Patent ID: 8768365

Claim:
A method implemented by a control unit for controlling a relay or repeater (“repeater”) that retransmits signals between a base station and a user equipment in a radio access network, the method comprising: sending a repeater control message to the repeater through a tunnel as ordinary data from the perspective of the radio access network, said tunnel created by setting up an available data communication channel from the base station to the repeater and by addressing a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, a mobile phone number, or an Internet protocol (IP) address of the repeater, the repeater control message configured to control the repeater; wherein the base station and the repeater are endpoints of the tunnel; wherein the control unit resides outside the radio access network; wherein said sending comprise sending the repeater control message via a data communication network connected to the radio access network; and wherein the tunnel is a first tunnel, and the control unit communicates with the first tunnel via a second tunnel that passes through the data communication network.