Quality of service in wireless backhauls

A method of operating a feeder terminal, comprising the steps:

• connecting to a communications network via a wireless backhaul;
• providing an access base station with access to the wireless backhaul;
• determining congestion information relating to the wireless backhaul;
• and
• providing the congestion information to the access base station, wherein in response to a demand message from the access base station comprising quality of service requirements, communication circuitry forwards the demand message to the communications network.

A feeder terminal comprising:

• backhaul communication means for connecting to a communications network via a wireless backhaul, and for providing an access base station with access to the wireless backhaul;
• backhaul information means for determining congestion information relating to the wireless backhaul;
• and
• communication means for enabling communication with an access base station and for providing the congestion information to the access base station, wherein
• in response to a demand message from the access base station comprising quality of service requirements, the communication means forwards the demand message to the communications network.

An access base station comprising:

• communication circuitry to enable communication with a feeder terminal;
• backhaul communication circuitry to connect to a communications network via a wireless backhaul provided by the feeder terminal, and provide one or more items of user equipment with access to the wireless backhaul;
• requirement determination circuitry to determine at least one quality of service requirement from the one or more items of user equipment;
• and
• access control circuitry to selectively control usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment, wherein
• the communication circuitry is to provide a quality of service demand message to the feeder terminal based on the at least one quality of service requirement and to receive congestion information relating to the wireless backhaul from the feeder terminal;
• and
• the access control circuitry controls usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment in dependence on the congestion information.

A method of operating an access base station, comprising the steps:

• connecting to a communications network via a wireless backhaul provided by a feeder terminal;
• providing one or more items of user equipment with access to the wireless backhaul;
• determining at least one quality of service requirement from the one or more items of user equipment;
• selectively controlling usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment;
• providing a quality of service demand message to the feeder terminal based on the at least one quality of service requirement;
• and
• receiving congestion information relating to the wireless backhaul from the feeder terminal, wherein
• usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment is controlled in dependence on the congestion information.

An access base station comprising:

• communication means for enabling communication with a feeder terminal;
• backhaul communication means for connecting to a communications network via a wireless backhaul provided by the feeder terminal, and for providing one or more items of user equipment with access to the wireless backhaul;
• requirement determination means for determining at least one quality of service requirement from the one or more items of user equipment;
• and
• access control means for selectively controlling usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment, wherein
• the communication means provides a quality of service demand message to the feeder terminal based on the at least one quality of service requirement and receives congestion information relating to the wireless backhaul from the feeder terminal;
• and
• the access control means controls usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment in dependence on the congestion information.

A network comprising:

• a communications network;
• a feeder terminal comprising:
• backhaul communication circuitry to connect to the communications network via a wireless backhaul, and provide an access base station with access to the wireless backhaul;
• backhaul information circuitry to determine congestion information relating to the wireless backhaul;
• and
• communication circuitry to enable communication with an access base station and provide the congestion information to the access base station, wherein
• in response to a quality of service demand message from the access base station comprising quality of service requirements, the communication circuitry forwards the quality of service demand message to the communications network;
• and
• the access base station comprising:
• further communication circuitry to enable communication with the feeder terminal;
• further backhaul communication circuitry to connect to the communications network via the wireless backhaul provided by the feeder terminal, and provide one or more items of user equipment with access to the wireless backhaul;
• requirement determination circuitry to determine at least one quality of service requirement from the one or more items of user equipment;
• and
• access control circuitry to selectively control usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment, wherein
• the further communication circuitry is to provide the quality of service demand message to the feeder terminal based on the at least one quality of service requirement and to receive the congestion information relating to the wireless backhaul from the feeder terminal, and
• the access control circuitry controls usage of the wireless backhaul by the one or more items of user equipment in dependence on the congestion information;
• wherein the feeder terminal is connected to the access base station;
• and
• wherein, in response to receiving the quality of service demand message, the communications network changes a capacity of the wireless backhaul to the feeder terminal in dependence on the at least one quality of service requirement.