Methods, wireless communications networks and infrastructure equipment
A method of controlling communications within a wireless communications network is provided. The method comprises 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 infrastructure equipment to the first infrastructure equipment via one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as relay nodes, 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.
1. A method of operating a first infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network wherein the first infrastructure equipment is configured to act as a donor node connected to a core network part of the wireless communications network, the method comprising
determining that a plurality of communications paths exist from a second infrastructure equipment to the first infrastructure equipment via one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as relay nodes;
reserving 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
transmitting an indication regarding at least part of each of one or more of the plurality of 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 communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment.
2. The method of claim 1 , further 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.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
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.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
selecting, by the first infrastructure equipment, the reserved communications path for communicating with the second infrastructure equipment.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
transmitting, by the first infrastructure equipment to the second infrastructure equipment, an indication of the selection of the reserved communications path for communications between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment.
6. The method of claim 5 , 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.
7. The method of claim 5 , 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.
8. The method of claim 5 , 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.
9. The method of claim 5 , 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.
10. The method of 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.
11. A method of operating a second infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a first infrastructure equipment acting as a donor node connected to a core network part of the wireless communications network, an indication regarding at least part of each of one or more of a plurality of communications paths between the first infrastructure equipment and the second infrastructure equipment via one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as relay nodes; and
selecting, based on the indication received from the first infrastructure equipment, at least one of the plurality of 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.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
in response to the second infrastructure equipment selecting more than one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment
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 first infrastructure equipment using each of the selected communications paths.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
selecting, by the second infrastructure equipment, the at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment based on a relative link quality, in addition to the indication received from the first infrastructure equipment.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
selecting, by the second infrastructure equipment, the at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment based on 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.
15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
selecting, by the second infrastructure equipment, the at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment based on a relative load at one or more of the first infrastructure equipment, in addition to the indication received from the first infrastructure equipment.
16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
selecting, by the second infrastructure equipment, the at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment based on a relative latency of communications, in addition to the indication received from the first infrastructure equipment.
17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
selecting, by the second infrastructure equipment, the at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment based on the second infrastructure equipment and the one or more other infrastructure equipment acting as the relay nodes.
18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
selecting, by the second infrastructure equipment, the at least one of the plurality of different communications paths for communicating with the first infrastructure equipment based on 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.