Abstract: A wireless communications system includes a base station, a plurality of intermediate devices, and a terminal device. Downlink communications may be provided directly from the base station to the terminal device, including control signals which instruct the terminal device where to send uplink data. This enables the base station to directly control scheduling of uplink communications, and in particular to define an uplink route from the terminal device to the base station via one or more intermediate devices. Power is conserved at the terminal device on the uplink because a lower power transmission can be used which although insufficient to reach the base station can reach the intermediate device. The terminal device is not required to determine the uplink path itself and therefore does not require complex, expensive, and power consuming control logic.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a mobile communications system and method for communicating data to and/or from mobile communications devices. The method includes receiving, by a mobile terminal, a signal on a downlink from a base station, detecting a virtual carrier on the downlink, and receiving downlink communications via the virtual carrier, wherein the virtual carrier is configured to provide a first set of resource elements within first frequency resources that are within and smaller than second frequency resources that are used by a host carrier to provide a second set of resource elements, wherein the virtual carrier is provided in the first frequency resources in a first sub-frame, wherein the virtual carrier is provided in third frequency resources in a second sub-frame after the first sub-frame, and wherein the third frequency resources are within and smaller than the first frequency resources.

Abstract: A mobile communications system including one or more mobile communications devices and a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network including a radio network part and a core network part and being configured to communicate data packets to and/or from mobile communications devices. Data packets can be communicated to or received from the mobile communications devices using either a broadband packet network or a dedicated messaging network. The dedicated messaging network is arranged to communicate short data grams more efficiently than larger data communications. Therefore by selecting either the dedicated messaging network or the broadband network as a function of content of the data packet a more efficient use of available communications resources and hardware resources is realized.

Abstract: A mobile communications system for communicating data to/from mobile units, including: one or more base stations to communicate data to/from the mobile units; first and second groups of one or more mobile units to communicate with the one or more base stations via respective first and second carriers. The base stations can provide, on the first carrier, common information for at least one mobile unit in the first group and for at least one mobile unit in the second group. The base stations can provide allocation information in the first and second carriers, the allocation information including an indication of the location of the common information within the first carrier. At least one mobile unit in the second group is configured, upon reception of the allocation information in the second carrier, to access the common information provided by the one or more base stations in the first carrier.

Abstract: A communications terminal is arranged to transmit/receive data to/from a mobile communications network. A mobility manager tracks a location of a communications terminal within the mobile communications network for routing data to or receiving the data from a communications terminal via a radio network part in accordance with context information of the communications terminal, and the mobile communications network includes a virtual mobility manager.

Abstract: A wireless communications system including a base station, a relay device, and a terminal device. The terminal device is operable to receive from the base station an allocation of uplink resources for transmitting uplink data to the relay device, and to transmit uplink data to the relay device using the uplink resources allocated to the terminal device. The relay device is operable to receive the transmitted uplink data from the terminal device on the allocated resources, to receive an allocation of uplink resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station, and to transmit the received uplink data to the base station using the uplink resources allocated to the relay device.

Abstract: An infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile radio network includes a transmit and receive unit, to transmit and receive data to and from mobile communications devices via a wireless access interface, and a controller processing requests for communications resources from the mobile communications devices. Plural associated communications devices are arranged to form a group, and each of the associated communications devices of the group includes a same common identifier, with respect to which communications sessions can be established to communicate data via the mobile radio network, and the controller is arranged in combination with the transmit and receive unit to respond to a request from one of the communications devices of the group to establish a communications bearer using the common identifier.

Abstract: A wireless communications system includes a base station, a relay device, and a terminal device. The terminal device can transmit one or more first type access request messages to request uplink resources from the base station, and if no response to the first type access request messages is received from the base station, can transmit a second type access request message. The base station is responsive to a first type access request message received from the terminal device to transmit an allocation of uplink resources to the terminal device. The relay device is responsive to a second type access request message received from the terminal device to transmit a relayed access request message to request the base station to allocate uplink resources to the terminal device. The base station is responsive to the relayed access request message to transmit an allocation of uplink resources to the terminal device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transmitting data to terminal devices in a wireless telecommunications system. The data may be user-plane data associated with a repeating Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Services (MBMS) session to be transmitted using MBMS over a Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) in a network including at least one relay node supported by a donor base station. The method includes delivering the data from the base station to the relay node in advance of a scheduled transmission to terminal devices at a first time, and transmitting the data from the relay node to a terminal device at the first time. The relay node is configured to store the data in a cache. The relay node may then retrieve the data from the cache in advance of a scheduled transmission to terminal devices at a second time, and transmit the retrieved data to a terminal device at the second time.

Abstract: A wireless communications system includes a base station, a plurality of intermediate devices, and a terminal device. Downlink communications may be provided directly from the base station to the terminal device, including control signals which instruct the terminal device where to send uplink data. This enables the base station to directly control scheduling of uplink communications, and in particular to define an uplink route from the terminal device to the base station via one or more intermediate devices. Power is conserved at the terminal device on the uplink because a lower power transmission can be used which although insufficient to reach the base station can reach the intermediate device. The terminal device is not required to determine the uplink path itself and therefore does not require complex, expensive, and power consuming control logic.

Abstract: A wireless communications system including a base station, a relay device, and a terminal device. The terminal device is operable to receive from the base station an allocation of uplink resources for transmitting uplink data to the relay device, and to transmit uplink data to the relay device using the uplink resources allocated to the terminal device. The relay device is operable to receive the transmitted uplink data from the terminal device on the allocated resources, to receive an allocation of uplink data resources for relaying the received uplink data to the base station, and to transmit the received uplink data to the base station using the uplink resources allocated to the relay device.

