Patent Description:
In a typical cellular radio system, radio or wireless terminals (also known as mobile stations and/or user equipment units (UEs)) communicate via a radio access network (RAN) to one or more core networks. The radio access network (RAN) covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, with each cell area being served by a base station, e.g., a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be called, for example, a "NodeB" (in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network) or "eNodeB" (in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network). A cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio base station equipment at a base station site. Each cell is identified by an identity within the local radio area, which is broadcast in the cell. The base stations communicate over the air interface operating on radio frequencies with the user equipment units (UEs) within range of the base stations.

In some radio access networks, several base stations may be connected (e.g., by landlines or microwave) to a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC). The radio network controller supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural base stations connected thereto. The radio network controllers are typically connected to one or more core networks.

The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile communication system, which evolved from the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) is essentially a radio access network using wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) for user equipment units (UEs).

In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for third generation networks and UTRAN specifically, and investigate enhanced data rate and radio capacity. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has undertaken to evolve further the UTRAN and GSM based radio access network technologies. The first release for the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) specification has issued, and as with most specifications, the standard is likely to evolve. The Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) comprises the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and System Architecture Evolution (SAE).

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a variant of a 3GPP radio access technology where the radio base station nodes are connected to a core network (via Access Gateways (AGWs)) rather than to radio network controller (RNC) nodes. In general, in LTE the functions of a radio network controller (RNC) node are distributed between the radio base stations nodes (eNodeBs in LTE) and AGWs. As such, the radio access network (RAN) of an LTE system has what is sometimes termed a "flat" architecture including radio base station nodes without reporting to radio network controller (RNC) nodes.

A currently popular vision of the future of cellular networks includes machines or other autonomous devices communicating between each other (or with an application server) without human interaction. A typical scenario is to have sensors sending measurements infrequently, where each of the transmissions would consist of only small amounts of data. This type of communication is called machine to machine (M2M) communication in the literature, or machine-type communication (MTC), in 3GPP.

UEs in cellular systems (such as 3GPP WCDMA, LTE) are most commonly battery driven and the power consumption of these devices is therefore an important factor.

In the context of MTC, many of the devices are expected to be battery operated as well. Sensors and other devices may reside in remote locations and the number of deployed devices could be so large that it would be practically infeasible to replace or frequently recharge the batteries in these kinds of devices. Thus, it is an important goal to aim for reduction in the power consumption when considering improvements for current cellular systems.

An existing means to reduce the battery power consumption is to use discontinuous reception (DRX), a feature in which the UE's receiver is switched off except at configured intervals.

Currently the longest specified DRX cycle lengths are <NUM> seconds and <NUM> seconds for EUTRA and UTRA, respectively. However, it would beneficial to extend the DRX cycle lengths beyond currently specified values to further reduce the battery power consumption, especially for the benefit of MTC devices where there is no possibility for interactive charging of the battery on a regular basis. Although longer DRX cycle lengths naturally cause larger delays in the downlink, this is typically not a problem for delay insensitive traffic such as that generated by MTC devices.

In view of the potential increase in the use of MTC devices, consideration is being given to enhancements to the standards to improve machine type communication. The objective is to facilitate efficient transfer of infrequent and small amounts of data with reduced signalling towards the core network and with prolonged battery lifetime for MTC devices.

It is important for the mobile device to maintain up-to-date system information because otherwise it cannot interact with the network in an interoperable manner. In particular, the mobile device must acquire the latest version of system information prior to access, which means that it cannot access the system (e.g. transmit random access requests, etc.) before it has assured that it has the latest version of the system information. On the other hand, frequent acquisition of system information has an adverse impact on the battery life time. <CIT>, XP050712023 and <CIT> disclose methods for controlling congestion in wireless communication networks that involve adjusting overload cl information for a selected access class via a transmission system information message comprising several system information blocks.

Thus, aspects of the improvements being considered for the standards include the impact of the acquisition of information required by the mobile device to reliably communicate with the network on battery power consumption and the impact of extended DRX cycles on mobility procedures. In E-UTRA networks, the information required to enable reliable communications with the network is referred to as System Information and is transmitted to the UE in System Information Blocks (SIBs).

