Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate providing relay nodes in wireless networks. In particular, cluster nodes, which can be regular eNBs, can provide wireless network access to the relay nodes over a backhaul link, and the relay nodes can offer access to devices or other relay nodes to expand network coverage and/or provide increased throughput. User equipment (UE) relays can function as UEs according to a cluster node such that UE relays receive network addressing and can tunnel communications through the cluster node using the backhaul link. Cell relays can function as a cell of the cluster node, such that transport layer communications terminate at the cluster node. In this regard, cell relays can define transport layers to use in communicating with the cluster nodes over the backhaul and with other devices over a provided access link.