A method of operating a user equipment, UE, in a wireless communications network, the method comprising: separately encoding and rate matching a first set of information bits and a second set of information bits; concatenating the encoded and rate matched first set of information bits with the encoded and rate matched second set of information bits, thereby creating a bit stream; modulating the bit stream using a modulation scheme selected depending on a number of configured component carriers; wherein if the number of component carriers configured is less than a threshold, the modulation using a higher order modulation technique than a default modulation technique; wherein the higher order modulation technique is 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, and wherein the encoding uses no puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is less than the threshold, and wherein, if the number of component carriers configured is higher than a threshold, the modulation using a default modulation technique, wherein the default modulation technique is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying, wherein the encoding uses puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is greater than the threshold; transmitting the modulated bit stream. separately encoding and rate matching a first set of information bits and a second set of information bits; concatenating the encoded and rate matched first set of information bits with the encoded and rate matched second set of information bits, thereby creating a bit stream; modulating the bit stream using a modulation scheme selected depending on a number of configured component carriers; wherein if the number of component carriers configured is less than a threshold, the modulation using a higher order modulation technique than a default modulation technique; wherein the higher order modulation technique is 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, and wherein the encoding uses no puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is less than the threshold, and wherein, if the number of component carriers configured is higher than a threshold, the modulation using a default modulation technique, wherein the default modulation technique is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying, wherein the encoding uses puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is greater than the threshold; if the number of component carriers configured is less than a threshold, the modulation using a higher order modulation technique than a default modulation technique; wherein the higher order modulation technique is 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, and wherein the encoding uses no puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is less than the threshold, and wherein, if the number of component carriers configured is higher than a threshold, the modulation using a default modulation technique, wherein the default modulation technique is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying, wherein the encoding uses puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is greater than the threshold; the higher order modulation technique is 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, and wherein the encoding uses no puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is less than the threshold, and wherein, if the number of component carriers configured is higher than a threshold, the modulation using a default modulation technique, wherein the default modulation technique is Quadrature Phase Shift Keying, wherein the encoding uses puncturing if the number of component carriers configured is greater than the threshold; transmitting the modulated bit stream.