For reliable communications in E-UTRAN, a UE is required to maintain synchronisation with the System Frame Number (SFN), which the UE uses to keep synchronisation with the network and which acts as a timing reference, and the UE is required to learn whether it has moved to another cell, acquire information about cell barring and access class barring before transmitting anything. Currently, all that information is placed in different system information blocks (SIBs) and these blocks are scheduled in different manners. For example, SFN is placed in a Master Information Block (MIB) which is scheduled with a fixed period. The Cell ID and cell barring information is placed in a System Information Block (SIB) type <NUM>, which is also scheduled periodically but with a different fixed periodicity than the MIB. Access class barring for MTC devices is provided in SIB type <NUM>, which is scheduled dynamically. System Information (SI), Master Information Block (MIB) and System Information Block type <NUM> (SIB1) are defined in section <NUM> (and subsections) of 3GPP TS <NUM> v11. <NUM> (<NUM>-<NUM>).

In order to find dynamically scheduled SIBs (such as SIB type <NUM> that contains the access class barring information), the UE needs to acquire information on the scheduling of the SIBs. This scheduling information is included in a scheduling list field that is found in SIB type <NUM>. Thus, the acquisition of SIB type <NUM> therefore requires acquisition of SIB type <NUM> first. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are other important protocol fields and blocks in addition to those described above that are (or may be, depending on the protocol being used) required by a UE in order to facilitate reliable communications.

In any case, it is clear that after waking up from a very long DRX cycle (i.e. a long period in which the receiver in the UE has been deactivated), the UE typically needs to receive and read at least three blocks, which has an adverse impact on the battery lifetime of the MTC device. Similar constraints apply in other types of network to EUTRAN.

Thus, improvements to the operation of a network node (e.g. a base station) and mobile device are described to allow for a more battery-efficient operation of the mobile device when extending the discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle time beyond the current limits. It will be appreciated that these improvements are not limited to use in EUTRAN, and can be applied to other types of networks, for example UTRAN or WCDMA RAN.

According to an aspect, the information required by a mobile device for reliable communications with a communication network is transmitted by the network in a single information block that is referred to herein as an extended DRX information block since it supports the extension of DRX beyond the current maximum durations. In an embodiment, the extended DRX information block contains all relevant and critical system information required by mobile devices for maintaining reliable communications with the network. This new information block is provided particularly for use by MTC devices to enable longer DRX cycle lengths (i.e. longer periods of time between activation of the receiver), and the network transmits this block while continuing to transmit the existing information blocks (e.g. the MIB and SIBs <NUM> and <NUM> as described above in EUTRAN) that are used by mobile devices that are not using DRX or that are using DRX using the established DRX cycle lengths (e.g. up to <NUM> in EUTRAN).

In some embodiments the extended DRX information block comprises any one or more of the following information types/elements:.

To enable the mobile device to find the new information block (i.e. to enable the mobile device to know when to expect to receive the information block), the new information block is preferably scheduled in a similar way to the current MIB, i.e. it is transmitted by the network on a defined fixed schedule.

Preferably, some or all of the information in the new information block is provided in a compact form to reduce the size of the information block (and thus reduce the receiving and reading time for the mobile device) and reduce the impact on existing system information broadcasts. For example, the extended DRX information block can comprise one or more indicators or flags (e.g. value tag(s)) that show whether any of the required system information has changed.

Thus, the use of this new information block means that the time that the mobile device needs to have an active receiver after waking up from an extended DRX cycle is reduced in comparison to existing system information broadcasting where the mobile device needs to receive and read information from multiple information blocks.

According to a first aspect, there is provided a method of operating a network node in a communication network according to claim <NUM>.

In some embodiments the step of detecting comprises receiving an indication from mobile devices that are capable of receiving the single information block.

In some embodiments the method further comprises the steps of: starting a timer when there are mobile devices in the cell or communication network that are capable of receiving the single information block; and transmitting the single information block until the timer expires.

In some embodiments the method further comprises the step of restarting the timer when a new mobile device arrives in the cell or communication network that is capable of receiving the single information block.

In alternative embodiments the method further comprises the steps of: starting a timer when all mobile devices that are capable of receiving the single information block have left the cell; and transmitting the single information block until the timer expires.

In some embodiments the step of transmitting the single information block comprises transmitting the single information block according to a discontinuous reception, DRX, cycle for one or more mobile devices.

In some embodiments the communication network is a universal terrestrial radio access network, UTRAN, or an evolved-UTRAN, E-UTRAN.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a computer program product according to claim <NUM>.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a network node for use in a communication network according to claim <NUM>.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of operating a mobile device in a communication network according to claim <NUM>.

Further aspects are provided according to the dependent claims.

