Patent Publication Number: US-10778384-B2

Title: System and method for improved capacity using channel multiplexing

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/384,614, filed on Dec. 20, 2016, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Narrowband technologies, such as Cat-M1 and Cat NB1 refine long term evolution (LTE) technology for use in “Internet of Things” (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. These categories allow for LTE to be power efficient as required by many applications that need a relatively low amount of throughput. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are diagrams of an overview of an example implementation described herein; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of an example environment in which systems and/or methods, described herein, may be implemented; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of example components of one or more devices of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart of an example process for assigning orthogonal patterns to UEs and scheduling the UEs to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of an example process for applying an orthogonal pattern to repetitive data and providing information associated with the orthogonal pattern; 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of an example implementation relating to the example process shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram of an example implementation relating to the example process shown in  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are diagrams of an example implementation relating to the example process shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description of example implementations refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. 
     A narrowband solution for a long term evolution (LTE) communication system, such as Cat-M1, may rely on repetitive data transmissions in order to improve coverage. For example, User Equipment (UE) (e.g., an IoT device, an M2M device, a user device, and/or the like) may repeat data in multiple consecutive subframes (e.g., in 10 consecutive subframes, in 30 consecutive subframes, in 100 consecutive subframes, and/or the like) in order to improve coverage. As a particular example, a Cat-M1 UE transmitting voice over LTE (VoLTE) data (e.g., one packet of data) may transmit the data 32 times in 32 consecutive subframes (e.g., where each subframe is 1 millisecond (ms) in duration). 
     However, transmission of repetitive data by the UE means that other UEs may be prevented from transmitting using the radio resources used by the UE for the repetitive transmission. For example, in a case where six physical resource blocks (PRBs) are available on an uplink (e.g., with 1.4 megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth), if a UE requires three PRBs for a transmission (e.g., 540 kHz), then only two UEs may be supported at a given time. This may cause delay in transmissions by the other UEs, and is not an efficient use of available radio resources. 
     Some implementations described herein may provide for channel multiplexing that allows a base station to receive and decode repetitive data transmissions from multiple UEs that use the same set of radio resources to transmit the repetitive data. In some implementations, the same set of radio resources allocated to UEs may include a same PRB and/or a same subcarrier of a PRB. Furthermore, in some implementations, UEs may be assigned orthogonal patterns that are applied to repetitive data transmissions, such that the UEs may utilize the same PRB and/or the same subcarrier of a PRB. In some implementations, orthogonal patterns may be assigned to reference signals to facilitate scheduling transmissions of repetitive data and/or scrambling codes may be applied to reference signals to eliminate scheduling interference with neighboring cells or base stations. In some implementations, an interference cancellation scheme may be utilized to account for mobility of UEs. Accordingly, some implementations herein provide more efficient utilization of radio resources used for repetitive data transmissions (e.g., as compared to allowing a single UE to use a given set of radio resources at a given time). Furthermore, delay in a transmission by a UE may be reduced (e.g., since multiple UEs may transmit more frequently). 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are diagrams of an overview of an example implementation  100  described herein. As shown in  FIG. 1A , example implementation  100  may include a number (N, where N&gt;1) of UEs (UE 1  to UEN) and a base station, such as an eNodeB (eNB). As shown by reference number  105 , the eNB may group UE 1  through UEN such that UE 1  through UEN may transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources. For example, the eNB may group UE 1  through UEN to use a same set of PRBs (e.g., one or more PRBs) of eNB and/or a same set of subcarriers (e.g., one or more subcarriers) of a PRB of the eNB. 
     As shown by reference number  110 , the eNB may assign patterns (e.g., orthogonal patterns, identified as pattern 1 through pattern N) to each of UE 1  through UEN. As shown by reference numbers  115  and  120 , the eNB may provide, to UE 1  through UEN, information that identifies a pattern to be applied by each UE. For example, the eNB may broadcast and/or transmit a mapping table to each of UE 1  through UEN, may send a mapping index to each of UE 1  through UEN, and/or the like. As shown by reference number  125 , the eNB may then schedule UE 1  through UEN to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1B , and by reference number  130 , UE 1  may apply pattern 1 to repetitive data to be transmitted by UE 1  using the set of radio resources scheduled by the eNB. For example, UE 1  may refer to a mapping table and/or pattern index provided by the eNB to determine which pattern is to be applied to the repetitive data. Similarly, as shown by reference number  135 , UEN may apply pattern N to repetitive data to be transmitted by UEN using the set of radio resources. Again, UEN may refer to the mapping table and/or pattern index to determine which pattern is to be applied to the repetitive data. Each of any other UEs in the group of UE 1  through UEN may similarly apply an assigned pattern to repetitive data to be transmitted by that UE. As shown by reference number  140 , UE 1  through UEN may each transmit their respective repetitive data using the same set of radio resources (i.e., the set of radio resources (PRBs and/or subcarriers of PRBs) scheduled by the eNB). As shown by reference number  145 , eNB may receive the repetitive data in the set of radio resources (PRBs and/or subcarriers of PRBs), and may apply each of pattern 1 through pattern N to the repetitive data. Here, based on applying each pattern to the data received in the set of radio resources, the eNB may differentiate the repetitive data transmitted by each of UE 1  through UEN, respectively. 
     In this way, more efficient utilization of radio resources used for repetitive data transmissions is enabled (e.g., as compared to allowing a single UE to use a given set of radio resources at a given time). Furthermore, delay in a transmission by a UE is reduced (e.g., since multiple UEs may transmit more frequently and do not need to wait for the single UE to finish transmitting). 
     As indicated above,  FIGS. 1A and 1B  are provided merely as an example. Other examples are possible and may differ from what was described with regard to  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of an example environment  200  in which systems and/or methods, described herein, may be implemented. As shown in  FIG. 2 , environment  200  may include UEs  205 - 1  through  205 -N (N&gt;1); a base station  210 ; a mobility management entity device (MME)  215 ; a serving gateway (SGW)  220 ; a packet data network gateway (PGW)  225 ; a home subscriber server (HSS)  230 ; an authentication, authorization, and accounting server (AAA)  235 ; and a network  240 . Devices of environment  200  may interconnect via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections. 
     Some implementations are described herein as being performed within a long term evolution (LTE) network for explanatory purposes. Some implementations may be performed within a network that is not an LTE network, such as a third generation (3G) network or a fifth generation (5G) network. 
     Environment  200  may include an evolved packet system (EPS) that includes an LTE network and/or an evolved packet core (EPC) that operate based on a third generation partnership project wireless communication standard. The LTE network may include a radio access network (RAN) that includes one or more base stations  210  that take the form of evolved Node Bs (eNBs) via which UE  205  communicates with the EPC. The EPC may include MME  215 , SGW  220 , and/or PGW  225  that enable UE  205  to communicate with network  240  and/or an Internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) core. The IMS core may include HSS  230  and/or AAA  235 , and may manage device registration and authentication, session initiation, etc., associated with UEs  205 . HSS  230  and/or AAA  235  may reside in the EPC and/or the IMS core. 
     UE  205  includes one or more devices capable of communicating with base station  210  and/or a network (e.g., network  240 ). For example, UE  205  may include a mobile phone (e.g., a smart phone, a radiotelephone, etc.), a computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a handheld computer, a camera, an audio recorder, a camcorder, etc.), an appliance (e.g., a refrigerator, a microwave, a stove, etc.), a medical device, a car, a light bulb, a sensor, a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, and/or any other smart device. In other words, UE  205  may be any “thing” in the IoT. In some implementations, UE  205  may send traffic to and/or receive traffic from network  240  (e.g., via base station  210 , SGW  220 , and/or PGW  225 ). 
     Base station  210  includes one or more devices capable of transferring traffic, such as audio, video, text, and/or other traffic, destined for and/or received from UE  205 . In some implementations, base station  210  may include an eNB associated with the LTE network that receives traffic from and/or sends traffic to network  240  via SGW  220  and/or PGW  225 . Additionally, or alternatively, one or more base stations  210  may be associated with a RAN that is not associated with the LTE network. Base station  210  may send traffic to and/or receive traffic from UE  205  via an air interface. In some implementations, base station  210  may include a small cell base station, such as a base station of a microcell, a picocell, and/or a femtocell. 
     MME  215  includes one or more devices, such as one or more server devices, capable of managing authentication, activation, deactivation, and/or mobility functions associated with UE  205 . In some implementations, MME  215  may perform operations relating to authentication of UE  205 . Additionally, or alternatively, MME  215  may facilitate the selection of a particular SGW  220  and/or a particular PGW  225  to serve traffic to and/or from UE  205 . MME  215  may perform operations associated with handing off UE  205  from a first base station  210  to a second base station  210  when UE  205  is transitioning from a first cell associated with the first base station  210  to a second cell associated with the second base station  210 . Additionally, or alternatively, MME  215  may select another MME (not pictured), to which UE  205  should be handed off (e.g., when UE  205  moves out of range of MME  215 ). 
     SGW  220  includes one or more devices capable of routing packets. For example, SGW  220  may include one or more data processing and/or traffic transfer devices, such as a gateway, a router, a modem, a switch, a firewall, a network interface card (NIC), a hub, a bridge, a server device, an optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM), or any other type of device that processes and/or transfers traffic. In some implementations, SGW  220  may aggregate traffic received from one or more base stations  210  associated with the LTE network, and may send the aggregated traffic to network  240  (e.g., via PGW  225 ) and/or other network devices associated with the EPC and/or the IMS core. SGW  220  may also receive traffic from network  240  and/or other network devices, and may send the received traffic to UE  205  via base station  210 . Additionally, or alternatively, SGW  220  may perform operations associated with handing off UE  205  to and/or from an LTE network. 
     PGW  225  includes one or more devices capable of providing connectivity for UE  205  to external packet data networks (e.g., other than the depicted EPC and/or LTE network). For example, PGW  225  may include one or more data processing and/or traffic transfer devices, such as a gateway, a router, a modem, a switch, a firewall, a NIC, a hub, a bridge, a server device, an OADM, or any other type of device that processes and/or transfers traffic. In some implementations, PGW  225  may aggregate traffic received from one or more SGWs  220 , and may send the aggregated traffic to network  240 . Additionally, or alternatively, PGW  225  may receive traffic from network  240 , and may send the traffic to UE  205  via SGW  220  and base station  210 . PGW  225  may record data usage information (e.g., byte usage), and may provide the data usage information to AAA  235 . 
     HSS  230  includes one or more devices, such as one or more server devices, capable of managing (e.g., receiving, generating, storing, processing, and/or providing) information associated with UE  205 . For example, HSS  230  may manage subscription information associated with UE  205 , such as information that identifies a subscriber profile of a user associated with UE  205 , information that identifies services and/or applications that are accessible to UE  205 , location information associated with UE  205 , a network identifier (e.g., a network address) that identifies UE  205 , information that identifies a treatment of UE  205  (e.g., quality of service information, a quantity of minutes allowed per time period, a quantity of data consumption allowed per time period, etc.), and/or similar information. HSS  230  may provide this information to one or more other devices of environment  200  to support the operations performed by those devices. 
     AAA  235  includes one or more devices, such as one or more server devices, that perform authentication, authorization, and/or accounting operations for communication sessions associated with UE  205 . For example, AAA  235  may perform authentication operations for UE  205  and/or a user of UE  205  (e.g., using one or more credentials), may control access, by UE  205 , to a service and/or an application (e.g., based on one or more restrictions, such as time-of-day restrictions, location restrictions, single or multiple access restrictions, read/write restrictions, etc.), may track resources consumed by UE  205  (e.g., a quantity of voice minutes consumed, a quantity of data consumed, etc.), and/or may perform similar operations. 
     Network  240  includes one or more wired and/or wireless networks. For example, network  240  may include a cellular network (e.g., an LTE network, a 3G network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, etc.), a public land mobile network (PLMN), a wireless local area network (e.g., a Wi-Fi network), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network (e.g., the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)), a private network, an ad hoc network, an intranet, the Internet, a fiber optic-based network, a cloud computing network, and/or a combination of these or other types of networks. 
     The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown in  FIG. 2  are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional devices and/or networks, fewer devices and/or networks, different devices and/or networks, or differently arranged devices and/or networks than those shown in  FIG. 2 . Furthermore, two or more devices shown in  FIG. 2  may be implemented within a single device, or a single device shown in  FIG. 2  may be implemented as multiple, distributed devices. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of devices (e.g., one or more devices) of environment  200  may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of devices of environment  200 . 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram of example components of a device  300 . Device  300  may correspond to UE  205 , base station  210 , MME  215 , SGW  220 , PGW  225 , HSS  230  and/or AAA  235 . In some implementations, UE  205 , base station  210 , MME  215 , SGW  220 , PGW  225 , HSS  230  and/or AAA  235  may include one or more devices  300  and/or one or more components of device  300 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , device  300  may include a bus  310 , a processor  320 , a memory  330 , a storage component  340 , an input component  350 , an output component  360 , and a communication interface  370 . 
     Bus  310  includes a component that permits communication among the components of device  300 . Processor  320  is implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Processor  320  is a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another type of processing component. In some implementations, processor  320  includes one or more processors capable of being programmed to perform a function. Memory  330  includes a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and/or another type of dynamic or static storage device (e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and/or an optical memory) that stores information and/or instructions for use by processor  320 . 
     Storage component  340  stores information and/or software related to the operation and use of device  300 . For example, storage component  340  may include a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optic disk, and/or a solid state disk), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetic tape, and/or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium, along with a corresponding drive. 
     Input component  350  includes a component that permits device  300  to receive information, such as via user input (e.g., a touch screen display, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a switch, and/or a microphone). Additionally, or alternatively, input component  350  may include a sensor for sensing information (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) component, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and/or an actuator). Output component  360  includes a component that provides output information from device  300  (e.g., a display, a speaker, and/or one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs)). 
     Communication interface  370  includes a transceiver-like component (e.g., a transceiver and/or a separate receiver and transmitter) that enables device  300  to communicate with other devices, such as via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections. Communication interface  370  may permit device  300  to receive information from another device and/or provide information to another device. For example, communication interface  370  may include an Ethernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxial interface, an infrared interface, a radio frequency (RF) interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a Wi-Fi interface, a cellular network interface, and/or the like. 
     Device  300  may perform one or more processes described herein. Device  300  may perform these processes based on processor  320  executing software instructions stored by a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory  330  and/or storage component  340 . A computer-readable medium is defined herein as a non-transitory memory device. A memory device includes memory space within a single physical storage device or memory space spread across multiple physical storage devices. 
     Software instructions may be read into memory  330  and/or storage component  340  from another computer-readable medium or from another device via communication interface  370 . When executed, software instructions stored in memory  330  and/or storage component  340  may cause processor  320  to perform one or more processes described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to perform one or more processes described herein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
     The number and arrangement of components shown in  FIG. 3  are provided as an example. In practice, device  300  may include additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in  FIG. 3 . Additionally, or alternatively, a set of components (e.g., one or more components) of device  300  may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components of device  300 . 
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart of an example process  400  for assigning orthogonal patterns to UEs and scheduling the UEs to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources. In some implementations, one or more process blocks of  FIG. 4  may be performed by base station  210 . In some implementations, one or more process blocks of  FIG. 4  may be performed by another device or a group of devices separate from or including base station  210 , such as MME  215 , SGW  220 , PGW  225 , HHS  230  and/or AAA  235 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , process  400  may include identifying UEs to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources (block  410 ). For example, base station  210  may identify UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources. 
     In some implementations, repetitive data may include data that is transmitted multiple times by a first device for reception by a second device. For example, repetitive data may include data repeated by UE  205  to base station  210  (i.e., on the uplink) in consecutive subframes. In some implementations, repetitive data may be transmitted in order to improve coverage, as described above. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may identify UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources based on repetition times associated with UEs  205 . A repetition time is an amount of time needed to transmit the repetitive data. For example, a repetition time may be 32 ms (e.g., such that a 1 ms subframe may be repeated 32 times). 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may determine the repetition time based on information associated with UE  205 . For example, base station  210  may receive (e.g., from UE  205  during establishment of a connection between UE  205  and base station  210 ) information that identifies a number of times that UE  205  is to repeat data. Here, base station  210  may determine the repetition time as an amount of time needed to transmit the data the identified number of times. For example, where each repetition is one subframe in length, the repetition time matches the number of repetitions. 
     As another example, UE  205  may indicate, to base station  210  during establishment of a connection between UE  205  and base station  210 , that UE  205  is a particular type of device and/or is associated with a particular application. Here, base station  210  may identify the repetition time based on information, accessible by base station  210 , that associates repetition times with device types and/or applications. For example, in a case where UE  205  is a Voice over LTE (VoLTE) UE  205 , base station  210  may determine the repetition time as 32 ms (e.g., when base station  210  stores information indicating that a VoLTE UE  205  performs  32  repetitions of data in 32 subframes). 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may identify the multiple UEs  205  as two or more UEs  205  with matching repetition times. For example, base station  210  may identify the multiple UEs  205  as a group of four UEs  205 , each with a repetition time of 32 ms. Additionally, or alternatively, base station  210  may identify the multiple UEs  205  as two or more UEs  205  with different (but overlapping) repetition times. For example, base station  210  may identify the multiple UEs  205  as a group of three UEs  205 , where a first UE  205  and a second UE  205  have repetition times of 32 ms and the third UE  205  has a repetition time of 16 ms. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may take channel coherence times of the UEs  205  into account when identifying the UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources. A coherence time is a temporal interval over which a phase of a radio wave at a given point can be predicted (i.e., where a channel impulse response is substantially invariant). Here, base station  210  may identify the multiple UEs  205  based on the repetition times and the channel coherence times. For example, base station  210  may identify the multiple UEs  205  based on a channel coherence time threshold, where a particular UE  205  may be grouped when a channel coherence time of the particular UE  205  satisfies (e.g., is longer than) the channel coherence time threshold. 
     As a particular example, base station  210  may identify the multiple UEs  205  as a group that includes a first UE  205  with a repetition time of 32 ms and a coherence time of 4 ms, a second UE  205  with a repetition time of 32 ms and a coherence time of 8 ms, and a third UE  205  with a repetition time of 16 ms and a coherence time of 4 ms. In this example, base station  210  may exclude a fourth UE  205  of the multiple UEs  205  when, for example, the fourth UE  205  has a repetition time of 32 ms and a coherence time of 1 ms and is configured with a coherence time threshold of 4 ms or longer. In some implementations, base station  210  may identity the multiple UEs  205  based on channel coherence times in order to ensure that a set of orthogonal patterns can be applied to repetitive data transmitted by the multiple UEs  205 , as described below. 
     According to some implementations, the same set of radio resources may include a same set of PRBs (e.g., one or more PRBs). Accordingly, multiple UEs  205  may utilize a same set of PRBs of base station  210 . Furthermore, in some implementations, the same set of radio resources may include a same set of subcarriers (e.g., one or more subscarriers) of a same set of PRBs of base station  210 . Accordingly, base station  210  may utilize a same subcarrier of a same PRB to schedule repetitive data transmissions according to some implementations herein. As a more specific example, a PRB of base station  210  may include twelve subcarriers. In this case, multiple UEs  205  may transmit repetitive data on twelve different subcarriers of the PRB. As further described below, for a PRB with twelve subcarriers, using four orthogonal patterns (e.g., across four subframes) of each subcarrier, base station  210  may schedule repetitive data transmissions for up to 48 UEs to utilize the same PRB, with four UEs on each of the twelve subcarriers (i.e., 12 subcarriers×4 orthogonal patterns=48 slots of the same resource that can be used by up to 48 UEs). In some implementations, one UE  205  may utilize multiple subcarriers of a same PRB and/or multiple PRBs of base station  210 . Accordingly, rather than a single UE  205  being able to use a PRB as described in previous techniques, base station  210  may allow for multiple UEs (e.g., up to 48, as described above, or more using additional spreading factors (longer repetitive subframe sequences and corresponding patterns, as described below)). 
     In this way, base station  210  may identify UEs that may be assigned orthogonal patterns to transmit repetitive data so that the UEs may use a same set of radio resources (e.g., same PRBs and/or same subcarriers of PRBs) of base station  210 . 
     As further shown in  FIG. 4 , process  400  may include assigning orthogonal patterns to the UEs based on identifying the UEs (block  420 ). For example, base station  210  may assign, orthogonal patterns to the UEs  205  based on identifying the UEs  205 . 
     An orthogonal pattern includes a pattern associated with switching a sign of (i.e., inverting) symbols included in a subframe, of a sequence of subframes (herein referred to as a segment or a segment of subframes), during transmission of repetitive data. For example, an orthogonal pattern may include a pattern such as (1 1 1 1), indicating that, for a segment including four repetitions of data (e.g., a data packet repeated in four consecutive subframes), signs of symbols in each subframe are not to be inverted. As another example, an orthogonal pattern may include pattern (1 1 −1 −1), indicating that, for a segment including four repetitions, signs of symbols in the first and second subframes are not to be inverted, and signs of symbols in the third and fourth subframes are to be inverted. As another example, an orthogonal pattern may include pattern (1-1) indicating that, for a segment including two repetitions of a subframe, signs of symbols in the first subframe are not to be inverted, and signs of symbols in the second subframe are to be inverted. 
     In some implementations, the orthogonal pattern may be 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and/or the like, terms in length. Here, a quantity of possible orthogonal patterns depends on (e.g., is proportional to, matches, and/or the like) the length of the pattern. For example, when the orthogonal pattern is two terms in length, there are two possible orthogonal patterns (e.g., (1 1) and (1 −1)). As another example, when the orthogonal pattern is four terms in length, there are four possible orthogonal patterns (e.g., (1 1 1 1), (1 −1 1 −1), (1 1 −1 −1), and (1 −1 −1 1)). As another example, when the orthogonal pattern is 32 terms in length, there are 32 possible orthogonal patterns. In some implementations, base station  210  may select the length of the orthogonal pattern in the manner described below. In some implementations, the use of different orthogonal patterns allows base station  210  to differentiate repetitive data transmitted by the multiple UEs  205  using a same set of radio resources, as described below. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may select a length of the orthogonal pattern such that the length of the orthogonal pattern is less than or equal to a maximum common divider of the repetition times of the multiple UEs  205 . For example, a group of UEs  205  may include two UEs  205  with 32 ms repetition times and a third UE  205  with a 28 ms repetition time. In this case, base station  210  selects an orthogonal pattern length of 4, because 4 is the maximum common divider of 32 and 28. Selection of the orthogonal pattern based on the maximum common divider allows base station  210  to differentiate repetitive data transmitted by the group of UEs  205 . 
     Additionally, or alternatively, base station  210  may select the length of the orthogonal pattern such that the length of the orthogonal pattern is less than or equal to a smallest channel coherence time associated with the multiple UEs  205 . For example, a group of UEs  205  may include three UEs  205  with 8 ms coherence times and a fourth UE  205  with a 4 ms coherence time. In this case, base station  210  selects an orthogonal pattern length of 4, because 4 ms is the smallest coherence time of the group of UEs  205 . Selection of the orthogonal pattern length in this manner may further help ensure that base station  210  will be able to accurately differentiate the data provided by the multiple UEs  205 . 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may assign a different orthogonal pattern to each UE  205 . For example, base station  210  may assign different orthogonal patterns based on a Walsh code (or Hadamard code) pattern, or another type of pattern. As a particular example, base station  210  may assign, to each of 4 different UEs  205 , the different orthogonal patterns (1 1 1 1), (1 1 −1 −1), (1 −1 1 −1), and (1 −1 −1 1). In some implementations, base station  210  may store information that associates each UE  205  to a corresponding orthogonal pattern. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may assign orthogonal patterns of different lengths to different UEs  205 , as long as orthogonality is maintained between the assigned orthogonal patterns. For example, base station  210  may assign pattern (1 −1) to a first UE  205  and may assign pattern (1 1 1 1) to a second UE  205 . 
     In this way, base station  210  may assign orthogonal patterns to UEs  205  to facilitate transmission of repetitive data. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 4 , process  400  may include providing information associated with the orthogonal patterns to the UEs (block  430 ). For example, base station  210  may provide information associated with the orthogonal patterns to the UEs  205 . 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may provide the information to UEs  205  after base station  210  assigns the orthogonal pattern and/or based on base station  210  assigning the orthogonal pattern to UEs  205 . For example, base station  210  may provide, to each UE  205 , information associated with the orthogonal pattern assigned to the UE  205  after base station  210  assigns the orthogonal patterns (i.e., without scheduling a transmission by the multiple UEs  205 ). As a particular example, base station  210  may provide the information associated with the orthogonal pattern in downlink control information provided to UE  205 . 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may define a set of orthogonal patterns with predetermined (or pre-specified) patterns. Accordingly, each base station  210  of a narrowband LTE system may define the set of orthogonal patterns for respective cells (for UEs  205  in communication with base station  210 ) of each base station  210 . For example, orthogonal pattern information may be predefined for base station  210  by a standard (e.g., a 3GPP standard) or a network operator and assigned to base station  210  by a network device (e.g., MME  215 ), and/or broadcast to UEs  205 . More specifically, if base station  210  uses four orthogonal patterns (e.g., (1 1 1 1), (1 1 −1 −1), (1 −1 1 −1), and (1 −1 −1 1)), base station  210  may send a pattern index to each UE  205  indicating which pattern is to be used by that UE  205 . For example, a two-bit index may be sent for four patterns, where pattern index 00 assigns pattern 1 (i.e., 1 1 1 1) to UE  205 , pattern index 01 assigns pattern 2 (i.e., 1 1 −1 −1), pattern index 10 assigns pattern 3 (i.e., 1 −1 1 −1), and pattern index 11 assigns pattern 4 (i.e., 1 −1 −1 1). 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may utilize a pattern mapping table to provide information to UEs  205 . For example, the pattern mapping table may include a length of a repetitive pattern (e.g., a number of subframes that are to be repeated) to be used as well as a specified pattern to be used. As such, a mapping index indicates the length of the pattern (which may be referred to as a spreading factor) and the pattern to be used. The pattern mapping table may be pre-defined and/or broadcast to UEs  205 . Accordingly, base stations  210  may provide a mapping index to each UE  205  to indicate which orthogonal pattern of a pattern mapping table is to be used by the UE  205  (see  FIG. 7 ). 
     In this way, base station  210  may provide information associated with the orthogonal patterns to UEs  205  to facilitate scheduling the UEs to transmit the repetitive data. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 4 , process  400  may include scheduling the UEs to transmit repetitive data using a particular set of radio resources (block  440 ). For example, base station  210  may schedule the UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using a particular set of radio resources. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may provide the information associated with the orthogonal patterns to the multiple UEs  205  when base station  210  schedules the UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using a particular set of radio resources. For example, base station  210  may identify a set of radio resources (e.g., PRBs and/or subcarriers of the PRBs) to be used for the transmission of repetitive data by the multiple UEs  205 . Here, base station  210  may treat the multiple UEs  205  as a single UE  205 , meaning that base station  210  schedules each of the multiple UEs  205  to use a same set of radio resources for transmission. In this example, base station  210  may provide, to each UE  205 , scheduling information that identifies the set of radio resources to be used for the repetitive data transmission, and information associated with the orthogonal pattern assigned to the UE  205 . 
     Base station  210  may schedule the UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using the downlink control indicator (DCI) signals. In such cases, base station  210  may include PRB and/or subcarrier information for each of the UEs  205  in the respective DCI signals sent to the UEs  205 . In some implementations, base station  210  may indicate an orthogonal pattern and/or a scrambling code on top of the orthogonal pattern that are to be applied by UEs  205  to reference signals of the UEs  205  (e.g., demodulation reference signals (DMRS)) to reduce interference between UEs  205  of a same cell and/or between UEs  205  in adjacent cells of base station  210  (which may have base stations utilizing a same pattern index scheme or mapping table index scheme as base station  210 ). In some implementations, a network device (e.g., MME  215 ) may assign a pattern index and/or mapping table to base station  210  and/or other base stations of neighboring cells. Accordingly, the network device may coordinate pattern assignments to reduce interference in accordance with some implementations herein. The example reference signal may provide information corresponding to which channel is to be used for transmission of repetitive data between base station  210  and UE  205 . Because, in some implementations herein, subcarriers of a PRB of base station  210  may be allocated to UEs  205  (which may be referred to herein as sub-PRB allocation), transmissions with UEs  205  are no longer separated by frequency, and thus, reference signals for UEs  205  may no longer be separated by frequency. Furthermore, because there may be only one subcarrier used between two or more UEs  205 , different shifts in transmissions of reference signals may not be applied. 
