Infrastructure equipment, communications device and methods

A method of operating an infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network for transmitting data to or receiving data from a plurality of communications devices, the infrastructure equipment providing a cell having a coverage area in which the plurality of communications devices are located, the method comprising

• transmitting, to the plurality of communications devices via a wireless access interface provided by the wireless communications network, an indication of one or more of a plurality of uplink data transmission configurations, the uplink data transmission configurations each defining different values of a set of one or more communications parameters in accordance with which the plurality of communications devices are to transmit uplink data to the infrastructure equipment,
• receiving, via the wireless access interface, a first signal comprising a random access preamble and uplink data from one of the communications devices, and
• transmitting, via the wireless access interface a random access response message to the one of the communications devices,
• wherein the one or more of the plurality of uplink data transmission configurations defining the values of the communications parameters in accordance with which the uplink data of the first signal is received by the infrastructure equipment is dependent on a distance between the one of the communications devices and the infrastructure equipment.

A method of operating a communications device for transmitting data to or receiving data from an infrastructure equipment forming part of a wireless communications network, the infrastructure equipment providing a cell having a coverage area in which the communications devices is located, the method comprising

• determining a distance between the communications device and the infrastructure equipment,
• receiving, from the infrastructure equipment via a wireless access interface provided by the wireless communications network, an indication of one or more of a plurality of uplink data transmission configurations, the uplink data transmission configurations each defining different values of a set of one or more communications parameters in accordance with which the communications device is to transmit uplink data to the infrastructure equipment,
• determining that one of the indicated uplink data transmission configurations should be used to transmit uplink data to the infrastructure equipment dependent on distance between the communications device and the infrastructure equipment,
• transmitting, via the wireless access interface, a first signal comprising a random access preamble and uplink data to the infrastructure equipment in accordance with values of the parameters defined by the determined uplink data transmission configuration, and
• receiving, via the wireless access interface, a random access response message from the infrastructure equipment.