US Patent 8423019 Determination of carrier frequency scanning priority in communications

Various methods are provided to address some of the current issues in selecting a carrier frequency. Some embodiments include estimating (101) a speed at which a mobile device is moving, determining (102) relative scanning priorities for different carrier frequencies based upon the estimated speed of the mobile device, and sending (103) an indication of the relative scanning priorities for the different carrier frequencies to the mobile device. By determining carrier frequency scanning priorities based upon the estimated speed of a mobile, throughput can be improved over that attained by present-day carrier frequency selection techniques.