CPC H04W 36/165 (2013.01) [H04L 47/125 (2013.01); H04W 4/025 (2013.01); H04W 24/02 (2013.01); H04W 28/00 (2013.01); H04W 76/27 (2018.02); H04W 88/16 (2013.01); H04W 36/0055 (2013.01); H04W 36/0069 (2018.08)] | 26 Claims |
1. A method of coordinating radio access networks (RANs), comprising:
aggregating, with a gateway comprising a plurality of access controller instances, communications interfaces between a plurality of RANs and a packet core network through the gateway, a plurality of radio nodes (RNs) having a radio coverage area in each of the plurality of RANs communicatively coupled to the gateway and to user equipment (UE) devices associated with the plurality of RNs in each of the plurality of RANs;
controlling with the gateway, mobility of the UE devices within and among the plurality of RANs;
acting, with the gateway, as a virtual enhanced NodeB (eNB) to the packet core network to hide the aggregated communications interfaces from the packet core network; and
conducting a hand-in or hand-out event between a macro cell and one of the plurality of access controller instances without signaling the packet core network.
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