Method and system for mobile relay enablement

1. A method for managing a relay node that is moving relative to a source network node, the method comprising:

determining that a target network node has proxy functionality;

after the determining, sending a handover request of a relay node from the source network node to the target network node; and

establishing an interface between the relay node and the target network node;

wherein the determining that the target network node has proxy functionality uses at least one of:

an information element indicating that the relay node is being handed over;

backhaul communications between network nodes to exchange relay node support capability;

a broadcast signaling of a capability of neighboring network nodes to support the relay node; and

communications between a mobility management entity and network nodes to exchange a capability of the target network node to support the relay node.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a handover request of a user equipment attached to the relay node.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the handover request of the relay node further includes at least one of radio bearer information for the relay node and radio access bearer information for a user equipment served by the relay node.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the handover request of the relay node uses at least one of an X2 interface between the target network node and the source network node and an S1 interface with a mobility management entity for communications between the source network node and the target network node.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the sending the handover request of the user equipments is performed without receiving a measurement report from the user equipment.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sending the handover request from the source node is performed after a message had been sent by the relay node to the target network node.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the handover request of the relay node includes context information for user equipments served by the relay node, the method further comprising performing a group path switch with a serving gateway for the user equipments.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relay node receives a handover command from the source network node prior to the source network node receiving a handover request acknowledgment from the target network node.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a reconfiguration message from the source network node to the relay node prior to receiving a handover request acknowledgement from the target network node.

10. A source network node configured for managing a relay node that is moving relative to the source network node, the source network node comprising:

a processor; and

a communications subsystem,

wherein the processor and communications subsystem cooperate to:

determine that a target network node has proxy functionality;

after the determining, send a handover request of a relay node from the source network node to the target network node; and

establish an interface between the relay node and the target network node;

wherein the determining that the target network node has proxy functionality uses at least one of:

an information element indicating that the relay node is being handed over;

backhaul communications between network nodes to exchange relay node support capability;

a broadcast signaling of a capability of neighboring network nodes to support the relay node; and

communications between a mobility management entity and network nodes to exchange a capability of the target network node to support the relay node.

11. The source network node of claim 10 , wherein the processor and communications subsystem further cooperate to send a handover request of a user equipment attached to the relay node.

12. The source network node of claim 10 , wherein the handover request of the relay node further includes at least one of radio bearer information for the relay node and radio access bearer information for user equipments served by the relay node.

13. The source network node of claim 10 , wherein the handover request of the relay node uses at least one of an X2 interface between the target network node and the source network node and an S1 interface with a mobility management entity for communications between the source network node and the target network node.

14. The source network node of claim 11 , wherein the source network node is configured to send the handover request of the user equipments without receiving a measurement report from the user equipment.

15. The source network node of claim 10 , wherein the source network node is configured to send the handover message from the source node after a reconfiguration complete message had been sent by the relay node to the target network node.

16. The source network node of claim 10 , wherein the handover request of the relay node includes context information for user equipments served by the relay node, and wherein the processor and communications subsystem further cooperate to perform a group path switch with a serving gateway for the user equipments.

17. The source network node of claim 10 , wherein the relay node receives a handover message from the source network node prior to the source network node receiving a handover request acknowledgment from the target network node.

18. The source network node of claim 10 , wherein the processor and communications subsystem further cooperate to send a reconfiguration message from the source network node to the relay node prior to receiving a handover request acknowledgement from the target network node.