A method of operating a mobile communication network including plural radio transceiver stations serving and managing communications between mobile communication devices. The method includes: a first radio transceiver station commanding, to a first mobile communication device, transmission of a probe signal; the first radio transceiver station providing to a second mobile communication device parameters useful to the second mobile communication device for receiving the probe signal; the first radio transceiver station performing a first measuring the probe signal; the first radio transceiver station receiving a second measure of the probe signal, performed by the second mobile communication device; the first radio transceiver station comparing the first and second measures; the first radio transceiver station commanding a switch of the communication of the first mobile communication device towards the second mobile communication device to a direct device-to-device communication based on a result of the comparing.