Transmission of uplink reference signalling according to different uplink reference signalling configurations

1. A method of operating network infrastructure equipment in a wireless telecommunications network comprising the network infrastructure equipment and a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is operable to transmit uplink reference signalling to support measurements of radio channel conditions between the terminal device and the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, from the terminal device, uplink reference signalling in accordance with a first uplink reference signalling configuration;

determining the terminal device should be configured to transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with a second uplink reference signalling configuration; and

transmitting a paging message for the terminal device, wherein the paging message is transmitted in a dedicated paging frame and comprises an indication of an identifier for the terminal device and an indication of the second uplink reference signalling configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the paging message comprises an indication the terminal device should transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with the second uplink reference signalling configuration in addition to uplink reference signalling in accordance with the first uplink reference signalling configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the paging message comprises an indication the terminal device should transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with the second uplink reference signalling configuration instead of uplink reference signalling in accordance with the first uplink reference signalling configuration.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first uplink reference signalling configuration is associated with a first setting for an uplink reference signalling characteristic and the second uplink reference signalling configuration is associated with a second setting for the uplink reference signalling characteristic.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink reference signalling characteristic comprises an uplink reference signalling signature sequence for the terminal device to use when transmitting the uplink reference signalling.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink reference signalling characteristic comprises an identifier for the terminal device for the terminal device to use when transmitting the uplink reference signalling.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink reference signalling characteristic comprises a transmission power setting for the terminal device to use when transmitting the uplink reference signalling.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink reference signalling characteristic comprises an indication of a rate at which uplink reference signalling should be transmitted.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink reference signalling characteristic comprises an indication of a transmission beam direction and/or a transmission beam sweep property for the terminal device to use when transmitting the uplink reference signalling.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink reference signalling characteristic comprises radio resources for the terminal device to use when transmitting the uplink reference signalling.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink reference signalling characteristic comprises an uplink channel configuration for the terminal device to use when transmitting the uplink reference signalling.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication of the second uplink reference signalling configuration comprises an indication of one of plurality of predefined uplink reference signalling configurations for the terminal device to use for the second uplink reference signalling configuration.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network infrastructure equipment comprises a controller entity and a plurality or transceiver entities which are remote from the controller entity.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network infrastructure equipment comprises a controller entity and a transceiver entity co-located with the controller entity.

15. A method of operating network infrastructure equipment in a wireless telecommunications network comprising the network infrastructure equipment and a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is operable to transmit uplink reference signalling to support measurements of radio channel conditions between the terminal device and the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, from the terminal device, uplink reference signalling in accordance with a first uplink reference signalling configuration;

determining the terminal device should be configured to transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with a second uplink reference signalling configuration; and

transmitting a paging message for the terminal device, wherein the paging message comprises an indication of an identifier for the terminal device and an indication of the second uplink reference signalling configuration, wherein

the network infrastructure equipment comprises a first group of one or more radio transceiver entities operable to make radio measurements of radio channel conditions between themselves and the terminal device using uplink reference signalling transmitted by the terminal device in accordance with the first uplink reference signalling configuration, and wherein the wireless telecommunications network further comprises a second group of one or more radio transceiver entities operable to make radio measurements of radio channel conditions between themselves and the terminal device using uplink reference signalling transmitted by the terminal device in accordance with the second uplink reference signalling configuration, and wherein the step of determining the terminal device should be configured to transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with a second uplink reference signalling configuration comprises determining the terminal device has moved into communication range of one or more transceiver entities in the second group.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the paging message for the terminal device further comprises an indication of a characteristic of downlink reference signalling transmitted by one or more of the transceiver entities in the second group.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the uplink reference signalling transmitted by the terminal device in accordance with the second uplink reference signalling configuration is transmitted on a frequency which is outside a range of frequencies on which the first group of one or more radio transceiver entities are configured to operate.

18. Network infrastructure equipment for use in a wireless telecommunications network comprising the network infrastructure equipment and a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is operable to transmit uplink reference signalling to support measurements of radio channel conditions between the terminal device and the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the radio network infrastructure element comprises controller circuitry and transceiver circuitry configured to operate together such that the radio network infrastructure element is operable to:

receive, from the terminal device, uplink reference signalling in accordance with a first uplink reference signalling configuration;

determine the terminal device should be configured to transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with a second uplink reference signalling configuration; and

transmit a paging message for the terminal device, wherein the paging message is transmitted in a dedicated paging frame and comprises an indication of an identifier for the terminal device and an indication of the second uplink reference signalling configuration.

19. A terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications network comprising the terminal device and network infrastructure equipment, wherein the terminal device is operable to transmit uplink reference signalling to support measurements of radio channel conditions between the terminal device and the network infrastructure equipment, wherein the terminal device comprises controller circuitry and transceiver circuitry configured to operate together such that the terminal device is operable to:

transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with a first uplink reference signalling configuration;

receive, from the network infrastructure equipment in a dedicated paging frame, a paging message comprising an indication of an identifier for the terminal device and an indication of a second uplink reference signalling configuration; and

transmit uplink reference signalling in accordance with the second uplink reference signalling configuration.