Abstract: A device-to-device (D2D) pairing assembly comprises: a first and a second device detecting and communicating (DDC) component communicatively coupled to each other and to a microprocessor that executes a device pairing parameter exchange (DPPE) utility, which configures the D2D pairing assembly to: detect a communicative coupling of a first user device to the first DDC component; receive from the first user device at least one first pairing parameter, which first pairing parameter enables another device to connect to and participate in a pairing session with the first user device; detect a communicative coupling of a second user device to the second DDC component; and communicate the at least one first pairing parameter to the second user device, via the second DDC component, to trigger the second user device to connect to and participate in a pairing session with the first user device via a direct device-to-device communication channel.

Abstract: In a communication system (100) where a wireless relay node (RN) (114) relays data packets between a Node B (112) and a user equipment (UE) (102), the RN receives (608) a data packet from the Node B via a first wireless link (115), conveys (614) the received data packet to the UE via a second wireless link (120), determines (616) whether the UE is likely to handoff, and in response to determining that the UE is likely to handoff, delays conveying (620, 622) an acknowledgment of the data packet to the Node B until an acknowledgment has been received from the UE. In another embodiment, the RN may use a status report (720) to inform the Node B of data packets that have not been transmitted to the UE or that have been transmitted to the UE but for which an acknowledgement has not been received from the UE.