D2D SCHEDULING BASED ON PRIORITIES

摘要

A communications device and method of communicating using a communications device is disclosed for performing device-to-device communications. The communications device is configured with at least one of an indication of first communications resources of the wireless access interface which can be allocated on request to the communications device by a mobile communications network for transmitting signals to one or more other communications devices in accordance with the first mode of operation or an indication of second communications resources of the wireless access interface, which can be used by the communications device for transmitting signals to one or more other communications devices in accordance with a second mode of operation using a device to device communications protocol. The method includes receiving, from the mobile communications network, an indication of whether the communications device can use at least one of the first communications resources of the wireless access interface for performing device-to-device communications in accordance with the first mode of operation or the second communications resources of the wireless access interface for performing device to device communications in accordance with the second mode of operation, and depending on the indication provided by the mobile communications network and the configuration of the first communications resources and/or the second communications resources, transmitting signals to the one or more other communications devices via the first communications resources or transmitting signals to the one or more other communications devices via the second communications resources in accordance with the second mode of operation using the device to device communications protocol. Embodiments of the present technique can provide an arrangement for restricting or controlling communications devices, which are performing D2D communications so as to reduce or restrict access to communications resources for D2D communications in accordance with a priority given to the communications devices.