Apparatus, method and computer program product providing neighbor discovery, handover procedure and relay zone configuration for relay stations in a multi-hop network

An apparatus comprising at least one processor;

• and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
• to transmit a first message to a first access station comprising a request for a temporary suspension of communication between the first relay station and at least one user equipment;
• to receive a second message from the first access station comprising an authorization of the temporary suspension of communication;
• and
• in response to receiving the second message, to perform a scanning operation at a specific time;
• to determine whether a target access station has a configured relay zone;
• and
• in response to a determination that the target access station has a relay zone configured, to transmit a third message requesting a handover to the target access station.

A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly encoded with a computer program executable by a processor to perform actions comprising:

• transmitting a first message to an access station serving a first relay station comprising a request for a temporary suspension of communication between the first relay station and at least one user equipment that is in communication with the first relay station;
• receiving a second message from the access station comprising an authorization of the temporary suspension of communication;
• and
• in response to receiving the second message, performing a scanning operation during the temporary suspension of communication;
• determining whether a target access station has a configured relay zone;
• and
• in response to a determination that the target access station has a relay zone configured, transmitting a third message requesting a handover to the target access station.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for transmitting a first message to an access station serving a first relay station comprising a request for a temporary suspension of communication between the first relay station and at least one user equipment that is in communication with the first relay station;
• means for receiving a second message from the access station comprising an authorization of the temporary suspension of communication;
• means for performing a scanning operation during the temporary suspension of communication in response to receiving the second message;
• determination means for determining whether a target access station has a configured relay zone;
• and
• means for transmitting a third message requesting a handover to the target access station in response to a determination that the target access station has a relay zone configured.