     Accordingly, in some implementations, base station  210  may indicate corresponding orthogonal patterns that are to be applied to reference signals of UEs  205  (in addition to the repetitive data transmissions). Furthermore, in some implementations, base station  210  may indicate a scrambling code (e.g., a randomly generated code specific to base station  210  and/or the cell of base station  210 ) is to be applied on top of the orthogonal pattern to randomize interference from UEs of neighboring cells. Accordingly, for a UE  205  and/or base station  210  to estimate a channel to be used for repetitive data transmission, UE  205  and/or base station  210  may process a reference signal using a scrambling code and/or corresponding orthogonal pattern to determine the channel from the reference signal. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may implement an interference cancellation scheme when providing information associated with the orthogonal patterns. For example, an interference cancellation scheme may be utilized to account for mobility of UEs  205 . In some instances, when UEs  205  move throughout a region (e.g., a cell) of base station  210 , base station  210  may need to change channels to continue communication with UEs  205 . Accordingly, when base station  210  changes channels to communicate with a single UE  205 , orthogonality may be lost (e.g., especially for longer pattern lengths) as subframes may be lost and/or incoherently combined due to the channel change. Symbol level interference cancellation may not be feasible according to some implementations herein, as symbol level interference cancellation may not be combined with channel multiplexing. Accordingly, in some implementations described herein, a transmission time interval (TTI) level interference cancellation scheme may be applied to received repetitive data. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may apply the TTI level interference cancellation scheme to separate communications from UEs  205  from one another at the pattern level (see  FIGS. 8A-8B ). According to some implementations, base station  210  may perform interference cancellation by utilizing channel multiplexing structure on a TTI level (rather than symbol level) without decoding feedback and without reconstructing received signals from baseband information bit streams. Furthermore, base station  210  for interference cancellation with a UE  205 , may operate in TTI and process a despread channel (e.g., according to a length of the orthogonal pattern) of UE  205  where an interfering UE  205  may not be known to base station  210 . Therefore, in some implementations herein, base station  210  performs interference cancellation on transmissions to/from UEs  205 , which may account for various degrees of mobility (e.g., from a UE  205  that is stationary to a UE  205  that is moving (e.g., at speeds greater than a threshold speed, such as 30 kilometers/hour (km/h))). 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may schedule the UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using a same set of radio resources in accordance with multiple user-multiple input, multiple output (MU-MIMO). Accordingly, base station  210  may schedule (e.g., via sub-PRB allocation and/or orthogonal patterns) UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data in accordance with spatial considerations corresponding to MU-MIMO. In some implementations, base station  210  may multiplex UEs  205  together that have relatively strong separation (e.g., UEs  205  that satisfy a threshold spatial separation measure) in a spatial domain to reduce interference. Accordingly, in such implementations utilizing MU-MIMO, base station  210  may implement and/or define additional orthogonal patterns for UEs  205 . Furthermore, in some implementations, base station  210  may group UEs  205  for scheduling using MU-MIMO based on uplink power. 
     Although  FIG. 4  shows example blocks of process  400 , in some implementations, process  400  may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in  FIG. 4 . Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process  400  may be performed in parallel. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart of an example process  500  for applying an orthogonal pattern to repetitive data and providing information associated with the orthogonal pattern. In some implementations, one or more process blocks of  FIG. 5  may be performed by base station  210 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , process  500  may include identifying UEs to transmit repetitive data using sub-PRB allocation (block  510 ). For example, base station  210  may identify UEs  205  that are to transmit repetitive data using sub-PRB allocation. 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may identify UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using sub-PRB allocation based on UEs  205  that are to utilize less than an entire PRB worth of bandwidth. As a more specific example, if base station  210  has six PRBs to support 1.4 MHz of bandwidth, if one of the UEs  205  requires less than 180 kHz of bandwidth, that UE  205  may be identified to use sub-PRB allocation. 
     In this way, base station  210  may identify UEs  205  that may be allocated subcarriers of PRBs of base station  210 . 
     As further shown in  FIG. 5 , process  500  may include allocating subcarriers of PRBs to the UEs (block  520 ). For example, base station  210  may allocate subcarriers of PRBs of base station  210  to UEs  205 . 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may identify available subcarriers of PRBs of base station  210  for UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data. Referring to the example above of base station  210  having 6 PRBs each supporting 180 kHz of bandwidth, for a UE  205  that requires 15 kHz of bandwidth to transmit repetitive data, base station  210  may allocate a single subcarrier of a PRB of base station  210  to that UE  205 . In another example, a UE  205  that requires 90 kHz to transmit repetitive data, base station  210  may allocate six subcarriers of a PRB to that UE  205 . In some implementations, the same subcarriers may be allocated to more than one UE  205  (e.g., using channel multiplexing as described herein). 
     In this way, base station  210  may allocate one or more subcarriers to UEs  205  that may be used to transmit repetitive data and more than one UE  205  may be allocated to a same subcarrier by assigning orthogonal patterns to UEs  205  on a same subcarrier. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 5 , process  500  may include assigning orthogonal patterns to the UEs, such that different orthogonal patterns are assigned for UEs using a same subcarrier of a same PRB (block  530 ). For example, base station  210  may assign orthogonal patterns to UEs  205  utilizing the same subcarriers and/or the same PRBs of base station  210 . Base station  210  may assign orthogonal patterns to UEs  205  using a same PRB and/or a same set of subcarriers in a similar manner as described above with respect to block  420  of  FIG. 4 . 
     In this way, base station  210  may assign orthogonal patters to UEs, such that different orthogonal patterns are assigned for UEs using a same subcarrier of a same PRB. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 5 , process  500  may include providing information associated with the subcarriers and/or the orthogonal patterns to UEs (block  540 ). For example, base station  210  may provide the information associated with the subcarriers and/or orthogonal patterns to UEs  205 . 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may directly send the orthogonal patterns to each of the UEs  205 . In some implementations, base station  210  may use a predefined set of orthogonal patterns and an orthogonal pattern index is provided to each of the UEs  205  indicating which orthogonal pattern the UEs  205  are to use to transmit repetitive data. In some implementations, a mapping table of orthogonal patterns may be broadcast (e.g., by base station  210 ) or provided to UEs  205  and base station  210  may provide a mapping index to indicate a length of the orthogonal pattern and/or which orthogonal pattern is to be used. 