The following sets forth specific details, such as particular embodiments for purposes of explanation and not limitation. But it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other embodiments may be employed apart from these specific details. In some instances, detailed descriptions of well known methods, nodes, interfaces, circuits, and devices are omitted so as not obscure the description with unnecessary detail. Moreover, the technology can additionally be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of computer-readable memory, such as solid-state memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk containing an appropriate set of computer instructions that would cause a processor to carry out the techniques described herein.

Hardware implementation may include or encompass, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, a reduced instruction set processor, hardware (e.g., digital or analog) circuitry including but not limited to application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC) and/or field programmable gate array(s) (FPGA(s)), and (where appropriate) state machines capable of performing such functions.

In terms of computer implementation, a computer is generally understood to comprise one or more processors, one or more processing modules or one or more controllers, and the terms computer, processor, processing module and controller may be employed interchangeably. When provided by a computer, processor, or controller, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated computer or processor or controller, by a single shared computer or processor or controller, or by a plurality of individual computers or processors or controllers, some of which may be shared or distributed. Moreover, the term "processor" or "controller" also refers to other hardware capable of performing such functions and/or executing software, such as the example hardware recited above.

Although the description is given for user equipment (UE), it should be understood by the skilled in the art that "UE" is a non-limiting term comprising any mobile or wireless device or node equipped with a radio interface allowing for at least one of: transmitting signals in UL and receiving and/or measuring signals in DL. A UE herein may comprise a UE (in its general sense) capable of operating or at least performing measurements in one or more frequencies, carrier frequencies, component carriers or frequency bands. It may be a "UE" operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. As well as "UE", the term "mobile device" is used interchangeably in the following description, and it will be appreciated that such a device, particularly a MTC device, does not necessarily have to be 'mobile' in the sense that it is carried by a user. Instead, the term "mobile device" encompasses any device that is capable of communicating with communication networks that operate according to one or more mobile communication standards, such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, etc..

A cell is associated with a base station, where a base station comprises in a general sense any node transmitting radio signals in the downlink (DL) and/or receiving radio signals in the uplink (UL). Some example base stations, or terms used for describing base stations, are eNodeB, eNB, Node B, macro/micro/pico/femto radio base station, home eNodeB (also known as femto base station), relay, repeater, sensor, transmitting-only radio nodes or receiving-only radio nodes. A base station may operate or at least perform measurements in one or more frequencies, carrier frequencies or frequency bands and may be capable of carrier aggregation. It may also be a single-radio access technology (RAT), multi-RAT, or multi-standard node, e.g., using the same or different base band modules for different RATs.

It should be noted that use of the term "network node" as used herein can refer to a base station, such as an eNodeB, a network node in the RAN responsible for resource management, such as a radio network controller (RNC), or a core network node, such as a mobility management entity (MME).

The signalling described is either via direct links or logical links (e.g. via higher layer protocols and/or via one or more network nodes). For example, signalling from a coordinating node may pass another network node, e.g., a radio node.

