Mobile communications network, infrastructure equipment and method

A mobile communications network for communicating data to and/or from one or more communications terminals, the mobile communications network comprising

• a core network part, and
• a radio network part including a plurality of base stations which are configured to provide a wireless access interface for communicating the data to or from the communications terminals, wherein one of the plurality of base stations is configured
• to operate as a serving base station to one of the communications terminals,
• to establish in co-operation with the communications terminal one or more communications bearers for communicating user data to or from the communications terminal via the core network part and the radio network part via the serving base station, and
• to co-operate with at least one other of the plurality of base stations to communicate the user data to or from the communications terminal, the co-operating base station being configured
• to transmit the user data to the communications terminal consequent upon a state of a radio communications channel established via the wireless access interface, and the mobile communications network is configured
• to monitor a state of the radio communications channel between the co-operating base station and the communications terminal, and
• consequent upon predetermined conditions, to establish a communications bearer from the core network to the co-operating base station for communicating the user data to the co-operating base station for transmitting the user data to the communications terminal.

A base station for forming part of a mobile communications network, the base station being configured

• to communicate user data to communications terminals and receive user data from the communications terminals via at least one communications bearer established via a wireless access interface, the communications bearer including a radio communications channel provided by the wireless access interface,
• to operate as a serving base station to one of the communications terminals, and
• to co-operate with at least one other of the plurality of base stations to communicate the user data to or from the communications terminal, by
• transmitting the user data for communicating to the communications terminal via an interface between the serving base station and the co-operating base station,
• monitoring a state of the radio communications channel between the serving base station and the communications terminal and the co-operating base station and the communications terminal,
• reporting the state of the radio communications channel between the serving base station and the communications terminal and the co-operating base station and the communications terminal to the core network, and
• consequent upon receiving an indication that the core network has established a separate communications bearer to the co-operating base station for communicating the user data to the co-operating base station for transmitting the user data to the communications terminal, to stop communicating the user data to the co-operating base station via the interface between the serving base station and the co-operating base station.

A base station for forming part of a mobile communications network, the base station being configured

• to communicate user data to communications terminals and receive user data from the communications terminals via at least one communications bearer established via a wireless access interface, the communications bearer including a radio communications channel provided by the wireless access interface,
• to operate as a co-operating base station with a serving base station for one of the communications terminals, by
• receiving the user data for communicating to the communications terminal from the serving base station via an interface between the serving base station and the co-operating base station, and
• transmitting the user data selectively to the communications terminal consequent upon a state of a radio communications channel established via the wireless access interface under the control of the serving base station, and
• establishing with the mobile communications network a communications bearer from the core network to the co-operating base station for communicating the user data to the co-operating base station for transmitting the user data to the communications terminal, without the receiving the user data from the serving base station.

An infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network including a core network part which includes the infrastructure equipment and a radio network part, which includes a plurality of base stations which are configured to provide a wireless access interface for communicating the data to or from the communications terminals, wherein the infrastructure equipment is configured

• to receive an indication of a relative state of the radio communications link between a co-operating base station and a communications terminal,
• to receive an indication of a relative state of the radio communications link between a serving base station and the communications terminal, the co-operating base station and the serving base station forming a co-operating set of base stations,
• to identify whether to establish the communications bearer to the co-operating base station depending on the predetermined conditions, and
• consequent upon the predetermined conditions being satisfied, to establish the communications bearer for communicating the user data from the serving gateway to the co-operating base station for communication to the communications terminal.

A method of communicating data to a communications terminal via a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network comprising a core network part including infrastructure equipment, and a radio network part including a plurality of base stations which are configured to provide a wireless access interface for communicating the data to the communications terminals, the method comprising

• establishing in co-operation with the communications terminal one or more communications bearers for communicating user data to or from the communications terminal via the core network part and the radio network part via a serving base station,
• forming a co-operating set of base stations comprising the serving base station and at least one co-operating base station,
• monitoring a state of the radio communications channel between the co-operating base station and the communications terminal established via the wireless access interface,
• receiving user data at the co-operating base station via an interface between the serving base station and the co-operating base station, and
• transmitting the user data selectively to the communications terminal from the co-operating base station and/or the serving base station consequent upon a state of a radio communications channel under the control of the serving base station, and
• consequent upon predetermined conditions, establishing a communications bearer from the core network to the co-operating base station for communicating the user data to the co-operating base station for transmitting the user data to the communications terminal.