Communication system

1. A base station for communicating with a mobile station, the base station comprising:

a processor configured to generate, when the base station is operating as a target base station, a path switch request that includes a tracking area identity (TAI), an E-UTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI), a list of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearers to be switched, and a closed subscriber group (CSG) access mode of the base station when operating as the target base station; and

a transceiver circuit configured to transmit, when the mobile station is engaged in a handover to the base station when operating as a target base station, the path switch request that includes the TAI, the ECGI, the list of EPS bearers to be switched, and the CSG access mode, to a Mobility Management Entity (MME),

wherein the list of EPS bearers to be switched comprises, for each EPS bearer, a respective transport layer address and a respective tunnel end point identifier.

2. The base station of claim 1 wherein the base station operates according to one of an open, closed or a hybrid CSG access mode and the other base station operates in a respective other one of the open, closed and hybrid CSG access modes.

3. The base station of claim 2 wherein the CSG access mode of one base station is closed and the CSG access mode of the other base station is hybrid.

4. A mobility management entity (MME) for a communications network comprising a core network and a plurality of base stations, said mobility management entity comprising:

a memory, adapted to store closed subscriber group (CSG) information;

wherein the controller is configured to:

receive a path switch request from a target base station, wherein the path switch request received from the target base station includes a tracking area identity (TAI), an EUTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI), a list of Evolved Packet System (EPS) to be switched, and a CSG access mode of the target base station;

determine CSG membership based on a CSG ID and the CSG access mode received in the path switch request from the target base station; and

update the stored CSG information in the event that a mobile device is handed over from a source base station to the target base station, wherein the stored CSG information is updated based on the CSG access mode of the target base station,

wherein the list of EPS bearers to be switched comprises, for each EPS bearer, a respective transport layer address and a respective tunnel end point identifier.

5. A communications system comprising:

a mobile device;

a plurality of base stations according to claim 1 ; and

a mobility management entity for a communications network comprising a core network and the plurality of base stations, said mobility management entity comprising:

a memory, adapted to store CSG information; and

a controller, configured to update the stored CSG information in the event that said mobile device is handed over from a source base station to the target base station, wherein the stored CSG information is updated based on the CSG access mode of the target base station; wherein the controller is configured: to receive a tracking area identity (TAI), an E-UTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI), a list of Evolved Packet System (EPS) to be switched, and said CSG access mode of the target base station in the path switch request from the target base station,

wherein the list of EPS bearers to be switched comprises, for each EPS bearer, a respective transport layer address and a respective tunnel end point identifier.

6. A communications system according to claim 5 , further comprising a serving gateway wherein the mobility management entity is operable, in response to said handover, to send a message to the serving gateway CSG information which includes said CSG access mode.

7. A communications system according to claim 5 further comprising a packet data network gateway and wherein the serving gateway is configured to send a message to the packet data network gateway including said CSG access mode.

8. A method of operating a base station for communicating with a mobile station, the method comprising:

generating, when the base station is operating as a target base station, a path switch request that includes a tracking area identity (TAI), an E-UTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI), a list of Evolved Packet System (EPS) to be switched, and a closed subscriber group (CSG) access mode of the base station when operating as the target base station; and

transmitting, when the mobile station is engaged in a handover to the base station when operating as a target base station, the path switch request that includes the TAI, the ECGI, the list of EPS bearers to be switched, and the CSG access mode, to a Mobility Management Entity (MME);

wherein the path switch request includes the TAI, the ECGI, the list of EPS bearers to be switched, and the CSG access mode of the base station operating as a target base station, and

wherein the list of EPS bearers to be switched comprises, for each EPS bearer, a respective transport layer address and a respective tunnel end point identifier.

9. A method of operating a mobility management entity (MME) for a communications network comprising a core network and a plurality of base stations, the method comprising:

receiving a path switch request from a target base station, wherein the path switch request received from the target base station includes a tracking area identity (TAI), an EUTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI), a list of EPS bearers to be switched, and a closed subscriber group (CSG) access mode of the target base station;

determining CSG membership based on a CSG ID and the CSG access mode received in the path switch request from the target base station;

updating stored CSG information in the event that a mobile device is handed over from a source base station to the target base station, wherein the stored CSG information is updated based on the CSG access mode of the target base station,

wherein the list of EPS bearers to be switched comprises, for each EPS bearer, a respective transport layer address and a respective tunnel end point identifier.

10. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions operable to program a programmable processor to perform a method according to claim 8 .

11. A mobile communication device comprising a communication module for communicating with a base station according to claim 1 , and another base station that operates as a source base station, in pursuit of handover of the mobile communication device between said base station according to claim 1 and said base station that operates as a source base station.