In a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network, long-term evolution (LTE) is under study for the purposes of further increasing high-speed data rates, providing low delay, and so on (non-patent literature 1). In LTE, as multiple access schemes, a scheme that is based on OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) is used in downlink channels (the downlink), and a scheme that is based on SC-FDMA (Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access) is used in uplink channels (the uplink).
Also, successor systems of LTE (referred to as, for example, “LTE-Advanced” or “LTE enhancement” (hereinafter referred to as “LTE-A”)) are under study for the purpose of achieving further broadbandization and increased speed beyond LTE. In LTE-A (Rel-10), carrier aggregation to group a plurality of component carriers (CCs), where the system band of the LTE system is one unit, for broadbandization, is used. In LTE-A, a HetNet (Heterogeneous Network) configuration to use an interference coordination technique (eICIC: enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination) is under study.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds