Methods, communications device and non-terrestrial network infrastructure equipment

A communications device configured to transmit or to receive via a non-terrestrial network, NTN, infrastructure equipment, the communications device comprising:

• transceiver circuitry configured to transmit or to receive signals;
• and
• control circuitry configured in combination with the transceiver circuitry to
• detect signals from the NTN infrastructure equipment during one of a plurality of in-coverage periods during which the communications device is in a coverage area of the NTN infrastructure equipment because the communications device can receive signals either
• transmitted from the NTN infrastructure equipment carried by an aerial vehicle, or
• relayed from the NTN infrastructure equipment via the aerial vehicle as the aerial vehicle passes over the communications device,
• identify, based on a determined profile of channel conditions with respect to time within the one of the plurality of in-coverage periods in which the signals from the NTN infrastructure equipment have been detected, one or more sub-periods of a subsequent in-coverage period subsequent to the one of the plurality of in-coverage periods during which a communication of data can provide a relative reduction in an amount of communications resources required to correctly communicate the data compared with other sub-periods of the subsequent in-coverage period, and
• transmit signals carrying the data in the one or more sub-periods of the subsequent in-coverage period based on the identification, or
• receive signals carrying the data in the one or more sub-periods of the subsequent in-coverage period based on the identification.

A non-terrestrial network, NTN, infrastructure equipment of a wireless communications network configured to transmit to or receive from one or more communications devices, the NTN infrastructure equipment comprising:

• transceiver circuitry configured to transmit or to receive signals;
• and
• control circuitry configured in combination with the transceiver circuitry to
• receive from a communications device, a profile of channel conditions with respect to time within one of a plurality of in-coverage periods in which signals from the NTN infrastructure equipment have been detected by the communications device while the communications device is in a coverage area of the NTN infrastructure equipment because the communications device can receive signals either transmitted from the NTN infrastructure equipment carried by an aerial vehicle or relayed from the NTN infrastructure equipment via the aerial vehicle as the aerial vehicle passes over the communications device,
• identify, based on the received profile of channel conditions with respect to time within the one of the plurality of in-coverage periods in which the signals from the NTN infrastructure equipment have been detected, one or more sub-periods of a subsequent in-coverage period subsequent to the one of the plurality of in-coverage periods during which a communication of data can provide a relative reduction in an amount of communications resources required to correctly communicate the data compared with other sub-periods of the subsequent in-coverage period, and
• transmit signals carrying the data in the one or more sub-periods of the subsequent in-coverage period based on the identification, or
• receive signals carrying the data in the one or more sub-periods of the subsequent in-coverage period based on the identification.