INFRASTRUCTURE EQUIPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATED ACCESS AND BACKHAUL TOPOLOGY ADAPTATION

摘要

A method of communicating by a controlling communications node in a wireless backhaul network in a wireless communications network. The controlling communications node transmits a measurement configuration message to one or more other communications nodes in the wireless backhaul network formed by a plurality of communications nodes comprising the controlling communications node and at least the one or more other communications nodes, the measurement configuration message identifying measurement reporting trigger conditions for each of the one or more other communications nodes which received the measurement configuration message to report measurements of radio signals received from one or more others of the plurality communications nodes from which radio signals can be detected. The wireless backhaul network is configured to communicate data from a core network of the wireless communications network for transmitting to one or more communications devices or to communicate data to the core network received from the one or more communications devices. At least one of the plurality of communications nodes is a donor communications node having a physical connection to the core network and providing communications resources for the plurality of communications nodes to form the wireless backhaul network. The controlling communications node configures a reconfiguration message in response to receiving measurements from one or more other communications nodes from which measurements were received including one or more handover trigger conditions set by the controlling communications node to control a handover of the one or more communications nodes from which measurements were received to one or more others of the plurality of communications nodes from which radio signals can be detected in which the handover results in a change of network topology of the wireless backhaul network to communicate the data received from the core network to the one or more communications devices or to communicate the data received from the one or more communications mmunications node arranges for the reconfiguration message to be transmitted to the one or more other communications nodes from which measurements were received. Accordingly the controlling communications node can control proactively a change of network topology of the wireless backhaul network in accordance with radio conditions.