Patent ID: 8825040
Filing Date: 2014-09-02
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: Monitoring, while in an idle state by a terminal device of a cellular telecommunication system, communication-environmental parameters of the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the terminal device supports cellular radio connections established directly between the terminal device and a base station of the cellular telecommunication system and device-to-device connections established directly between two or more terminal devices according to one or more radio access technologies selected from a plurality of radio access technologies supported by the two or more terminal devices; Selecting, by the terminal device in the idle state prior to establishing a communications connection, either a direct cellular radio connection or a relayed cellular radio connection to connect the terminal device to the cellular telecommunication system, wherein the relayed cellular radio connection refers to a connection established between the base station and the terminal device through a relay terminal device configured to link a device-to-device connection established between the relay terminal and the terminal device to a cellular radio connection between the relay terminal device and the base station, wherein the relay terminal device is controlled by the base station to broadcast a beacon signal, and the monitored communication-environmental parameters include the beacon signal and a broadcast control signal from the base station, and wherein the terminal device selects either the direct cellular radio connection or the relayed cellular radio connection depending on the monitored communication-environmental parameters.