<FIG> shows an example diagram of an EUTRAN architecture as part of an LTE-based communications system <NUM>. Nodes in the core network <NUM> include one or more Mobility Management Entities (MMEs) <NUM>, a key control node for the LTE access network, and one or more Serving Gateways (SGWs) <NUM> which route and forward user data packets while acting as a mobility anchor. They communicate with base stations <NUM> referred to in LTE as eNBs, over an interface, for example an S1 interface. The eNBs <NUM> can include the same or different categories of eNBs, e.g. macro eNBs, and/or micro/pico/femto eNBs. The eNBs <NUM> communicate with each other over an interface, for example an X2 interface. The S1 interface and X2 interface are defined in the LTE standard. A UE <NUM> can receive downlink data from and send uplink data to one of the base stations <NUM> with that base station <NUM> being referred to as the serving base station of the UE <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a user equipment (UE) <NUM> that can be used in one or more of the non-limiting example embodiments described. The UE <NUM> may in some embodiments be a mobile device that is configured for machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communication (MTC). The UE <NUM> comprises a processing module <NUM> that controls the operation of the UE <NUM>. The processing module <NUM> is connected to a receiver or transceiver module <NUM> with associated antenna(s) <NUM> which are used to receive signals from or both transmit signals to and receive signals from a base station <NUM> in the network <NUM>. To make use of discontinuous reception (DRX), the processing module <NUM> can be configured to deactivate the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> for specified lengths of time. The user equipment <NUM> also comprises a memory module <NUM> that is connected to the processing module <NUM> and that stores program and other information and data required for the operation of the UE <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a base station <NUM> (for example a NodeB or an eNodeB) that can be used in example embodiments described. It will be appreciated that although a macro eNB will not in practice be identical in size and structure to a micro eNB, for the purposes of illustration, the base stations <NUM> are assumed to include similar components. Thus, the base station <NUM> comprises a processing module <NUM> that controls the operation of the base station <NUM>. The processing module <NUM> is connected to a transceiver module <NUM> with associated antenna(s) <NUM> which are used to transmit signals to, and receive signals from, user equipments <NUM> in the network <NUM>. The base station <NUM> also comprises a memory module <NUM> that is connected to the processing module <NUM> and that stores program and other information and data required for the operation of the base station <NUM>. The base station <NUM> also includes components and/or circuitry <NUM> for allowing the base station <NUM> to exchange information with other base stations <NUM> (for example via an X2 interface) and components and/or circuitry <NUM> for allowing the base station <NUM> to exchange information with nodes in the core network <NUM> (for example via the S1 interface). It will be appreciated that base stations for use in other types of network (e.g. UTRAN or WCDMA RAN) will include similar components to those shown in <FIG> and appropriate interface circuitry <NUM>, <NUM> for enabling communications with the other network nodes in those types of networks (e.g. other base stations, mobility management nodes and/or nodes in the core network).

<FIG> shows a core network node <NUM>, <NUM> that can be used in the example embodiments described. The node <NUM>, <NUM> comprises a processing module <NUM> that controls the operation of the node <NUM>, <NUM>. The processing module <NUM> is connected to components and/or circuitry <NUM> for allowing the node <NUM>, <NUM> to exchange information with the base stations <NUM> with which it is associated (which is typically via the S1 interface). The node <NUM>, <NUM> also comprises a memory module <NUM> that is connected to the processing module <NUM> and that stores program and other information and data required for the operation of the node <NUM>, <NUM>.

It will be appreciated that only the components of the UE <NUM>, base station <NUM> and core network node <NUM>, <NUM> required to explain the embodiments presented herein are illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary method of operating a base station <NUM> or other network node according to an embodiment. In a first step, step <NUM>, the base station <NUM> or other network node compiles or collects together the information required for a mobile device <NUM> to communicate reliably with the base station <NUM> (and thus with the network <NUM>) into a single information block. This single information block is referred to herein as an extended DRX information block. The information compiled into or contained in the extended DRX information block comprises information that the base station <NUM> already broadcasts to mobile devices <NUM> at various intervals and in different information blocks (e.g. in Master Information Blocks and different System Information Blocks). The information or types of information that are or can be compiled into the extended DRX information block is described in more detail below.

Then, in step <NUM>, the base station <NUM> or other network node causes the broadcast of the extended DRX information block compiled in step <NUM> to mobile devices in the communication network <NUM>. In embodiments where the method is performed in a base station <NUM>, step <NUM> comprises the base station <NUM> broadcasting the extended DRX information block. In the embodiments where the method is performed in another network node (e.g. a core network node), step <NUM> can comprise the network node transmitting the extended DRX information block to a base station <NUM> for broadcast to the mobile devices, or otherwise to the mobile devices via a base station <NUM>. The extended DRX information block is preferably transmitted on the same channel as the conventional MIB and/or SIBs. The MIB is transmitted on the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) and the SIBs are scheduled on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

Preferably, the base station <NUM> broadcasts the extended DRX information block containing all of the information required by the mobile device <NUM> while continuing the transmission of network or system information (for example in the MIB and SIBs) according to the conventional schedules (e.g. fixed in the case of MIB and some SIBs and dynamic in the case of others) so that the operation of mobile devices operating with no discontinuous reception or with DRX cycles of up to the currently specified lengths are unaffected by the provision of the new extended DRX information block for mobile devices operating with extended DRX cycle lengths.

