1. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to control plane communications with upstream network components and between access points.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as, for example, voice, data, and so on. Typical wireless communication systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, . . . ). Examples of such multiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. Additionally, the systems can conform to specifications such as third generation partnership project (3GPP), 3GPP long term evolution (LTE), ultra mobile broadband (UMB), and/or multi-carrier wireless specifications such as evolution data optimized (EV-DO), one or more revisions thereof, etc.
Generally, wireless multiple-access communication systems may simultaneously support communication for multiple mobile devices. Each mobile device may communicate with one or more access points (e.g., base stations) via transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from access points to mobile devices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from mobile devices to access points. Further, communications between mobile devices and access points may be established via single-input single-output (SISO) systems, multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and so forth. In addition, mobile devices can communicate with other mobile devices in peer-to-peer wireless network configurations.
Access points can communicate with additional upstream wireless network components to facilitate providing wireless network access to the mobile devices. In some configurations, the access points can establish connection with a mobility management entity (MME) to provide session and mobility management in the wireless network. MMEs can further communicate with additional upstream network components to authenticate/authorize the mobile devices to communicate over the network and/or to facilitate transmitting/receiving data over the network.
Small scale access points, such as femtocell access points, picocell access points, relay nodes, etc., have been introduced to conventional wireless networks allowing heterogeneous unregulated deployment of new access points. These small scale access points similarly establish connection with MMEs to provide session and mobility management in the wireless networks. MMEs, however, can be limited in the number of supportable connections, both at the transport and application layers. Similarly, some access points can support other small scale access points, providing MME access thereto, and similarly can have limits on the number of concurrently supportable connections especially, for example, where the supporting access point is a picocell or femtocell access point.