Patent ID: 8811998

Claim:
A relay node for a radio access network, the relay node arranged between one or more User Equipments and a base station serving a cell of the radio access network, the relay node comprising: a receive unit; a transmit unit; and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to: transmit an identification, using the transmit unit, indicating that the relay node is a relay node in the cell of the radio access network; transmit one or more connection messages, using the transmit unit, to a separate configuration node in the radio access network or in a core network to which the radio access network is connected, the configuration node being different from the base station serving the cell; receive a non-support indication from the configuration node, using the receive unit, indicating that the base station serving the cell is unable to support a relay node; receive additional information, along with the non-support indication, the additional information comprising one or more of: an indication of a reason why the base station serving the cell is unable to support relay nodes; an alternative carrier or frequency band intended for relay node communication; an alternative Radio Access Technology, RAT, intended for relay node communication; a list of one or more cells in which there is support for relay nodes; and a list of one or more cells in which there is no support for relay nodes; and establish itself as a relay node in another cell, using the transmit unit and said additional information, upon receiving said non-support indication.