Patent ID: 8666403

Claim:
A method comprising: directing broadcast of an indication of a device-to-device registration area identification in each of one or more cells that comprise a device-to-device registration area identified by the device-to-device registration area identification; directing receipt of a device-to-device registration request originated by a first terminal apparatus in response to the broadcast indication, the first terminal apparatus being located within the registration area; and registering, by device-to-device registration server function circuitry, the first terminal apparatus based at least in part upon the device-to-device registration request; directing receipt of a device-to-device connection establishment request originated by the first terminal apparatus, wherein the device-to-device connection establishment request comprises an indication of an identifier for a second terminal apparatus; and directing, in response to receipt of the device-to-device connection establishment request, paging the second terminal apparatus to facilitate establishment of a device-to-device connection between the first terminal apparatus and the second terminal apparatus; determining a paging area based at least in part upon the device-to-device connection establishment request; and wherein: directing paging the second terminal apparatus comprises directing paging the second terminal apparatus only in the determined paging area; determining a cell by which the device-to-device connection establishment request was received from the first terminal apparatus; and defining the paging area to comprise the determined cell.