A machine-type-communication, MTC, aggregator apparatus in a communications network, the communications network having wireless communication nodes including wireless basestations serving wireless devices (10, 20, 310, 310i, 310j, 710), at least one of the wireless devices being an aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) for aggregating machine-type-communications between machine-type-communication devices (10, 10a, 10b, 10n) and machine-type-communication servers (330, 330a, 330b), the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) being served by a serving wireless basestation, the machine-type-communication aggregator apparatus comprising: a node in the communications network, comprising: a communications interface for participating in at least one machine-type-communication involving the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710), the aggregator node collecting data from MTC devices located in the aggregator node's proximity; a processor configured to operate with the communications interface, the processor adapted such that the at least one machine-type-communication involving the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) has the effect of limiting the impact that the machine-type-communication devices (10, 10a, 10b, 10n) have on the uplink between the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) and the serving basestation by causing the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710), during a start-up procedure, to listen for existing aggregators, to connect to an aggregator manager of the communications network, to announce to the aggregator manager that it can also perform an aggregator role, and to start an aggregation service if the aggregator manager decides and replies that a new aggregator is required in a specified cell to off-load the machine-type-communication devices (10, 10a, 10b, 10n). a node in the communications network, comprising: a communications interface for participating in at least one machine-type-communication involving the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710), the aggregator node collecting data from MTC devices located in the aggregator node's proximity; a processor configured to operate with the communications interface, the processor adapted such that the at least one machine-type-communication involving the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) has the effect of limiting the impact that the machine-type-communication devices (10, 10a, 10b, 10n) have on the uplink between the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) and the serving basestation by causing the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710), during a start-up procedure, to listen for existing aggregators, to connect to an aggregator manager of the communications network, to announce to the aggregator manager that it can also perform an aggregator role, and to start an aggregation service if the aggregator manager decides and replies that a new aggregator is required in a specified cell to off-load the machine-type-communication devices (10, 10a, 10b, 10n). a communications interface for participating in at least one machine-type-communication involving the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710), the aggregator node collecting data from MTC devices located in the aggregator node's proximity; a processor configured to operate with the communications interface, the processor adapted such that the at least one machine-type-communication involving the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) has the effect of limiting the impact that the machine-type-communication devices (10, 10a, 10b, 10n) have on the uplink between the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710) and the serving basestation by causing the aggregator node (310, 310i, 310j, 710), during a start-up procedure, to listen for existing aggregators, to connect to an aggregator manager of the communications network, to announce to the aggregator manager that it can also perform an aggregator role, and to start an aggregation service if the aggregator manager decides and replies that a new aggregator is required in a specified cell to off-load the machine-type-communication devices (10, 10a, 10b, 10n).