Methods, infrastructure unit, base station and network unit

3:

• Circuitry for a network unit for reducing interference in a mobile communications network, wherein the mobile communications network comprises one or more infrastructure units and one or more terminals, the infrastructure units being operable to send and/or receive wireless signals with the one or more terminals and the network unit, the circuitry comprising:
• a controller element;
• and
• a transceiver element, wherein
• the controller element and the transceiver element are configured to:
• estimate an interference level in the mobile communication network;
• in the event that the interference level is detected as being above a satisfactory threshold:
• select an infrastructure unit of the one or more infrastructure units which is currently operating as one of a base station or an uplink and downlink relay node configured to relay uplink and downlink transmissions, and
• configure the infrastructure unit to operate as an uplink relay node such that it does not send downlink signals;
• and
• in the event that the interference level is detected as being below a satisfactory threshold:
• select an infrastructure unit currently operating as an uplink relay node such that it does not send downlink signals, and
• configure the infrastructure unit to operate as one of a base station or an uplink and downlink relay node configured to relay uplink and downlink transmissions.

4:

• A method of operating an infrastructure unit in a mobile communications network, wherein the mobile communications network comprises a base station and one or more terminals in communications with the base station, the method comprising:
• not sending downlink signals to the one or more terminals;
• receiving, by the infrastructure unit, an indicator of a first uplink resource grant for a first terminal of the one or more terminals;
• receiving, by the infrastructure unit, first uplink signals sent by the first terminal to the base station, wherein the first uplink signals are sent via resources allocated via the first uplink resource grant;
• and
• transmitting, by the infrastructure unit, relayed signals to the base station, wherein the relayed signals are based on the received first uplink signals.

6:

• The method according to claim 4, further comprising the infrastructure unit:
• decoding the uplink transmissions corresponding to the received uplink signals;
• and
• generating the relayed signals based on the decoded uplink transmissions.

7:

• The method according to claim 4, further comprising the infrastructure unit:
• receiving an indicator of a second uplink resource grant for the first terminal;
• receiving second uplink signals sent by the first terminal to the base station, wherein the second uplink signals are sent via resources allocated via the second uplink resource grant
• combining the first uplink signals with the second uplink signals thereby generating combined uplink signals wherein the relayed signal is based on the combined uplink signals.

8:

• The method according to claim 4, further comprising the infrastructure unit:
• receiving an indicator of a further uplink resource grant for a second terminal of the one or more terminals;
• receiving further uplink signals sent by the second terminal to the base station, wherein the further uplink signals are sent via resources allocated via the further uplink resource grant
• combining the first uplink signals with the further uplink signals thereby generating combined uplink signals wherein the relayed signal is based on the combined uplink signals.

9:

• An infrastructure unit in a mobile communications network, wherein the mobile communications network comprises a base station and one or more terminals, the infrastructure unit being configured to operate in an uplink relay mode, wherein, in the uplink relay mode the infrastructure unit is configured to:
• not send downlink signals to the one or more terminals;
• receive an indicator of a first uplink resource grant for a first terminal of the one or more terminals;
• receive first uplink signals sent by the first terminal to the base station, wherein the first uplink signals are sent via resources allocated via the first uplink resource grant;
• and
• transmit relayed signals to the base station, wherein the relayed signals are based on the received first uplink signals.

17:

• Circuitry for a base station for use in a mobile communications network, wherein the mobile communications network comprises the base station, one or more terminals and a relay node configured to relay transmissions between the base station and a terminal of the one or more terminals, the circuitry comprising:
• a controller element, and
• a transceiver element, wherein
• the controller element and the transceiver element are configured to:
• send a first resource grant for the first terminal, the first resource grant allocating first uplink resources to the first terminal;
• send first grant information to the relay node, the first grant information including an indication of the allocated first uplink resources for the first terminal;
• receive first uplink signals via the allocated first uplink resources;
• receive first relayed uplink signals transmitted by the relay node to the base station;
• and
• decode uplink transmissions for the first terminal using the first uplink signals and the first relayed uplink signals.