A mobile communications system for transmitting data to and/or receiving data from mobile communications devices, the mobile communications system comprising: one or more network elements, each of which includes a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide a wireless access interface for communicating data to and/or from the mobile communications devices, the wireless access interface providing, in a downlink, a first carrier, the first carrier providing a plurality of communications resource elements (704, 706) across a first frequency range for communicating data and providing plurality of communications resource elements (701, 702) within a second frequency range which is within and smaller than the first frequency range forming a virtual carrier, first mobile communications devices configured to receive signals transmitted via the first carrier within the first frequency range, and second mobile communications devices configured to receive signals transmitted via the virtual carrier within the second frequency range, wherein the wireless access interface provided by the network elements includes a plurality of time divided sub-frames, each sub-frame including the plurality of communications resource elements of the first frequency range and the plurality of the communications resource elements of the second frequency range, and each sub-frame includes a first wideband control channel in a part of each sub-frame having a bandwidth corresponding to the first frequency range, and a second narrow band control channel in a second part of each sub-frame and having a bandwidth which is less than the first wideband control channel, and the second narrow band control channel is configured for communicating control information to both the first mobile communications devices and the second mobile communications devices and forms part of the plurality of the communications resource elements of the second frequency range of the virtual carrier, wherein the network elements are configured to communicate first resource allocation messages via the second narrow band control channel to the first mobile devices and the second mobile devices, the first resource allocation messages providing an indication to one or more of the first mobile devices or the second mobile devices of communications resource elements (701, 702, 704, 706) from the first frequency range of the first carrier or the second frequency range of the virtual carrier which have been allocated to the one or more of the first mobile devices or the second mobile devices respectively, wherein the narrow band control channel is distributed between two parts (906.1, 906.2) within the second frequency range of the virtual carrier. one or more network elements, each of which includes a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide a wireless access interface for communicating data to and/or from the mobile communications devices, the wireless access interface providing, in a downlink, a first carrier, the first carrier providing a plurality of communications resource elements (704, 706) across a first frequency range for communicating data and providing plurality of communications resource elements (701, 702) within a second frequency range which is within and smaller than the first frequency range forming a virtual carrier, first mobile communications devices configured to receive signals transmitted via the first carrier within the first frequency range, and second mobile communications devices configured to receive signals transmitted via the virtual carrier within the second frequency range, wherein the wireless access interface provided by the network elements includes a plurality of time divided sub-frames, each sub-frame including the plurality of communications resource elements of the first frequency range and the plurality of the communications resource elements of the second frequency range, and each sub-frame includes a first wideband control channel in a part of each sub-frame having a bandwidth corresponding to the first frequency range, and a second narrow band control channel in a second part of each sub-frame and having a bandwidth which is less than the first wideband control channel, and the second narrow band control channel is configured for communicating control information to both the first mobile communications devices and the second mobile communications devices and forms part of the plurality of the communications resource elements of the second frequency range of the virtual carrier, wherein the network elements are configured to communicate first resource allocation messages via the second narrow band control channel to the first mobile devices and the second mobile devices, the first resource allocation messages providing an indication to one or more of the first mobile devices or the second mobile devices of communications resource elements (701, 702, 704, 706) from the first frequency range of the first carrier or the second frequency range of the virtual carrier which have been allocated to the one or more of the first mobile devices or the second mobile devices respectively, wherein the narrow band control channel is distributed between two parts (906.1, 906.2) within the second frequency range of the virtual carrier.