The broadcast of the extended DRX information block by the base station <NUM> in step <NUM> is preferably performed regularly on a fixed schedule, similar to the MIB. It could be transmitted as frequently as or somewhat less frequently than the legacy MIB. It depends on resource management. Broadcasting is costly. The fixed schedule will be known to mobile devices <NUM> that are being served by or camped on the base station <NUM>. The schedule could be predefined in a same manner as the scheduling of the legacy MIB but the mobile device <NUM> could also learn from reading the existing MIB or a SIB that the extended DRX block is being transmitted. In some embodiments the timing of the broadcast or transmission of the extended DRX block can be adapted to the DRX cycle length of one or more mobile devices <NUM> that are associated with the base station <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a method of operating a mobile device <NUM> according to an embodiment. In this embodiment the mobile device <NUM> is operating in a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode which means that the processing module <NUM> selectively activates and deactivates the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> in order to reduce the power consumption of the mobile device <NUM>. It will be appreciated that 'activating' and 'deactivating' the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> can mean respectively supplying and removing power from some or all components of the receiver or transceiver module <NUM>. The transceiver module <NUM> can be selectively activated to receive paging messages sent to the mobile device <NUM> and the extended DRX information block described above. Initially (step <NUM>), the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> is deactivated (i.e. powered down).

As noted above, the mobile device <NUM> will be aware of the scheduling for the extended DRX information block broadcast by the base station in step <NUM> above, and the processing module <NUM> of the mobile device <NUM> will monitor the current time or a time elapsed since the last broadcast of the extended DRX information block or a time elapsed since the last receipt of an extended DRX information block (in the event that the mobile device is not required to receive each broadcasted instance of the extended DRX information) and determine whether the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> should be activated in order to receive the extended DRX information block (step <NUM>). If it is not time for the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> to be activated, the method returns to step <NUM> and the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> remains deactivated.

If the processing module <NUM> determines that the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> should be activated, then the processing module <NUM> activates the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> (step <NUM>) and receives the extended DRX information block broadcast by the base station <NUM> (step <NUM>). The processing module <NUM> reads the information from the received extended DRX information block and stores the information in the memory module <NUM> for use in subsequent communications with the base station <NUM>.

The processing module <NUM> then deactivates the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> to continue the DRX cycle (i.e. the method returns to step <NUM>).

It will be appreciated that the mobile device <NUM> does not need to receive the single information block each time that it is transmitted. A mobile device <NUM> is responsible for ensuring that it has acquired relevant and up-to-date system information, so it is up to the particular mobile device implementation to decide when to read the single information block.

It will be appreciated that if a mobile device <NUM> is aware of the transmission schedule for the single information block, the DRX cycle of the mobile device <NUM> can be adapted so that the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> is activated when a or any extended DRX information block is being transmitted by the base station <NUM>. This adaptation can comprise adapting the length of the DRX cycle and/or adapting the wake-up times for the receiver or transceiver module <NUM>.

Although the method in <FIG> applies to a mobile device <NUM> that is operating in a DRX mode, it will be appreciated that a mobile device <NUM> that is not operating in a DRX mode can also receive the extended DRX information block and obtain the information required to communicate with the network <NUM> from that single block.

As noted above, the new extended DRX information block is intended to be used in such a way that the UE <NUM> can easily find it without reading, for example, a system information scheduling list. Therefore, the new extended DRX information block is preferably scheduled in a similar manner as the current MIB in EUTRAN, i.e. with a fixed predefined period.

Also as noted above, the new block preferably contains some or all of the information that is required for the UE <NUM> in order to interact with the system <NUM> in an interoperable manner. The information is preferably also included in the extended DRX information block in a compact form to reduce the overhead impact on current system information broadcasts (e.g. MIBs and SIBs) and to minimise the time required for the mobile device <NUM> to read the block.

In the case of an EUTRAN, the extended DRX information block compiled in step <NUM> preferably contains all of the information currently contained in the Master Information Block MIB, which is shown in <FIG> is an extract from section <NUM>. <NUM> "Message Definitions" of 3GPP Technical Specification <NUM> v11. <NUM> (<NUM>-<NUM>) that shows the content of a Master Information Block (MIB).

In the MIB in <FIG>, the "dl-Bandwidth" field indicates the transmission bandwidth configuration, NRB in downlink which is described in TS <NUM> [<NUM>, table <NUM>-<NUM>]. n6 corresponds to <NUM> resource blocks, n15 corresponds to <NUM> resource blocks and so on.

The "systemFrameNumber" field defines the <NUM> most significant bits of the system frame number (SFN). 3GPP TS <NUM> [section <NUM> and <NUM>. <NUM>] indicates that the <NUM> least significant bits of the SFN are acquired implicitly in the physical broadcast channel (P-BCH) decoding, i.e. timing of <NUM> P-BCH transmission time interval (TTI) indicates the <NUM> least significant bits (within <NUM> P-BCH TTI, the first radio frame: <NUM>, the second radio frame: <NUM>, the third radio frame: <NUM>, the last radio frame: <NUM>). One value applies for all serving cells (the associated functionality is common i.e. not performed independently for each cell).

