Method and apparatus to efficiently support narrowband devices in broadband systems

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, segmenting an assigned spectrum into a lower portion, a middle portion, and an upper portion, establishing one or more full power wireless connections in the middle portion of the assigned spectrum, and establishing one or more reduced power wireless connections in the upper and lower portions of the assigned spectrum. Other embodiments are disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 facilitating, by a processing system including a processor, a full power wireless connection in a middle portion of an assigned spectrum, wherein the assigned spectrum includes a first edge, a first boundary portion, the middle portion, a second boundary portion and a second edge; and   facilitating, by the processing system, a first reduced power wireless connection in the first boundary portion of the assigned spectrum, wherein a first power level of the first reduced power wireless connection varies according to a function of frequency from a first low power, proximate to the first edge, to a first high power, proximate to the middle portion.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising facilitating establishing, by the processing system, a plurality of second reduced power wireless connections in the second boundary portion of the assigned spectrum. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a second plurality of power levels of the plurality of second reduced power wireless connections vary according to a second function of frequency from a second low power, proximate to the second edge of the assigned spectrum, to the first high power, proximate to the middle portion of the assigned spectrum. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the full power wireless connection is a cellular phone connection. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the full power wireless connection operates at a first bandwidth, and wherein the first reduced power wireless connection operates at a second bandwidth. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the second bandwidth is less than half the first bandwidth. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising segmenting, by the processing system, the assigned spectrum into the first boundary portion and the middle portion. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the first boundary portion occupies less than 10 percent of the assigned spectrum. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the second boundary portion occupies less than 10 percent of the assigned spectrum. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a processing system including a processor; and   a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:   facilitating a full power wireless connection in a middle portion of an assigned spectrum, wherein the assigned spectrum includes a first edge, a first boundary portion, the middle portion, a second boundary portion and a second edge; and   facilitating a first reduced power wireless connection in the first boundary portion of the assigned spectrum, wherein a first power level of the first reduced power wireless connection varies according to a function of frequency from a first low power, proximate to the first edge, to a first high power, proximate to the middle portion.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise facilitating a streaming video service over the full power wireless connection. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise facilitating a second reduced power wireless connection in the second boundary portion of the assigned spectrum, wherein a second power level of the second reduced power wireless connection varies according to a second function of frequency from a second low power, proximate to the second edge, to the first high power, proximate to the middle portion of the assigned spectrum. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the full power wireless connection operates at a first bandwidth, and wherein the first reduced power wireless connection operates at a second bandwidth. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the second bandwidth is less than half the first bandwidth. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the function is linear. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the function is exponential. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
 facilitating a full power wireless connection in a main portion of an assigned spectrum, wherein the assigned spectrum includes a first edge, a first boundary portion and the main portion; and   facilitating a first reduced power wireless connection in the first boundary portion, wherein a first power level of the first reduced power wireless connection varies according to a function of frequency from a first low power, proximate to the first edge, to a first high power, proximate to the main portion.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise facilitating establishing a second reduced power wireless connection in a second boundary portion of the assigned spectrum. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 18 , wherein a second power level of the second reduced power wireless connection varies according to a second function of frequency from a second low power, proximate to a second edge of the assigned spectrum, to the first high power, proximate to the main portion of the assigned spectrum. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the full power wireless connection operates at a first bandwidth, and wherein the first reduced power wireless connection operates at a second bandwidth, and wherein the second bandwidth is less than the first bandwidth.