I. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to enabling mobile devices to store provisioned deployment information to facilitate selection of femtocells.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice and data, 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), 3GPP2, 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), etc.
As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data services rapidly grows, there has been an effort toward implementation of efficient and robust communication systems with enhanced performance. For example, in recent years, users have started to replace fixed line communications with mobile communications and have increasingly demanded great voice quality, reliable service, and low prices.
In addition to mobile telephone networks currently in place, a new class of small base stations has emerged, which can be installed in the home of a user and provide indoor wireless coverage to mobile units using existing broadband Internet connections. Such personal miniature base stations are generally known as access point base stations, or, alternatively, Home Node B (HNB) or Femto cells. Typically, such miniature base stations are connected to the Internet and the network of a mobile operator via a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) router, cable modem, or the like.
Wireless communication systems can be configured to include a series of wireless access points, which can provide coverage for respective locations within the system. Such a network structure is generally referred to as a cellular network structure, and access points and/or the locations they respectively serve in the network are generally referred to as cells. The networks can include femtocells as well as macrocells that cover larger areas. Because the strength of a signal typically decreases as the distance over which it is communicated increases, a network user can, under various circumstances, exchange substantially strong signals with cells located physically close to the user as compared to cells that are located farther away from the user. However, in the case of femtocells, a strong signal can be temporary due to mobility of a mobile device and the relatively smaller coverage area of femtocells. For instance, a high-mobility network user can quickly enter and exit a femtocell coverage area. Unnecessary battery and/or radio resources can be utilized in acquisition of the femtocell since it is unknown that the strong signal originates from a femtocell.