Methods, wireless communications networks and infrastructure equipment

1. A method of controlling communications within a wireless communications network comprising a plurality of infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more others of the infrastructure equipment via a backhaul communications link, one or more of the infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more communications devices via a wireless access interface, the method comprising

determining, by a first of the infrastructure equipment acting as a donor node connected to a core network part of the wireless communications network, that a plurality of different communications paths exist from a second of the infrastructure equipment to the first infrastructure equipment via one or more others of the infrastructure equipment acting as relay nodes,

reserving, by the first infrastructure equipment, a communications path between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, wherein use of the reserved communications path is triggered in response to one or more predetermined conditions being met,

transmitting, by the first infrastructure equipment, an indication at least part of each of one or more of the plurality of different communications paths to the second infrastructure equipment, and

selecting, by the second infrastructure equipment based on the indication received from the first infrastructure equipment, at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when the second infrastructure equipment selects more than one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment, the method comprises

determining, by the second infrastructure equipment, a relative portion of data to be transmitted to the first infrastructure equipment or received from the infrastructure equipment using each of the selected communications paths, and

transmitting, by the second infrastructure equipment to the first infrastructure equipment, an indication of the relative portion of data to be transmitted to the first infrastructure equipment or received from the infrastructure equipment using each of the selected communications paths.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second infrastructure equipment selects the at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment based on one or more of a relative link quality between any two of the first infrastructure equipment, the second infrastructure equipment and the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, a relative load at one or more of the first infrastructure equipment, the second infrastructure equipment and the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, a relative latency of communications between any two of the first infrastructure equipment, the second infrastructure equipment and the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, and a relative bit rate of communications between any two of the first infrastructure equipment, the second infrastructure equipment and the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, in addition to the indication received from the first infrastructure equipment.

4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising

receiving, at, the first infrastructure equipment, from the second infrastructure equipment, information relating to each of the plurality of different communications paths from the second infrastructure equipment to the first infrastructure equipment via the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, the plurality of different communications paths including the reserved communications path,

determining, by the first infrastructure equipment, based on the received information relating to the plurality of different communications paths, that the one or more predetermined conditions are met,

selecting, by the first infrastructure equipment, the reserved communications path for communicating with the second infrastructure equipment, and

transmitting, by the first infrastructure equipment to the second infrastructure equipment, an indication of the selection of the reserved communications path for communications he first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the determining that the communications path between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes should be reserved comprises reserving all of the communications resources of the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes for use in communications between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via the reserved communications path.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the determining that the communications path between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes should be reserved comprises reserving a portion of the communications resources of each of the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes for use in communications between the first e infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via the reserved communications path.

7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the reserved communications path is selected for communications between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment instead of a currently used communications path for communications between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment.

8. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the reserved communications path is selected for communications between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment in addition to a currently used communications path for communications between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining by the first infrastructure equipment that the plurality of different communications path exists is based on receiving, at the first infrastructure equipment, from the second infrastructure equipment, information relating to each of the plurality of different communications paths from the second infrastructure equipment to the first infrastructure equipment via the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes.

10. Circuitry for a first infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network comprising a plurality of other infrastructure equipment, the first infrastructure equipment and the plurality of other infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more others of the infrastructure equipment via a backhaul communications link, one or more of the infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more communications devices via a wireless access interface, wherein the first infrastructure equipment is configured to act as a donor node connected to a core network part of the wireless communications network and comprises transceiver circuitry and controller circuitry configured in combination

to determine that a plurality of different communications paths exist from a second of the infrastructure equipment to the first infrastructure equipment via one or more others of the infrastructure equipment acting as relay nodes,

to reserve a communications path between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, wherein use of the reserved communications path is triggered in response to one or more predetermined conditions being met, and

to transmit an indication at least part of each of one or more of the plurality of different communications paths to the second infrastructure equipment, the indication for use by the second infrastructure equipment for selection of at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment.

11. Circuitry for a second infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network comprising a plurality of other infrastructure equipment, the second infrastructure equipment and the plurality of other infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more others of the infrastructure equipment via a backhaul communications link, one or more of the infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more communications devices via a wireless access interface, wherein the second infrastructure equipment comprises transceiver circuitry and controller circuitry configured in combination

to receive, from a first of the infrastructure equipment acting as a donor node connected to a core network part of the wireless communications network, an indication at least part of each of one or more of a plurality of different communications paths between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via one or more others of the infrastructure equipment acting as relay nodes, and

to select, based on the indication received from the first infrastructure equipment, at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment,

wherein at least one of the plurality of different communications paths is a reserved communications path between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes, wherein use of the reserved communications path is triggered in response to one or more predetermined conditions being met.