Wireless telecommunications system

A base station for use in a wireless telecommunications system, the base station comprising:

• a controller operable to select a set of predetermined radio resources for each of a plurality of predetermined geographical regions, each of the predetermined geographical regions being associated with at least one selectable set of predetermined radio resources to define mapping information, the mapping information being stored in each of a plurality of terminal devices, wherein the predetermined geographical regions include a first predetermined geographical region associated with a first set of predetermined radio resources used by terminal devices of a first group and a second predetermined geographical region associated with a second set of predetermined radio resources used by terminal devices of a second group, wherein the second predetermined geographical region is neighboring and overlapping the first predetermined geographical region;
• and
• a transmitter operable to transmit information indicating the selected sets of predetermined radio resources to each terminal device, wherein each terminal device is operable to:
• store the information transmitted by the transmitter,
• determine its geographical location,
• determine, from the information transmitted by the transmitter, that it is located in one of the first and second predetermined geographical regions, according to the determined geographical location, wherein groups of terminal devices are created and changed dynamically as each of the terminal devices enters and leaves each predetermined geographical region,
• determine to use the first selected set of predetermined radio resources associated with the first determined geographical region using the stored mapping information and the information transmitted by the transmitter, and perform communication with another one of the terminal devices located in the first determined geographical region using a determined set of predetermined radio resources to be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication when associated with the first group, wherein, a first terminal device, when associated with the first group, changes to the second group in response to the first terminal being separated from the another terminal device that is associated with the first group by a distance greater than a propagation distance of D2D signaling between the first and the another terminal device when the first terminal device determines signaling is not received from the another terminal device within a predetermined time period starting at a point that the first terminal device enters the second predetermined geographical region that is the neighboring and overlapping predetermined geographical region, the changing to the second group including the first terminal device switching radio resources by changing from using radio resources allocated to the first predetermined geographical region to using radio resources allocated to the neighboring and overlapping predetermined geographical region.

A method of operating a first terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications system, the first terminal device comprising a receiver, a transmitter, and a storage medium operable to store mapping information, the mapping information identifying sets of predetermined radio resources and predetermined geographical regions associated with each respective set of predetermined radio resources, the predetermined geographical regions including a first predetermined geographical region associated with a first set of predetermined radio resources used by terminal devices of a first group and a second predetermined geographical region associated with a second set of predetermined radio resources used by terminal devices of a second group, wherein the second predetermined geographical region is neighboring and overlapping the first predetermined geographical region, wherein the method comprises:

• determining a geographical location of the first terminal device, the geographical location of the first terminal device being determined by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS);
• determining, from the stored mapping information, that it is located in one of the first and second predetermined geographical regions, according to the determined geographical location, wherein groups of terminal devices are created and changed dynamically as each of the terminal devices enter and leave each predetermined geographical region;
• determining to use the first set of predetermined radio resources associated with the first determined geographical region using the stored mapping information;
• receiving signals from another terminal device located in the first determined geographical region using a determined set of predetermined radio resources to be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication when associated with the first group;
• and
• transmitting signals to the another terminal device using the determined set of predetermined radio resources to be used for the D2D communication when associated with the first group, wherein, the first terminal device, when associated with the first group, changes to the second group in response to the first terminal being separated from the another terminal device that is associated with the first group by a distance greater than a propagation distance of D2D signaling between the first and the another terminal device when the first terminal determines signaling is not received from the another terminal device within a predetermined time period starting at a point that the first terminal device enters the second predetermined geographical region that is the neighboring and overlapping predetermined geographical region, the changing to the second group including the first terminal device switching radio resources by changing from using radio resources allocated to the first predetermined geographical region to using radio resources allocated to the neighboring and overlapping predetermined geographical region.