Patent ID: 8472368

Claim:
A method in a network node of a wireless communication system supporting aggregation of component carriers, the method comprising: allocating bits related to power control of a physical uplink control channel in a bit field for power control in a message on a first physical downlink control channel associated with a first downlink component carrier; when resources on at least two downlink component carriers are assigned to a mobile terminal at the same time, allocating other control information bits not related to power control in a bit field, corresponding to the bit field used for power control in the message on the first physical downlink control channel, in a message on a second physical downlink control channel associated with a second one of the at least two downlink component carriers; and transmitting the allocated control information to the mobile terminal; wherein the control information bits not related to power control are related to at least one of indication of resources on a physical uplink control channel, indication of resources on a physical uplink shared channel, indication of with which component carrier a certain physical downlink control channel is associated, extension of downlink resource assignment, extension of other parameter of a control message, extension of a partially implicitly indicated parameter, and extending a control message with a new parameter.