Cellular service with improved service availability

Abstract

A cellular communication system in which overload of a base station is averted by offering users the option to communicate using a spectrum outside of the spectrum allocated for cellular communication. Incentives are offered to connect to the base station using the alternative spectrum, which may not support communications at the same rate as could be supported using the spectrum allocated to the base station for cellular communications. Users may be selected to receive an offer to receive incentives based on range to the base station, with users closer to the base station being more likely to receive such an offer. The cellular communications system may be a 3G wireless system and the alternative spectrum may be white space in the digital TV spectrum.

1 . A method performed on a client device that includes at least one computing device and at least one transceiver, the computing device comprising a processor and memory, the method comprising:
 sending, by the client device, a request for communicating, where the die device is configured for performing the communicating within a first frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver;   receiving, by the client device in response to the sent request, a control message; and   initiating, by the client device in response to an acceptance of an offer indicated by the received control message, the communicating within a second frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver, where the second frequency spectrum is different than the first frequency spectrum.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  where the request is for communicating through a base station that is separate from the client device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  where the offer is to use the second bandwidth that is lower than a first bandwidth associated with the first frequency spectrum. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising initiating, by the client device in response to a non-acceptance of the offer indicated by the received control message, the communicating within the first frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  where the acceptance or the non-acceptance is based on input from a user of the client device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  where the second frequency spectrum is in a digital television spectrum. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  where the first frequency spectrum is in a cellular communication spectrum. 
     
     
         8 . A system comprising a client device and at least one program module that are together configured for performing actions, the client device comprising at least one computing device and at least one transceiver, the computing device comprising a processor and memory, the actions comprising:
 sending, by the client device, a request for communicating, where the client device is configured for performing the communicating within a first frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver;   receiving, by the client device in response to the sent request, a control message; and   initiating, by the client device in response to an acceptance of an offer indicated by the received control message, the communicating within a second frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver, where the second frequency spectrum is different than the first frequency spectrum.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  where the request is for communicating through a base station that is separate from the client device. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8  where the offer is to use the second bandwidth that is lower than a first bandwidth associated with the first frequency spectrum. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , the actions further comprising initiating, by the client device in response to a non-acceptance of the offer indicated by the received control message, the communicating within the first frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  where the acceptance or the non-acceptance is based on input from a user of the client device. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8  where the second frequency spectrum is a digital television spectrum. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8  where the first frequency spectrum is in a cellular communication spectrum. 
     
     
         15 . At least one computer memory storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a client device comp sing at least one transceiver, cause the client device to perform actions comprising:
 sending, by the client device, a request for communicating, where the client device is configured for performing the communicating within a first frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver;   receiving, by the client device in response to the sent request, a control message; and   initiating, by the client device in response to an acceptance of an offer indicated by the received control message, the communicating within a second frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver, where the second frequency spectrum is different than the first frequency spectrum.   
     
     
         16 . The at least one computer memory of  claim 15  where the request is for communicating through a base station that is separate from the client device. 
     
     
         17 . The at least one computer memory of  claim 15  where the offer is to use the second bandwidth that is lower than a first bandwidth associated with the first frequency spectrum. 
     
     
         18 . The at least one computer memory of  claim 15 , the actions further comprising initiating, by the client device in response to a non-acceptance of the offer indicated by the received control message, the communicating within the first frequency spectrum via the at least one transceiver. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one computer memory of  claim 8  where the acceptance or the non-acceptance is based on input from a user of the client device. 
     
     
         20 . The at least one computer memory of  claim 15  where the second frequency spectrum is in a digital television spectrum, or where the first frequency spectrum is in a cellular communication spectrum.