A method of managing communications in a wireless communications system, comprising: estimating at least one metric of energy efficiency associated with communicating over each of a plurality of communications links, said plurality of communications links included in a plurality of communications paths between terminals of the system, said plurality of communications paths comprising direct wireless communications paths between terminals of the system and indirect wireless communications paths between terminals of the system via a base station of the system; the base station identifying candidate pairs of terminals based on the estimated metrics of energy efficiency, wherein a pair of terminals is identified as a candidate pair of terminals when the metric of energy efficiency associated with communicating over a communications link included in a direct communications path between the pair of terminals is lower than the metrics of energy efficiency associated with communicating over communications links included in an indirect communications path between the pair of terminals; the base station informing the terminals of the identified candidate pairs; at least one of the terminals of each identified candidate pair indicating, to the base station, a preference among the identified candidate pairs; the base station arbitrating among the preferences to decide pairs of terminals that are to communicate over direct wireless communications paths, in order to achieve the most energy efficient configuration for the wireless communications system, based on the estimated metrics of energy efficiency; and the base station informing the terminals of the decided pairs of terminals. estimating at least one metric of energy efficiency associated with communicating over each of a plurality of communications links, said plurality of communications links included in a plurality of communications paths between terminals of the system, said plurality of communications paths comprising direct wireless communications paths between terminals of the system and indirect wireless communications paths between terminals of the system via a base station of the system; the base station identifying candidate pairs of terminals based on the estimated metrics of energy efficiency, wherein a pair of terminals is identified as a candidate pair of terminals when the metric of energy efficiency associated with communicating over a communications link included in a direct communications path between the pair of terminals is lower than the metrics of energy efficiency associated with communicating over communications links included in an indirect communications path between the pair of terminals; the base station informing the terminals of the identified candidate pairs; at least one of the terminals of each identified candidate pair indicating, to the base station, a preference among the identified candidate pairs; the base station arbitrating among the preferences to decide pairs of terminals that are to communicate over direct wireless communications paths, in order to achieve the most energy efficient configuration for the wireless communications system, based on the estimated metrics of energy efficiency; and the base station informing the terminals of the decided pairs of terminals.