Verizon Communications Inc.
Providing LTE network devices with downlink channels in an unlicensed spectrum

Abstract:

A small cell device may communicate with a user device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet computer, etc.) via a range extender device that extends the effective range of the small cell device to the user device. The small cell device, the range extender device, and the user device may communicate with one another using channels of a licensed spectrum (e.g., traditional LTE channels). The range extender device may determine channel conditions corresponding to an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 Gigahertz (GHz) Spectrum) and communicate the channel conditions to the small cell device. Based on the channel conditions, the small cell device and the range extender device may select downlink-only channels of the unlicensed spectrum and cause the downlink capabilities of the channels of the unlicensed spectrum to be augmented by the downlink capabilities of the downlink-only channels of the unlicensed spectrum.