A wireless transmit/receive unit, WTRU, comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit, to a base station, a random access request in a random access channel, RACH, preamble; a receiver configured to receive, from the base station, a RACH response message granting a RACH response resource allocation in response to the random access request, the RACH response message having a RACH response format comprising a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, and a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, wherein a common control portion (203, 303) is included in the physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, and the PDCCH comprises a plurality of control channel elements, CCEs, wherein a subset of the plurality of CCEs is defined for RACH responses intended for WTRUs, and the RACH response message is included in the PDSCH; and a processor, operatively coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, configured to: perform blind decoding of the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion (203, 303) to search for CCEs having random access control information intended for the WTRU, wherein the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion contain location information for directing the WTRU to the RACH response resource allocation in the physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, intended for the WTRU; and wherein the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion include modulation and coding scheme, MCS, information to be used in the decoding of the RACH response message. a transmitter configured to transmit, to a base station, a random access request in a random access channel, RACH, preamble; a receiver configured to receive, from the base station, a RACH response message granting a RACH response resource allocation in response to the random access request, the RACH response message having a RACH response format comprising a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, and a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, wherein a common control portion (203, 303) is included in the physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, and the PDCCH comprises a plurality of control channel elements, CCEs, wherein a subset of the plurality of CCEs is defined for RACH responses intended for WTRUs, and the RACH response message is included in the PDSCH; and a processor, operatively coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, configured to: perform blind decoding of the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion (203, 303) to search for CCEs having random access control information intended for the WTRU, wherein the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion contain location information for directing the WTRU to the RACH response resource allocation in the physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, intended for the WTRU; and wherein the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion include modulation and coding scheme, MCS, information to be used in the decoding of the RACH response message. perform blind decoding of the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion (203, 303) to search for CCEs having random access control information intended for the WTRU, wherein the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion contain location information for directing the WTRU to the RACH response resource allocation in the physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, intended for the WTRU; and wherein the CCEs of the subset of the plurality of CCEs within the common control portion include modulation and coding scheme, MCS, information to be used in the decoding of the RACH response message.