Band with provisioning in a telecommunications system having radio links

A communication system serving a plurality of subscribers and comprising:

• an automatic controlling means including a database of subscriber information:
• a plurality of subscriber radio communication links capable of communicating over two or more bandwidths;
• an exchange facility;
• wherein each subscriber may be connected to said exchange facility by a subscriber radio communications link over one of said bandwidths;
• and wherein said automatic controlling means is adapted to reconfigure the system such that said subscriber connection is by said subscriber radio communications link over a second said bandwidth, said reconfiguration being dependent on subscriber bandwidth requirements or requests communicated to said controlling means, subscribe information, and system capability including the availability of bandwidth.

A method of operating a communications system serving a plurality of subscribers and comprising:

• automatic controlling means including a database of subscriber information;
• a plurality of subscriber radio communications links capable of communicating over two or more bandwidths;
• an exchange facility;
• wherein each said subscriber is connected to said exchange facility by one of said subscriber radio communications links over one of said bandwidths;
• the method comprising:
• (a) receiving a request to change the bandwidth of a subscriber radio communications link,
• (b) determining the system configuration including the availability of bandwidth such that the request is denied if the system is incapable of being reconfigured to support the request of bandwidth change;
• (c) determining from the subscriber information whether the subscriber using said subscriber communications link is permitted the requested bandwidth change;
• (d) reconfiguring the system and the subscriber radio communication link to operate at the requested bandwidth if the system is reconfigurable as determined in step (b), and the subscriber is permitted to change as determined in step (c).