     In some implementations, UE  205  may transmit the repetitive data using the particular subcarrier and/or PRB after applying the orthogonal pattern, as described above. In this way, each UE  205 , of the multiple UEs  205 , may transmit respective repetitive data using the particular set of radio resources (e.g., such that the multiple UEs  205  concurrently transmit repetitive data using the same set of radio resources). This may improve efficiency in usage of PRBs of base station  210 , as well as reduce transmission delay time associated with a given UE  205 . 
     In this way, base station  210  may provide information associated with the orthogonal patterns to UEs  205  to enable base station  210  to schedule transmission of repetitive data. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 5 , process  500  may include scheduling the UEs to transmit repetitive data using the subcarriers of the PRBs (block  550 ). For example, base station  210  may schedule the UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using the subcarriers of the PRBs of base station  210 . 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may provide the information associated with the subcarriers and/or orthogonal patterns to the UEs  205  when base station  210  schedules the UEs  205  to transmit repetitive data using the subcarriers of the PRBs. For example, base station  210  identifies the subcarriers and/or orthogonal patterns to be used for the transmission of repetitive data by the multiple UEs  205 . Accordingly, base station  210  may treat multiple UEs  205  as a single UE  205 , meaning that base station  210  schedules each of the multiple UEs  205  to use a same set of subcarriers and/or PRBs for transmission of the repetitive data. In this example, base station  210  may provide, to each UE  205 , scheduling information that identifies the subcarriers and/or the PRBs to be used for the repetitive data transmission, and information associated with the orthogonal pattern assigned to the UE  205 . 
     In some implementations, base station  210  may provide information associated with subcarriers and/or PRBs to UEs  205  via uplink reference signals (e.g., DMRSs). For example, the reference signal may be used to indicate the particular channel(s), PRB(s), and/or subcarrier(s) that are to be used to transmit repetitive data. In some implementations, base station  210  may assign an orthogonal pattern to reference signals providing the information associated with the orthogonal pattern to the UEs  205 . For example, the orthogonal pattern may be a same pattern that is to be applied to the repetitive data transmitted to/from UE  205 . Additionally, or alternatively, base station  210  may provide the information using a scrambling code for the UE  205  (e.g., to prevent interference with UEs communicating with base stations in neighboring cells). 
     Although  FIG. 5  shows example blocks of process  500 , in some implementations, process  500  may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in  FIG. 5 . Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process  500  may be performed in parallel. 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram of an example implementation  600  relating to example process  500  shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 6  shows an example of allocation of subcarriers of a PRB to UEs using four orthogonal patterns and four subframe repetition. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a PRB (PRB  1 ) includes subcarriers (subcarriers 1-12) and may be assigned four orthogonal patterns. In the example implementation  600 , PRB  1 , having twelve subcarriers (subcarriers 1-12) and four orthogonal patterns (patterns 1-4), may support up to 48 UEs  205  for transmission of repetitive data. For example, as shown by reference number  610  (and the surrounding dotted line), each set of four subframes for each subcarrier in each pattern may be individually assigned to UEs  205  for repetitive data transmission. In some implementations, a same UE  205  may use a block of subframes, as shown by reference number  620  (and the surrounding dotted line). Accordingly, as shown by reference numbers  620  and  630 , base station  210  may allocate subcarriers 9-12 and assign pattern 3 to a first UE  205  and allocate subcarriers 11-12 and assign pattern 4 to a second UE  205  to allow transmission of repetitive data using a same subcarrier and/or same PRB  1 . 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram of an example implementation  700  relating to example process  500  shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 7  shows an example of a mapping table that may be used to provide information associated with orthogonal patterns to UEs according to some implementations. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the mapping table of example implementation  700  may include a length (or spreading factor (SF)) and orthogonal patterns designated as mapping index C j,k  where j may be equal to 2 i  (i being an integer from 0-10) as the spreading factor and k may be equal to 1-1024, corresponding to identifiers of orthogonal patterns to be used. Accordingly, spreading factor  16  may have 16 different orthogonal patterns, while spreading factor  1024  may have 1024 different orthogonal patterns. As such, base station  210  may send mapping index C j,k  based on the assigned spreading factor and/or orthogonal pattern to UEs  205  that are to use a particular resource (e.g., subcarrier and/or PRB) of the base station  210 . In some implementations, k may be specified or assigned based on a standard. 
     Accordingly, the mapping table of example implementation  700  may be used in accordance with some implementations described herein. In some implementations, the mapping table of  FIG. 7  may be specified by a standard (e.g., a 3GPP standard), by a network operator, and/or broadcast to UEs  205  by base station  210 . 