Since it is important for a mobile device <NUM> to maintain synchronisation with the SFN, the size of the "systemFrameNumber" field effectively defines the maximum possible DRX cycle length. Thus, in preferred embodiments, an extended SFN is provided in the extended DRX information block compiled by the base station <NUM> and broadcast to the mobile devices <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the extended DRX information block can comprise an SFN of conventional length (e.g. <NUM> bits) and another field that provides additional bits that are used to effectively extend the SFN to higher values. In an alternative embodiment, a new field is defined that has a greater number of bits than a conventional SFN (e.g. greater than <NUM> bits) and this is used in place of the conventional SFN field. In another alternative, the extended DRX information block can use a mechanism based on coordinated universal time (UTC) to enable the mobile device <NUM> to maintain synchronisation with the base station <NUM>. In EUTRAN, UTC is currently specified in SIB type <NUM>, so in this alternative embodiment, this information can be compiled by the base station <NUM> into the extended DRX information block.

In addition to the information currently found in the MIB, the extended DRX information block preferably includes at least a subset of the information from one or more system information blocks (SIBs) that would normally be transmitted separately to the MIB. For example, preferably information from one or more fields in SIB type <NUM> and SIB type <NUM> are included in the extended DRX information block with the information from the MIB. Preferably this additional information provides information about any one or more of cell ID, cell barring and/or access class barring. Thus, the mobile device <NUM> does not need to acquire multiple blocks (e.g. MIB and one or both of SIB type <NUM> and SIB type <NUM>) since all the information is placed in the new block.

In various embodiments, the information elements (IEs) contained in the new extended DRX information block could include any one or more of the following:.

Similar to all other broadcasted information blocks (e.g. MIBs and SIBs), the new extended DRX information block is also subject to size limitations. Thus, as noted above, the information in the new extended DRX information block should be as compressed as possible to minimise the reading time for the mobile device <NUM>. This is not a problem since UEs <NUM> only use extended DRX if their traffic is delay tolerant, and it is more important to have a small payload in this scenario.

Thus, instead of including the full information fields from e.g. SIB type <NUM> or SIB type <NUM>, the base station <NUM> can use a "Value tag" field to indicate to the UEs <NUM> whether the information in some system information blocks has changed. The value tag field can hold a single bit that can be used to indicate that some information in an unspecified SIB has changed. Alternatively, the value tag field can hold a value number (represented by several bits) for the current system information held by the UE <NUM>. In that way, the UE <NUM> does not need to receive or acquire any other blocks (e.g. SIBs) unless some of the information in the blocks has changed. It should be noted that this value tag would change upon changes to SIB1, unlike the value tag in SIB1. As system information (SI) is usually changed very infrequently, it will not usually be necessary for the UE <NUM> to activate the receiver or transceiver module <NUM> to receive any information blocks other than the extended DRX information block broadcast in step <NUM>.

Alternatively, instead of providing a value tag field, an 'SI change notification' field could be used by the base station <NUM> to instruct the UE <NUM> to immediately read a particular information block, e.g. SIB type <NUM>, and to update the system information accordingly. Alternatively, rather than read the next SIB and update the system information immediately, the UE <NUM> can read the indication in the SI change notification field and note that the system information has changed. Thus, when the UE <NUM> subsequently wants to transmit data or receive a scheduled data transmission from the base station <NUM>, the UE <NUM> will know that it has to read an SIB in order to update the system information prior to transmitting or receiving the data. In this way the UE <NUM> can avoid having to perform multiple system information updates when there is no data to be transmitted by the UE <NUM>.

In order to be able to receive the extended DRX information block defined herein, UEs <NUM> will need to be adapted read the new block. In the event that not all UEs <NUM> are adapted to read the new block, UEs <NUM> can be adapted to transmit an indication to the base station <NUM> indicating the ability of the UE <NUM> to read the extended DRX information block. This indication can be a 'capability bit' that simply indicates whether the UE <NUM> can read the new block or not.

