The invention describes user equipment for communicating data in a communications system comprising a set of user equipment; comprising a transceiver arranged to receive a first data packet over a communications data channel and an associated second data packet over a communications control channel. The second data packet comprises a first identifier arranged to identify a subset of the set of user equipment and the first data packet comprises a second identifier arranged to identify at least one of the subset of user equipment. The user equipment further comprising a processor arranged to determine from the second data packet first identifier if the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and from the second identifier if the said user equipment is said the at least one of the subset of user equipment. Wherein the processor is further arranged to decode the first data packet if the processor determines the said user equipment is one of the said subset of user equipment and is the said at least one of the subset of user equipment.
1. A device, comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a first data packet over a communications data channel shared by a set of devices in a communications system and an associated second data packet over a communications control channel shared by the set of devices, wherein the second data packet comprises a first identifier configured to identify a subset of the set of devices and the first data packet comprises a second identifier configured to identify at least one device of the subset of devices; and a processor configured to determine from the second data packet first identifier if the device is one of the subset of devices and from the second identifier if the device is the at least one device of the subset of devices;
wherein the processor is further configured to decode the first data packet if the processor determines the device is one of the subset of devices and is the at least one device of the subset of devices.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive in a further data packet a first identifier value configured to identify the subset of devices as not being in a dedicated channel state.
3. The device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the receiver is further configured to receive in the further data packet a second identifier value to identify each of the devices within the same subset.
4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the receiver is part of a transceiver that is configured to transmit from the device a feedback message.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the communications data channel is a high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH).
6. The device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the communications data channel comprises at least one of:
a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH);
a dedicated control channel (DCCH) and
a common control channel (CCCH).
7. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the communications control channel is a high speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH).
8. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first data packet comprises radio resource communication data.
9. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second identifier is located in a medium access control (MAC) header of the first data packet.
10. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first identifier is located in the CRC of the second data packet.
11. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second identifier is in a RRC level message on top of the MAC layer.
12. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein first identifier value is equal to the second identifier value.
13. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second data packet comprises the first identifier, and the first identifier is located in the CRC of the second data packet header.
14. A communications system comprising:
a device as claimed in claim 4 , and
a communications node, the communications node being configured to transmit the first and second data packets over the communication data and control channels respectively to the set of devices,
wherein the communications node is further configured to receive the feedback message.
15. A method comprising:
receiving at a device a first data packet over a communications control channel shared by a set of devices, the first data packet comprising a first identifier configured to identify a subset of the set of devices;
receiving at the device a second data packet over a communications data channel shared by the set of devices, the second data packet comprising a second identifier configured to identify at least one device of the subset of devices;
determining from the first data packet first identifier if said device is one of said subset of devices and from the second identifier if said device is said at least one device of the subset of devices; and
decoding the second data packet if said device is one of said subset of devices and said device is said at least one device of the subset of devices.
16. A method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising receiving at each of the devices a first identifier value configured to identify the subset of devices as not being in a dedicated channel state.
17. A method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising receiving at each of the devices a second identifier value to identify each of the devices within the subset.
18. A method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising transmitting from the device a feedback message.
19. A method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising
transmitting the feedback message to a communications node.
20. A method as claimed in claim 19 , further comprising
causing modification of at least one transmission parameter of the communications node for subsequent transmission of the first or second data packets as a result of the transmitted feedback message.
21. A method as claimed in claim 19 , further comprising re-receiving the first and second packets from the communications node in dependence of the feedback message.
22. A method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the communications data channel is a high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH).
23. A method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the communications data channel comprises at least one of:
a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH);
a dedicated control channel (DCCH); and
a common control channel (CCCH).
24. A method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the communications control channel is a high speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH).
25. A method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the second data packet comprises radio resource communication data.
26. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-readable code, which, when executed by a computer causes a device to:
receive first and second data packets at at least one device of a set of devices, the first data packet having been received over a communication data channel shared by the set of devices and the second data packet having been received over a communications control channel shared by the set of devices, the second data packet comprising a first identifier configured to identify a subset of said set of devices and the first data packet comprising a second identifier configured to identify at least one device of the subset of devices;
determine from the second data packet first identifier if the device is one of the subset of devices and from the second identifier if the device is the at least one device of the subset of devices; and
decode the first data packet if the device is one of the subset of devices and the device is the at least one device of the subset of devices.