CLAIMS

1. A communications node for use in a communications network having a core network and a base station that can communicate with a plurality of mobile devices, the base station having a membership based access mode and a non-membership based access mode, the communications node comprising:

a memory for storing a list of membership identifiers associated with the base station when the base station is operating in said membership based access mode;

a communication module for receiving a configuration message from the base station indicating that the base station has changed from the membership based access mode to the non-membership based access mode;

a control module operable to process the received configuration message and to determine that the base station has changed from said membership based access mode to the non-membership based access mode and, in response to such determination, to delete the stored list of membership identifiers associated with the base station.

2. The communications node of claim 1 wherein the configuration message indicates that the base station has changed from the membership based access mode to the non-membership based access mode by not including a list of membership identifiers in the message.

3. The communications node of claim 1 wherein the configuration message indicates that the base station has changed from the membership based access mode to the non-membership based access mode by including data indicating the change of mode to said non-membership based access mode.

4. A communications node for use in a communications network having a core network and a base station that can communicate with a plurality of mobile devices, the base station having a membership based access mode and a non-membership based access mode, the communications node comprising:

a memory for storing a list of membership identifiers associated with the base station when the base station is operating in said membership based access mode;

a communication module for receiving a configuration message from the base station, the configuration message comprising one or more membership identifiers to be deleted from said list; and

a control module for deleting said one or more membership identifiers from the list of membership identifiers stored in said memory.

5. The communications node of claim 4 wherein the configuration message further includes one or more membership identifiers to be added to the list stored in the core network and wherein said control module is arranged to add said one or more membership identifiers to the list of membership identifiers stored in said memory.

6. The communications node of claim 4 or 5, wherein the configuration message further includes one or more membership identifiers to be maintained in the list stored in the core network and wherein said control module is arranged to maintain said one or more membership identifiers to be maintained, in the list.

7. The communications node of any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the configuration message comprises an ENB Configuration Update Message!

8. The communications node of any of claims 1 to 7 which is a mobility management entity.

20 9. A communications node for use in a communications network having a core

network and a base station that can communicate with a plurality of mobile devices, the base station having a membership based access mode and a non-membership based access mode, the communications node comprising:

a memory for storing a list of membership identifiers associated with the base 25 station when the base station is operating in said membership based access mode;

a communication module for receiving a configuration message from the base station indicating whether the communication node should update, maintain or delete the list of membership identifiers stored in said memory; and

a control module operable to process the received configuration message and to 30. update, maintain or delete the membership list stored in said memory in dependence upon the received configuration message.

10. The communications node according to claim 9, wherein the control module is arranged to update the membership list by over-writing the list with a list contained within the received configuration message.

11. The communications node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the control module is arranged to maintain the membership list by keeping the stored list of membership identifiers.

12. The communications node according to claim 9, 10 or 1 1, wherein the control module is arranged to delete the membership list by removing the list from memory to leave no list of membership identifiers stored in the memory for the base station.

13. A base station for communicating with a plurality of mobile devices and a core network, the base station having a membership based access mode and a non-membership based access mode and comprising:

a mobile subscriber registration module configured to register mobile subscribers for connection to the core network via the base station;

a management module configured to manage a list of membership identifiers associated with the base station when the base station operates is said membership based access mode; and

a base station registration module configured to send configuration messages to the core network;

wherein the management module is configured to delete the list of membership identifiers when the access mode of the base station changes to the non-membership based access mode, and wherein the base station registration module is configured to send a configuration message to the core network indicating that the base station has changed from the membership based access mode to the non-membership based access mode.

14. The base station of claim 13 wherein the configuration message indicates that the base station has changed from the membership based access mode to the non-membership based access mode by not including a list of membership identifiers in the message.

15. The base station of claim 13 wherein the configuration message indicates that the base station has changed from the membership based access mode to the non-membership based access mode by including data indicating the change of mode to said non-membership based access mode.

16. A base station for communicating with a plurality of mobile devices and a core network, the base station having a membership based access mode and a non-membership based access mode and comprising:

a management module configured to manage a list of membership identifiers associated with the base station when the base station operates in said membership based access mode;

a base station registration module configured to send a configuration message to the core network, the configuration message comprising the list of membership identifiers for storage in the core network;

wherein the base station registration module is configured, in response to a change in the list of membership identifiers by the closed subscriber group management module, to send a subsequent configuration message to the core network comprising one or more membership identifiers to be deleted from the list stored in the core network.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein the configuration message further includes one or more membership identifiers to be added to the list stored in the core network.

18. The base station of claim 16 or 17, wherein the configuration message further includes one or more membership identifiers to be maintained in the list stored in the core network.

19. The base station of any of claims 13 to 18 wherein the configuration message comprises an ENB Configuration Update Message.

20. The base station of any of claims 13 to 19 wherein the membership based access mode comprises either a closed subscriber group access mode or a hybrid access mode, and wherein the non-membership based access mode comprises an open access mode.

21. A base station for communicating with a plurality of mobile devices and a core network, the base station having a membership based access mode and a non-membership based access mode and comprising:

a management module configured to manage a list of membership identifiers associated with the base station when the base station operates in said membership based access mode;

a base station registration module configured to send a configuration message to the core network, the configuration message comprising the list of membership identifiers for storage in the core network;

wherein the base station registration module is configured, in response to a change in the list of membership identifiers by the closed subscriber group management module, to send a subsequent configuration message to the core network indicating whether the core network should update, maintain or delete the list of membership identifiers stored in the core network.

22. A communications system comprising a plurality of mobile devices, a base station of any one of claims 13 to 21, and a communications node of any of claims 1 to 12.

23. A computer program product comprising instructions operable to program a programmable processor to perform a method according to any of claims 15 to 18.