Node reselection determined by the network on received UE beacon signaling

1. A wireless telecommunications system comprising:

a controller element;

a first base station and a second base station; and

a terminal device operable to communicate with the first base station over a first radio path and to communicate with the second base station over a second radio path;

wherein the controller element is configured to select one of the first base station and the second base station to act as a serving base station for the terminal device on the basis of measurements of beacon signalling transmitted by the terminal device, wherein the measurements provide an indication of radio channel conditions associated with the first radio path and the second radio path,

wherein communications between the terminal device and at least one of the base stations are made via a relay node such that the corresponding radio path is a relayed radio path comprising a first relayed radio path element between the terminal device and the relay node and a second relayed radio path element between the relay node and the corresponding base station, and wherein the measurements of beacon signalling for the relayed radio path are measurements made by the relay node of radio channel conditions associated with the first relayed radio path element,

wherein the terminal device is configured to have:

a first mode which is an idle mode during which the terminal device does not perform communication with any base station and in which neither of the first or second base stations acts as a serving base station and in which the time period between each periodic beacon signalling transmission is a first time period; and

a second mode which is connected mode in which one of the first and second base stations acts as a serving base station and in which the time period between each periodic beacon signalling transmission is a second time period, the second time period being shorter than the first time period.

2. The wireless telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal device is configured to transmit the beacon signalling periodically.

3. The wireless telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein:

when the controller element has selected the first base station to act as the serving base station for the terminal device, the controller element is configured to:

determine, on the basis of further measurements of the beacon signalling transmitted by the terminal device, whether the second base station has become more suitable to act as the serving base station than the first base station; and

if the second base station is determined to have become more suitable to act as the serving base station than the first base station, perform a handover operation select the second base station to act as the serving base station.

4. The wireless telecommunications system according to claim 3 , wherein:

each of the first base station and second base station are configured to use the same physical uplink radio channel and the same physical downlink radio channel to communicate with the terminal device when acting as the serving base station, wherein resources of the physical uplink radio channel and physical downlink radio channel are scheduled to the terminal device on the basis of a temporary identifier established for the terminal device; and

when the controller performs the handover operation to select the second base station to act as the serving base station, the controller is configured to control the first base station to transfer the temporary identifier to the second base station.

5. The wireless telecommunications system according to claim 3 , wherein when the controller performs the handover operation to select the second base station to act as the serving base station, the second base station is configured to perform synchronization with the terminal device by adjusting its downlink timing according to the timing of the terminal device.

6. The wireless telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein:

the relay node is another terminal device.

7. The wireless telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal device is configured to reduce the power of the transmitted beacon signalling when the UE is in connected mode.

8. Circuitry for operating a wireless telecommunications system comprising a first base station, a second base station, a relay node, and a terminal device operable to communicate with the first base station over a first radio path and to communicate with the second base station over a second radio path, the circuitry being configured to:

select one of the first base station and the second base station to act as a serving base station for the terminal device on the basis of measurements of beacon signalling transmitted by the terminal device, wherein the measurements provide an indication of radio channel conditions associated with the first radio path and the second radio path,

wherein communications between the terminal device and at least one of the base stations are made via the relay node such that the corresponding radio path is a relayed radio path comprising a first relayed radio path element between the terminal device and the relay node and a second relayed radio path element between the relay node and the corresponding base station, and wherein the measurements of beacon signalling for the relayed radio path are measurements made by the relay node of radio channel conditions associated with the first relayed radio path element,

wherein the terminal device is configured to have:

a first mode which is an idle mode during which the terminal device does not perform communication with any base station and in which neither of the first or second base stations acts as a serving base station and in which the time period between each periodic beacon signalling transmission is a first time period; and

a second mode which is connected mode in which one of the first and second base stations acts as a serving base station and in which the time period between each periodic beacon signalling transmission is a second time period, the second time period being shorter than the first time period.

9. The circuitry according to claim 8 , wherein:

the relay node is another terminal device.

10. A controller element for use in a wireless telecommunications system comprising a first base station, a second base station, a node and a terminal device operable to communicate with the first base station over a first radio path and to communicate with the second base station over a second radio path,

wherein the controller element is configured to receive from the first and second base stations measurement reports indicating measurements of beacon signalling transmitted by the terminal device, wherein the measurements provide an indication of radio channel conditions associated with the first radio path and the second radio path, and select one of the first base station and the second base station to act as a serving base station for the terminal device on the basis of the measurement reports,

wherein communications between the terminal device and at least one of the base stations are made via the relay node such that the corresponding radio path is a relayed radio path comprising a first relayed radio path element between the terminal device and the relay node and a second relayed radio path element between the relay node and the corresponding base station, and wherein the measurements of beacon signalling for the relayed radio path are measurements made by the relay node of radio channel conditions associated with the first relayed radio path element,

wherein the terminal device is configured to have:

a first mode which is an idle mode during which the terminal device does not perform communication with any base station and in which neither of the first or second base stations acts as a serving base station and in which the time period between each periodic beacon signalling transmission is a first time period; and

a second mode which is connected mode in which one of the first and second base stations acts as a serving base station and in which the time period between each periodic beacon signalling transmission is a second time period, the second time period being shorter than the first time period.

11. The controller element according to claim 10 , wherein:

the relay node is another terminal device.