Regarding the way in which the UEs <NUM> can acquire the block, the network (e.g. base station <NUM>) could indicate to the UEs <NUM> that the extended DRX information block is being transmitted by providing an indication in the existing MIB. In particular, the existing MIB includes a number of spare bits, and one of these can be used to specify whether the extended DRX information block is being transmitted. After a first reading of the MIB by the UE <NUM>, the UE <NUM> will know whether or not the new block is scheduled. If the new block is not scheduled, the UE <NUM> will acquire the required system information from the MIB and other relevant blocks (e.g. SIBs) instead in a conventional manner.

Alternatively, a UE <NUM> can assume that the extended DRX information block is being transmitted by default (i.e. an indication is not required by the base station <NUM>). In that case, if the UE <NUM> does not find the new block, it can resort to reading the MIB (and other relevant blocks) instead.

On the network (e.g. EUTRAN) side, the transmission of the new extended DRX information block can be controlled by a network management parameter where the operator can either enable or disable the transmission of the new block. In some embodiments the parameter is cell-specific, which means that transmission of the extended DRX information block can be enabled or disabled transmission in each cell. This embodiment is relatively simple to implement and is useful when it is known, with reasonable probability, when there are UEs <NUM> in the network that wish to use extended DRX (e.g. MTC-capable UEs).

Alternatively, the decision of whether to transmit the new block can be taken by an algorithm executing in the base station or other network node that dynamically activates the transmission of the extended DRX information block upon detection of MTC capable UEs in the cell or network. This algorithm can make use of an indicator bit that is used by the UE <NUM> to signal whether it is MTC-capable (and/or wishes to use extended DRX) and that is included in, for example, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Request message. Thus, after random access, the network (base station <NUM>) knows whether the UE <NUM> is MTC capable or not. The algorithm can be configured to activate the transmission of the extended DRX information block as soon as it discovers at least one MTC capable UE <NUM> in the cell (although alternatively more than one UE <NUM> may be required before the new block is transmitted). The algorithm can also be configured to stop the transmission of the new block on expiry of a timer that is started on the arrival of a MTC capable UE <NUM> in the cell. If another MTC capable UE <NUM> arrives in the cell and/or one of the existing MTC UEs <NUM> in the cell has UL/DL traffic (and/or there is any other indication that there is at least one MTC UE <NUM> still in the cell), the timer can be restarted. If the timer expires, the transmission of the new block can be stopped. Alternatively, the algorithm can also be configured to stop the transmission of the new block on expiry of a timer that is started on the departure of the last MTC capable UE <NUM> from the cell. The timer value could be controlled by network management parameters. Although this embodiment is more complex than that presented above, it reduces the broadcast overhead when the population of MTC-capable UE devices <NUM> is small.

Although the above embodiments of the extended DRX information block relate primarily to its implementation in EUTRA networks, it will be appreciated that an extended DRX information block can be used in other types of networks, such as UTRA networks, to enable extended DRX cycles.

Conventionally, in UTRAN, the way in which system information (SI) is obtained and updated is different than in EUTRAN. In particular, SI changes are indicated differently.

EUTRAN relies on a flag being set in a paging message which is sent out to UEs <NUM> during a modification period. In particular, when system information is updated in a cell, the UEs <NUM> are informed about this by the systemlnfoModification-flag being set in the paging message. The UEs then read the relevant broadcast (e.g. SIB1) accordingly. The SI modification period is equal to the SFN period or a fraction of it, thus ensuring all UEs have been notified of the SI change. UEs then read and apply the new SI during the following modification period. The boundaries of the modification period are defined for SFN for which SFN mod m=<NUM>, where m is the length of the modification period in number of radio frames.

In UTRAN, a value tag for the MIB is included in a paging message which is sent out to UEs <NUM> (which is larger but more flexible in time). SI updates rely on sending the new value tag for the corresponding information block that contains updated information to all UEs <NUM> in a cell. The UEs <NUM> in the cell will read the value tag in the MIB and then read and update the information block if their value tag differs from the one in paging (it will be appreciated that the way in which the modification indication IE is included in the paging differs based on whether the UE <NUM> is in Idle/PCH states or DCH/FACH states. It is also possible for a modification time to be included in this IE such that the UE <NUM> is informed about when it should update the system information.

Although a UE <NUM> in a UTRAN waking up from DRX can just read the value tag in the next MIB and determine that no system information needs to be updated if the value tag is the same as the stored value, this can cause problems since the MIB value tag only has <NUM> different values, and with longer DRX cycles there is a risk of UEs incorrectly determining they have up-to-date system information (due to the 'wrap-around' of the value tag values).

