Patent ID: 8620376

Claim:
A method of operating a Base Station (BS) for establishing a communication mode between Mobile Stations (MSs) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: upon receiving a connection request message from a transmitting MS, broadcasting an instruction message to one or more neighbor MSs, the instruction message instructing the one or more neighbor MSs to prepare to receive a P2P report request message broadcast from the transmitting MS; receiving P2P-related information from a receiving MS among the one or more neighbor MSs in response to the reception of the P2P report request message at the receiving MS; determining whether a P2P communication is possible between the transmitting MS and the receiving MS according to the P2P-related information; selecting a communication mode based on a result of the determination; and if the P2P communication is possible between the transmitting MS and the receiving MS, transmitting a connection response message to the transmitting MS and the receiving MS.