Adaptive data scheduling using neighboring base station load information for TDMA systems

摘要

A telecommunications system having a first base station that utilizes neighboring base station load information to adaptively schedule transmissions to mobile devices within the first base station's coverage area. Before transmitting information to a mobile device, the first base station determines whether neighboring base stations causing the most interference to the mobile device have a load below a loading threshold (i.e., if the neighboring base stations are "lightly loaded"). If the first base station determines that the neighboring base stations are lightly loaded, then the neighboring base stations are providing little to no interference to the mobile device at which point, the first base station should transmit to the mobile device with high priority. If the first base station determines that the neighboring base stations are not lightly loaded, then the neighboring base stations are providing sufficient interference to the mobile device that transmissions to the mobile device should be given low priority. Thus, the first base station schedules transmissions at times when the transmissions can be made at high data rates, which increases the data rates of the mobile devices and the overall throughput of the system.