       FIGS. 8A and 8B  are diagrams of an example implementation  800  relating to example process  500  shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIGS. 8A and 8B  show an example of an interference cancellation scheme that may be used in accordance with some implementations herein. For example, base station  210  may implement the example interference cancellation scheme of example implementation  800 . In the example implementation  800  of  FIGS. 8A and 8B , an example TTI level cancellation scheme is provided for four orthogonal patterns with a despreading factor of four TTIs to account for mobility of UEs. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8A  and by reference number  805 , base station  210  may perform front end processing on transmissions from UEs  205 . As shown in  FIG. 8A , base station  210  may perform a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on received UE repetitive data transmissions. From the FFT of the repetitive data transmissions, base station  210  may parse the reference signal (RS) from the data signal and provide the reference signal data to an RS buffer and the data signal to a data buffer. To perform channel processing, from the RS buffer, as shown by reference number  810 , base station  210  performs a channel estimate of the reference signal for UE 1 -UEN. For demodulation, from the data buffer, as shown by reference number  815 , base station  210  uses a despreader (with a despreading factor of four) for data from UE 1 -UEN to extract and/or parse repetitive data of UE 1 -UEN from the data buffer. As shown by reference number  820  and reference number  825 , a channel estimate is made for UE 1  (h 11 , h 12 , h 13 , h 14 ) to UEN (h N1 , h N2 , h N3 , h N4 ) and demodulated data is determined for UE 1  (r 11 , r 12 , r 13 , r 14 ) to UEN (r N1 , r N2 , r N3 , r N4 ). Accordingly, in  FIG. 8A , the example implementation  800  may enable base station  210  to estimate a channel and/or demodulated data from the UEs  205 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8B , an interference cancellation process is provided. In  FIG. 8B , as shown by reference numbers  830  and  835 , the UE 1  channel estimate is combined with the UE 1  demodulated data and the UEN channel estimate is combined with the UEN demodulated data via Maximum Ratio Combiners (MRC), to form signals   and  , respectively. In the example implementation  800 , as shown by reference number  840 , base station  210  reconstructs an interference channel (H N1 ) from the UEN channel estimate and the UE 1  demodulated data. For example, to reconstruct the interference channel (H N1 ), if the pattern of UE 1  is (1 1 1 1) and the pattern of UEN is (1 −1 −1 1), then H N1 =h n1 −h n2 −h n3 +h n4 . As shown by reference number  845 , base station  210  reconstructs the interfering signal to UE 1  from UEN ( =H N1 ŝ n ). From there, as shown by reference number  850 , base station  210  may perform an interference cancellation for UE 1  from   and the reconstructed interfering signal to UE 1  from UEN, such that  = Σ N=2   N {circumflex over (r)} N1 , where   may be decoded (e.g., using the appropriate orthogonal pattern) to determine the repetitive data transmitted from UE 1  without interference. Accordingly, if UE 1  is mobile (e.g., moving at approximately 30 km/h or faster), base station  210  may utilize the interference cancellation scheme in the example implementation  800 . In some implementations, the example interference cancellation scheme of example implementation  800  may be implemented regardless of whether UE 1  is mobile (e.g., if UE 1  is not mobile, the interference cancellation scheme may determine that an interfering signal is zero (or non-existent), which does not need to be cancelled). 
     As indicated above,  FIGS. 8A and 8B  are provided merely as an example. Other examples are possible and may differ from what was described with regard to  FIGS. 8A and 8B . 
     Some implementations described herein may provide for channel multiplexing that allows a base station to receive and decode repetitive data transmissions from multiple UEs that use the same set of radio resources (e.g., same PRBs and/or same subcarriers of PRBs) to transmit the repetitive data. This allows more efficient utilization of radio resources used for repetitive data transmissions (e.g., as compared to allowing a single UE to use a given set of radio resources at a given time). Furthermore, delay in a transmission by a UE may be reduced (e.g., since multiple UEs may transmit more frequently). 
     In this way, uplink capacity is increased. For example, some implementations may provide up to 2 n  times more efficiency in uplink resource usage, leading to a 2 n  increase in capacity, where n is an integer chosen by base station  210  (e.g., based on repetition times and/or channel coherency of UEs  205 ). For example, 2 n  may be a length of a Walsh code. Here, if base station  210  chooses the Walsh code to be 32 bits long, then up to 32 UEs  205  may be multiplexed together sharing the same radio resources. In this case, n is equal to 5 (e.g., 2 5 =32). 
     Furthermore, capacity advantages are provided without impacting coverage or requiring base station  210  to perform additional process intensive steps (e.g., there is no duplication of discrete Fourier transformation by base station  210 ). Moreover, examples are provided for providing information associated with orthogonal patterns to UEs  205 . Some implementations may include providing an index (e.g., a pattern index or a mapping index) rather than sending the pattern (e.g., to conserve bandwidth). 
     In some implementations, orthogonal patterns and/or scrambling codes may be applied to reference signals to schedule transmissions from UEs  205 . Accordingly, interference among UEs  205  in communication with a same base station  210  and/or UEs  205  in communication with a neighboring base station may not interfere with one another when scheduling is taking place. 
     Furthermore, in some implementations, an interference cancellation scheme may be implemented on a link level to account for mobility of the UEs  205 . Accordingly, repetitive data may not be lost due to changes in channels and inaccurate assembly of the repetitive data. 
     The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. 
     For example, while implementations described herein are described in the context of a relatively small number of UEs (e.g., four UEs), in some implementations, the techniques described herein may be applied to a relatively large number of UEs, such as a relatively large number (e.g., 30, 60, 100, 1,000, and/or the like) of IoT devices. Here, each of the IoT devices may have a relatively low data demand, but may have a simultaneous or near-simultaneous access time and/or wake-up time at which the IoT devices are to transmit repetitive data. In such a case, the above described techniques may be applied in order to efficiently and effectively allow the IoT devices to use the same set of radio resources to simultaneously transmit their respective repetitive data. 
     As another example, while implementations described herein are described in the context of uplink channel multiplexing, in some implementations, similar techniques may be applied to downlink channel multiplexing. In such a case, a base station may transmit different data to multiple UEs using a same set of radio resources. This may permit a voice activity factor to be taken advantage of (e.g., since otherwise downlink radio resource may be still allocated even if there is no downlink traffic) and/or may allow power control to be taken advantage of such that an amount of transmission power used is reduced (e.g., as compared to transmitting to each UE individually using different radio resources). 
     As used herein, the term component is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. 
     Some implementations are described herein in connection with thresholds. As used herein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater than the threshold, more than the threshold, higher than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, fewer than the threshold, lower than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, etc. 
     To the extent the aforementioned embodiments collect, store, or employ personal information provided by individuals, it should be understood that such information shall be used in accordance with all applicable laws concerning protection of personal information. Additionally, the collection, storage, and use of such information may be subject to consent of the individual to such activity, for example, through well known “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes as may be appropriate for the situation and type of information. Storage and use of personal information may be in an appropriately secure manner reflective of the type of information, for example, through various encryption and anonymization techniques for particularly sensitive information. 
     It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, described herein, may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methods is not limiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and/or methods were described herein without reference to specific software code—it being understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based on the description herein. 
     Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of possible implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of possible implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. 
     No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination of related and unrelated items, etc.), and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” and/or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.