A mobile communications system for communicating data to and/or from mobile communications devices (1402, 1403), the mobile communications system comprising: one or more base stations, each of which includes a transmitter and a receiver operable to provide a wireless access interface for communicating data to and/or from the mobile communications devices, the wireless access interface providing on a downlink a host carrier, the host carrier providing a plurality of resource elements across a first frequency range for communicating data, and providing a virtual carrier, the virtual carrier comprising one or more resource elements within a second frequency range which is within and smaller than the first frequency range, a first of the mobile communications devices comprising a receiver of a first type, the receiver of the first type having a bandwidth for contemporaneously receiving data which is at least the bandwidth of the first frequency range, and a second of the mobile communications devices comprising a receiver of a second type, the receiver of the second type having a bandwidth for contemporaneously receiving data which is less than or equal to the bandwidth of the second frequency range, wherein the first mobile communications device is operable to receive downlink communications via the host carrier, the second mobile communications device is operable, upon detection of the virtual carrier, to receive downlink communications via the virtual carrier, and one or more of the plurality of resource elements comprises a virtual carrier signal indicating that the wireless access interface provides one or more virtual carriers, wherein the second mobile communications device is operable to scan the first frequency range for a virtual carrier upon detection of the virtual carrier signal. one or more base stations, each of which includes a transmitter and a receiver operable to provide a wireless access interface for communicating data to and/or from the mobile communications devices, the wireless access interface providing on a downlink a host carrier, the host carrier providing a plurality of resource elements across a first frequency range for communicating data, and providing a virtual carrier, the virtual carrier comprising one or more resource elements within a second frequency range which is within and smaller than the first frequency range, a first of the mobile communications devices comprising a receiver of a first type, the receiver of the first type having a bandwidth for contemporaneously receiving data which is at least the bandwidth of the first frequency range, and a second of the mobile communications devices comprising a receiver of a second type, the receiver of the second type having a bandwidth for contemporaneously receiving data which is less than or equal to the bandwidth of the second frequency range, the first mobile communications device is operable to receive downlink communications via the host carrier, the second mobile communications device is operable, upon detection of the virtual carrier, to receive downlink communications via the virtual carrier, and one or more of the plurality of resource elements comprises a virtual carrier signal indicating that the wireless access interface provides one or more virtual carriers, wherein the second mobile communications device is operable to scan the first frequency range for a virtual carrier upon detection of the virtual carrier signal.