Patent ID: 8150311

Claim:
A communication system comprising a base station, a destination apparatus and an intermediate apparatus, the base station being operable to transmit a communication signal via the intermediate apparatus, to the destination apparatus, wherein each of the destination apparatus and the intermediate apparatus comprise: an indicator deviator operable to derive one or more indicators of the quality of a communication signal received at the destination apparatus or the intermediate apparatus respectively, wherein said intermediate apparatus and said destination apparatus are operable to transmit said indicators to an indicator receiver of the base station, said communication system further comprising: i) an imbalance detector periodically operable to detect an imbalance between one said indicator derived by the destination apparatus and one said indicator derived by the intermediate apparatus; and ii) a determination unit provided in said base station and operable, following detection of such an imbalance by said imbalance detector, to determine a required change in the transmit power of the base station that will tend to reduce such an imbalance, wherein said required change in the transmit power of the base station is determined relative to the degree of imbalance detected by said imbalance detector.