Thus, the MIB value tag is quite important since this is the value the UE <NUM> reads in the paged modification information. If the value of the value tag differs from the UEs stored value then the UE <NUM> will read the MIB. If the value tag in the read MIB is different from the stored value, the UE <NUM> will then check the scheduling information contained in the MIB and the value tags for all SIBs, and read and store the ones which are not up-to-date. It will be appreciated that UEs <NUM> operating in the FACH and DCH states may also be able to obtain the scheduling information by other means. Also as noted above, some information blocks use expiration time instead of value tags, which means that the SIB should be re-read when the timer expires.

<FIG> illustrates the information contained in a Master Information Block (MIB) in UTRAN. The table in <FIG> is taken from section <NUM>. <NUM> of 3GPP TS <NUM> version <NUM>. <NUM> Release <NUM> (<NUM>-<NUM>). It can be seen that the MIB includes the value tag field mentioned above.

If any Information Block that has a value tag is updated, the network informs the UEs <NUM> about this in the IE "BCCH modification info". For UEs <NUM> in the Idle/PCH state, this IE is contained in PAGING MESSAGE <NUM> (common) on the paging control channel (PCCH) in all paging occasions of the cell. For UEs <NUM> in the DCH/FACH state, the IE is contained in SYSTEM INFORMATION CHANGE INDICATION on BCCH.

Thus, in view of the problems with the limited set of values in the MIB value tag field, it is advantageous in UTRAN for an extended DRX information block similar to that described above for EUTRAN to be provided that collects together all of the information relevant for extended DRX in a single block. In particular embodiments, the extended DRX information block contains all of the information from the MIB (e.g. as shown in <FIG>), but it is provided with a value tag field that has a larger range of values (to reduce the problems with wrap-around for UEs <NUM> with a long DRX cycle time) or is provided with an additional field that is particularly for use by UEs <NUM> with a long DRX cycle time that indicates whether there have been any system information changes. The extended DRX information block also preferably includes information from one or more system information blocks so that the extended DRX information block contains all of the system information required by the UE <NUM> to enable reliable communications with the network <NUM>.

As discussed above, the main benefit provided by the extended DRX information block presented in the above embodiments is that a UE <NUM> (e.g. an MTC-capable UE) that is using DRX cycle lengths longer than those currently permitted by the standards does not need to read multiple system information blocks, which prolongs the UE's battery life time. Without the above embodiments, a UE <NUM> with a DRX cycle longer than the modification period would, for example, have to read MIB, SIB <NUM> and SIB <NUM> prior to data transmission to ensure that there has not been a System Information change and that the UE <NUM> is allowed to transmit. As SI change is infrequent, the UE <NUM> would thus typically read the entire SIB1 unnecessarily.

Also as discussed above, the use of a value-tag field in the new extended DRX information block can further reduce the size of the block which is beneficial for the minimising the use of system information broadcasting resources at the network side and for minimising the reading time at the UE side.

Also as discussed above, certain embodiments in which a spare bit in the existing MIB is used to indicate the presence of the new extended DRX block can decouple the implementation of the new block from other MTC features which is beneficial both for the network and UE implementation. On the other hand, the alternative of sending the new extended DRX block by default in the same manner as the existing MIB (i.e. with a fixed schedule) makes it easier for the UE to find the block because it does not have to read an MIB first.

Activating/deactivating the transmission of the new block with a network management parameter is useful for scenarios where there are plenty of MTC devices in the network because there is no need to implement and test complicated algorithms in the network node. Activating/deactivating the transmission of the new block with an algorithm can in turn save broadcasted bits e.g. when the population of MTC devices is small.

Claim 1:
A method of operating a network node (<NUM>, <NUM>) in a cellular communication network (<NUM>), the method comprising:
transmitting information required by a mobile device (<NUM>) for reliable communications with the communication network (<NUM>) to mobile devices (<NUM>),
characterized in that
the information is repeatedly transmitted in a single information block (<NUM>) on a Physical Broadcast Channel, PBCH, according to a fixed schedule, wherein the single information block is for use by mobile devices (<NUM>) operating in a discontinuous reception, DRX, mode of operation and wherein the information required by a mobile device (<NUM>) for reliable communications with the communication network (<NUM>) comprises bits of a system frame number, SFN. that extend the SFN to a higher value, information about cell barring or access class barring, and a value tag that indicates whether information in one or more System Information Blocks has changed.