A method performed by a wireless transmit/receive unit , WTRU, to facilitate paging in high speed downlink packet access, HSDPA, wireless communications, the method being characterized by : when the WTRU is operating in CELL_PCH or URA_PCH state: receiving, from a base station, HSDPA associated paging indicator channel, PICH, information elements comprising PICH information, compiling a list of candidate PICHs for HSDPA after receiving the HSDPA associated PICH information elements, determining a value k corresponding to a number of candidate PICHs for HSDPA, calculating a PICH candidate selection index equal to U_RNTI mod k , wherein the U_RNTI is a universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS, terrestrial radio access network, UTRAN, radio network transaction identity, U-RNTI, of the WTRU, and selecting a PICH information from the list of candidate PICHs based on the calculated selection index ; awakening from a sleep mode during a paging occasion; monitoring for a paging indicator over a PICH using the selected PICH information when the WTRU is awake; monitoring a high-speed shared control channel, HS-SCCH, for a common or WTRU-specific high speed downlink shared channel, HS-DSCH, radio network transaction identity, H-RNTI, during a time interval after the paging indicator is found; monitoring a high speed physical downlink shared channel, HS-PDSCH, for a paging message and retrieving the paging message from the HS-PDSCH, if the common or WTRU-specific H-RNTI is received and a paging indicator is successfully received; and returning to the sleep mode, if no H-RNTI is received over the HS-SCCH. when the WTRU is operating in CELL_PCH or URA_PCH state: receiving, from a base station, HSDPA associated paging indicator channel, PICH, information elements comprising PICH information, compiling a list of candidate PICHs for HSDPA after receiving the HSDPA associated PICH information elements, determining a value k corresponding to a number of candidate PICHs for HSDPA, calculating a PICH candidate selection index equal to U_RNTI mod k , wherein the U_RNTI is a universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS, terrestrial radio access network, UTRAN, radio network transaction identity, U-RNTI, of the WTRU, and selecting a PICH information from the list of candidate PICHs based on the calculated selection index ; receiving, from a base station, HSDPA associated paging indicator channel, PICH, information elements comprising PICH information, compiling a list of candidate PICHs for HSDPA after receiving the HSDPA associated PICH information elements, determining a value k corresponding to a number of candidate PICHs for HSDPA, calculating a PICH candidate selection index equal to U_RNTI mod k , wherein the U_RNTI is a universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS, terrestrial radio access network, UTRAN, radio network transaction identity, U-RNTI, of the WTRU, and selecting a PICH information from the list of candidate PICHs based on the calculated selection index ; awakening from a sleep mode during a paging occasion; monitoring for a paging indicator over a PICH using the selected PICH information when the WTRU is awake; monitoring a high-speed shared control channel, HS-SCCH, for a common or WTRU-specific high speed downlink shared channel, HS-DSCH, radio network transaction identity, H-RNTI, during a time interval after the paging indicator is found; monitoring a high speed physical downlink shared channel, HS-PDSCH, for a paging message and retrieving the paging message from the HS-PDSCH, if the common or WTRU-specific H-RNTI is received and a paging indicator is successfully received; and returning to the sleep mode, if no H-RNTI is received over the HS-SCCH. <EOS>