Abstract: A mobile communications network includes a core network part including a plurality of infrastructure equipment, and a radio network part including a plurality of base stations for providing a wireless access interface for communicating data packets to or from communications terminals. The core network part or the radio network part includes a local data store having stored therein content data, which has been received from an applications server via the core network, and the mobile communications network is configured to receive a request to access the content from a communications terminal from the applications server, to identify that the content data is stored in the local data store, and to communicate the content data to the communications terminal from the local data store as if the content data had been communicated from the applications server.

Abstract: A communications terminal is configured to receive content data from a mobile communications network. The mobile communications network includes a core network part including a plurality of infrastructure equipment, and a radio network part including a plurality of base stations for providing a wireless access interface for communicating data packets to or from communications terminal. The core network part or the radio network part includes a local data store having stored therein content data, which has been received from an applications server via the core network, and the communications terminal is configured to transmit a request to access the content data from the applications server to the mobile communications network, and to receive the content data from the local data store as if the content data had been communicated from the applications server.

Abstract: A method communicating data between a base station and a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system, for example an LTE-based system. The wireless communication system uses plural frequency sub-carriers spanning a system frequency band. Physical-layer control information for the terminal device is transmitted from the base station using sub-carriers selected from across the system frequency band, for example to provide frequency diversity. However, higher-layer data for the terminal device is transmitted using only sub-carriers selected from within a restricted frequency band which is smaller than and within the system frequency band. The terminal device is aware of the restricted frequency band, and as such need only buffer and process data within this restricted frequency band during periods where higher-layer data is being transmitted. The terminal device buffers and processes the full system frequency band during periods when physical-layer control information is being transmitted.

Abstract: A method allocating transmission resources in an OFDM wireless telecommunication system configured to communicate data using plural OFDM sub-carriers. The method allocates transmission resources provided by a first group of the plural OFDM sub-carriers within a first frequency band to terminals of first type; allocates transmission resources provided by a second group of the plural OFDM sub-carriers within a second frequency band to terminals of second type, the second group being smaller than the first group and the second frequency band selected from within the first frequency band; transmits control information including resource allocation information for terminals of the first type over a first bandwidth corresponding to the combined first and second groups of OFDM sub-carriers; and then transmits control information including resource allocation information for terminals of the second type over a second bandwidth corresponding to the second group of OFDM sub-carriers.

Abstract: A mobile communications system including: at least one base station configured to communicate data to/from different terminal devices via respective of plural logically separate carriers of a wireless access interface; first and second terminal devices operable to camp-on to first and second carriers of plural carriers and to subsequently communicate data with the at least one base station via the first and second carriers. The first and second carriers support compatible synchronisation signalling such that the first and second terminal devices both can synchronise with the first and second carriers to begin a camp-on procedure. Following synchronisation with one of the first or second carriers to begin the camp-on procedure, the second terminal device is configured to determine whether or not to continue with the camp-on procedure in dependence on an aspect of physical layer signalling associated with a control channel of the carrier with which it has synchronised.

Abstract: A method of communicating data in a wireless telecommunications system between plural base stations and plural terminal devices using plural Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex, OFDM, sub-carriers spanning a first frequency bandwidth. The method includes: communicating data between a first base station and a first terminal device using a first OFDM sub-carrier group distributed across the first frequency bandwidth, communicating data between a second base station, geographically separated from the first base station, and a second terminal device using a second OFDM sub-carrier group distributed across a second frequency bandwidth, the second frequency bandwidth being smaller than and within the first frequency bandwidth; and communicating control-plane data between the first base station and the first terminal device using a combination of the first and second groups of the OFDM sub-carriers.

Abstract: A mobile communications system for communicating data to and/or from mobile communications devices. The mobile communications system comprises one or more base stations, each of which includes a transmitter and a receiver operable to provide a wireless access interface for communicating data to and/or from the mobile communications devices, the wireless access interface providing on a downlink a host carrier, the host carrier providing a plurality of resource elements across a first frequency range for communicating data; and a first and second mobile communications devices. The wireless access interface provided by the base stations is arranged to provide a virtual carrier, the virtual carrier providing one or more resource elements within a second frequency range which is within and smaller than the first frequency range, and the second mobile communications device is operable, upon detection of the virtual carrier, to receive downlink communications via the virtual carrier.

Abstract: An infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile radio network includes a transmit and receive unit, to transmit and receive data to and from mobile communications devices via a wireless access interface, and a controller processing requests for communications resources from the mobile communications devices. Plural associated communications devices are arranged to form a group, and each of the associated communications devices of the group includes a same common identifier, with respect to which communications sessions can be established to communicate data via the mobile radio network, and the controller is arranged in combination with the transmit and receive unit to respond to a request from one of the communications devices of the group to establish a communications bearer using the common identifier.

Abstract: A telecommunications system communicating data to/from one or more terminals and a network, including one or more transmitters operable to transmit first and second carriers over respective first and second frequency bandwidths. During a first time period the transmitters can transmit data receivable by first and second classes of terminals on the first and second carriers. During a second different time period, the transmitters can transmit data to the second terminal class on the first and second carriers in combination. A data transmission format on the first carrier is incompatible with a user data transmission format on the second carrier, during the first time period, and the transmitters can transmit control data on the first carrier in the first time period receivable by the second terminal class to enable the second terminal class to maintain synchronization with the first carrier during the first time period.