A method, wireless device and computer program product for expanding the coverage of a cellular network. A wireless device (e.g., cellular telephone) is able to communicate with a base station in a cell of the cellular network over a non-cellular interface via another wireless device in a cell through the use of multi-hopping. A wireless device may request permission to communicate with the base station over a non-cellular interface via hopping off another wireless device when its signal strength is below a threshold. Alternatively, a wireless device may receive a request to communicate with the base station over a non-cellular interface via hopping off the wireless device that sent the request when that wireless device has excess capacity in its bandwidth with the base station.

A method, wireless device and computer program product for expanding the coverage of a cellular network. A wireless device (e.g., cellular telephone) is able to communicate with a base station in a cell of the cellular network over a non-cellular interface via another wireless device in a cell through the use of multi-hopping. A wireless device may request permission to communicate with the base station over a non-cellular interface via hopping off another wireless device when its signal strength is below a threshold. Alternatively, a wireless device may receive a request to communicate with the base station over a non-cellular interface via hopping off the wireless device that sent the request when that wireless device has excess capacity in its bandwidth with the base station.

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide for a power control system in a multi-hop integrated access and backhaul network. In the multi-hop integrated access and backhaul network, a donor node can communicate with user equipment devices and relay nodes that have varying power levels; and to avoid receiving uplink transmissions with varying power levels which can impact automatic gain control systems and lower overall throughput, the power control system can manage the power levels of the relay node in order to reduce the difference in power levels. The power control system can schedule relay node devices to transmit uplink transmissions alongside user equipment devices that have a high signal strength; schedule relay nodes and user equipment devices to separate symbols within a time slot; and/or perform closed loop power control management at the relay node to reduce the power level for an uplink transmission.

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide for a power control system in a multi-hop integrated access and backhaul network. In the multi-hop integrated access and backhaul network, a donor node can communicate with user equipment devices and relay nodes that have varying power levels; and to avoid receiving uplink transmissions with varying power levels which can impact automatic gain control systems and lower overall throughput, the power control system can manage the power levels of the relay node in order to reduce the difference in power levels. The power control system can schedule relay node devices to transmit uplink transmissions alongside user equipment devices that have a high signal strength; schedule relay nodes and user equipment devices to separate symbols within a time slot; and/or perform closed loop power control management at the relay node to reduce the power level for an uplink transmission.

A wireless relay wirelessly receives user data from User Equipment (UE) using a UE uplink Carrier Aggregation (CA) configuration. The wireless relay wirelessly transfers the user data using a relay uplink. The wireless relay determines available Power Headroom (PHR) for the relay uplink and translates the available PHR into a new UE uplink CA configuration. The wireless relay wirelessly receives additional user data from the UE using the new UE uplink CA configuration.

A wireless communication device which can improve reception quality in a second other wireless communication device is disclosed, including a reception unit which receives a signal from a first other wireless communication device or a second other wireless communication device connected to the wireless communication device and the first other wireless communication device, a transmission power value setting unit which sets a transmission power value in a first subframe, in which the first other wireless communication device transmits a signal to the second other wireless communication device, to be higher than that in a second subframe in which the first other wireless communication device receives a signal from a third other wireless communication device connected to the first other wireless communication device, and a transmission power value switching control unit which performs switching in the first subframe to the transmission power value higher than that in the second subframe.

A wireless communication device which can improve reception quality in a second other wireless communication device is disclosed, including a reception unit which receives a signal from a first other wireless communication device or a second other wireless communication device connected to the wireless communication device and the first other wireless communication device, a transmission power value setting unit which sets a transmission power value in a first subframe, in which the first other wireless communication device transmits a signal to the second other wireless communication device, to be higher than that in a second subframe in which the first other wireless communication device receives a signal from a third other wireless communication device connected to the first other wireless communication device, and a transmission power value switching control unit which performs switching in the first subframe to the transmission power value higher than that in the second subframe.

In accordance with an embodiment, a network device includes a network controller and at least one network interface coupled to the network controller that includes at least one media access control (MAC) device configured to be coupled to at least one physical layer interface (PHY). The network controller may be configured to determine a network path comprising the at least one network interface that has a lowest power consumption and minimum security attributes of available media types coupled to the at least one PHY.

In accordance with an embodiment, a network device includes a network controller and at least one network interface coupled to the network controller that includes at least one media access control (MAC) device configured to be coupled to at least one physical layer interface (PHY). The network controller may be configured to determine a network path comprising the at least one network interface that has a lowest power consumption and minimum security attributes of available media types coupled to the at least one PHY.

To facilitate spatial sharing, signaling may be used. A first node may receive one or more frame exchanges between a second node and a third node, wherein the second node is associate with the third node. The first node may then detect a spatial sharing scenario (SSS) with an overlapping basic service set (BSS) based on the received one or more frame exchanges. Also, the first node may transmit a directional poll request to at least a fourth node associated with the first node based on the detected SSS, and thereby null directional transmissions associated with the second node, the third node or both. The first node may then receive a direction poll response from the fourth node. Further, the first node may transmit one or more directional, beamformed transmissions to the fourth node simultaneously with directional, beamformed transmissions by the second node to the third node.