Patent ID: 8175520

Claim:
A communication system comprising a base station, a destination apparatus and at least one intermediate apparatus, the base station being operable to transmit a communication signal, via the or each intermediate apparatus, to the destination apparatus, the destination apparatus and the/each intermediate apparatus comprising an indicator derivator operable to derive one or more indicators of the quality of a communication signal received at the destination apparatus or at the intermediate apparatus respectively, the communication system further comprising: i) a controller provided in the base station; ii) an indicator deviation detector operable to detect a deviation in one said indicator derived by the destination apparatus from a desired value, wherein said desired value is the value of the indicator of the quality of the communication signal derived by the destination apparatus when the value is at, or close to, a target value set by the destination apparatus, and when a measure of a quality of a communication signal received at the destination apparatus is in balance with a measure of a quality of a communication signal received at the intermediate apparatus; iii) a determination unit operable, following the detection of such a deviation, to determine a required change in the transmit power of the intermediate apparatus that will tend to bring the said indicator to said desired value, said required change being determined relative to the degree of change detected by said indicator deviation detector, wherein the determination unit further comprises a request transmitter operable to transmit a request to the controller for a change in the transmit power of the intermediate apparatus corresponding to said required change.