a highest carrier frequency, wherein the second carrier frequency is the lowest carrier frequency of the set, and wherein the first base station transitions from serving the relay-UE on the first carrier frequency to serving the relay-UE on the second carrier frequency based on the second carrier frequency being the lowest carrier frequency of the set.