Frame structure, communication devices and methods for communication

A communication device for receiving control data, wherein the communication device comprises:

• a receiver configured to receive the control data using a first communication resource from another communication device within a control channel;
• and
• a processor configured to determine the control data as being associated with a network-assisted communication mode and, when the control data was received using a second communication resource from another communication device within the control channel, determine the control data as being associated with an ad-hoc communication mode and, wherein there is only a control plane between the communication device in the network-assisted communication mode and a base station of a cellular network, and there are both a control plane and a data plane between the communication device in the ad-hoc communication mode and one or more other communication devices;
• and, wherein
• the first communication resource is associated with a first control channel portion of the control channel and the second communication resource is associated with a second control channel portion of the control channel, wherein the control channel is part of a frame structure, the frame structure comprising a data channel configured to communicate payload data using a further communication resource;
• a high priority portion of the data channel is reserved for high priority data which comprises hard quality of service vehicle-to-X traffic data;
• and
• a low priority portion of the data channel is reserved for low priority data which comprises soft quality of service vehicle-to-X traffic data.

A communication device for communicating a communication signal, in particular a device-to-device network communication signal, comprises:

• a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor and storing programming instructions for execution by the processor, the programming instructions instruct the processor to communicate a frame structure, wherein the frame structure comprises:
• a control channel, wherein the control channel comprises a first control channel portion associated with a network-assisted communication mode and a second control channel portion associated with an ad-hoc communication mode;
• and
• a data channel;
• wherein the frame structure is configured to communicate control data within the control channel over a first communication resource between the communication device and another communication device, the first communication resource being associated with the first control channel portion,
• wherein the frame structure is configured to communicate control data within the control channel over a second communication resource between the communication device and another communication device, the second communication resource being associated with the second control channel portion, and
• wherein the frame structure is configured to communicate payload data within the data channel over a further communication resource;
• and, wherein
• a high priority portion of the data channel is reserved for high priority data which comprises hard quality of service vehicle-to-X traffic data;
• and
• a low priority portion of the data channel is reserved for low priority data which comprises soft quality of service vehicle-to-X traffic data.