Methods, infrastructure equipment and wireless communications networks

A first infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network comprising a plurality of other infrastructure equipment, the first infrastructure equipment being configured to communicate with at least two of the plurality of other infrastructure equipment via a backhaul communications link within a system bandwidth, one or more of the first infrastructure equipment and the plurality of other infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more communications devices via an access link within the system bandwidth, wherein the system bandwidth comprises a plurality of bandwidth parts, each of the bandwidth parts being formed of a contiguous set of frequency resources that is smaller than and within the system bandwidth, wherein the first infrastructure equipment comprises transceiver circuitry and controller circuitry which are configured in combination:

• to transmit radio signals to and/or to receive radio signals from a second of the infrastructure equipment using frequency resources of a first of the bandwidth parts, the first infrastructure equipment being connected to the second infrastructure equipment on a downlink of the first infrastructure equipment and configured to allocate uplink communications resources to the second infrastructure equipment, and
• to transmit radio signals to and/or to receive radio signals from a third of the infrastructure equipment using frequency resources of a second of the bandwidth parts, the first infrastructure equipment being connected to the third infrastructure equipment on an uplink of the first infrastructure equipment and configured to receive allocated uplink communications resources from the third infrastructure equipment,
• wherein the frequency resources of the first bandwidth part are distinct from and do not overlap with the frequency resources of the second bandwidth part.

Circuitry for a first infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network comprising a plurality of other infrastructure equipment, the first infrastructure equipment being configured to communicate with at least two of the plurality of other infrastructure equipment via a backhaul communications link within a system bandwidth, one or more of the first infrastructure equipment and the plurality of other infrastructure equipment each being configured to communicate with one or more communications devices via an access link within the system bandwidth, wherein the system bandwidth comprises a plurality of bandwidth parts, each of the bandwidth parts being formed of a contiguous set of frequency resources that is smaller than and within the system bandwidth, wherein the first infrastructure equipment comprises transceiver circuitry and controller circuitry which are configured in combination:

• to transmit radio signals to and/or to receive radio signals from a second of the infrastructure equipment using frequency resources of a first of the bandwidth parts, the first infrastructure equipment being connected to the second infrastructure equipment on a downlink of the first infrastructure equipment and configured to allocate uplink communications resources to the second infrastructure equipment, and
• to transmit radio signals to and/or to receive radio signals from a third of the infrastructure equipment using frequency resources of a second of the bandwidth parts, the first infrastructure equipment being connected to the third infrastructure equipment on an uplink of the first infrastructure equipment and configured to receive allocated uplink communications resources from the third infrastructure equipment,
• wherein the frequency resources of the first bandwidth part are distinct from and do not overlap with the frequency resources of the second bandwidth part.