Quality of service control in a relay

A communications system comprising:

• a plurality of user equipments each having a UE buffer;
• a relay node having a relay buffer;
• and
• a donor node;
• wherein
• each user equipment is operable to transmit data uplink to the donor node via the relay node, and to store the data in its own UE buffer prior to transmission to the relay node,
• the relay node is operable to store the data received from the plurality of user equipments in the relay buffer prior to transmission to the donor node, and, when a buffered data value passes a threshold value, to send a buffer status report to the donor node, the buffered data value representing either the data in the UE buffers, or the data in the relay buffer.

A relay node for use in a communications system also having a plurality of user equipments each having a UE buffer in which to store data prior to transmission uplink to the relay node, and a donor node,

• the relay node having a relay buffer, and being operable:
• to receive data from each of the plurality of user equipments for transmission to the donor node,
• to store the data in the relay buffer prior to transmission to the donor node, and
• when a buffered data value passes a threshold value, to send a buffer status report to the donor node, the buffered data value representing either the data in the UE buffers, or the data in the relay buffer.

A communications system comprising:

• a plurality of user equipments;
• a relay node having a downlink buffer;
• and
• a donor node;
• wherein
• the donor node is operable to transmit data downlink to one of a plurality of user equipments, and
• the relay node is operable to store the data received from the donor node in a downlink buffer prior to transmission to the one of the plurality of user equipments, and, when a downlink buffered data value representing the data stored in the downlink buffer passes a threshold value, to send a downlink buffer status report to the donor node.

A relay node for use in a communications system also having a plurality of user equipments and a donor node,

• the relay node having a downlink buffer, and being operable:
• to receive data from the donor node for one of the plurality of user equipments,
• to store the data in the downlink buffer prior to transmission to the one of the plurality of user equipments, and
• when a downlink buffered data value representing the data stored in the downlink buffer passes a threshold value, to send a downlink buffer status report to the donor node.