Method and devices for providing enhanced signaling

1. A method performed by wireless station in a wireless telecommunication network, the wireless station capable of supporting a legacy terminal and a non-legacy terminal, comprising:

generating an enhanced signal that provides a function not supported in a communication standard corresponding to a specification of the legacy terminal, and wherein the function is supported by the non-legacy terminal;

providing the enhanced signal to a downlink transmitter;

associating a terminal identifier with the enhanced signal by determining a terminal identifier of the non-legacy terminal;

encoding the terminal identifier with the enhanced signal; and

transmitting the enhanced signal according to the communication standard using a channel of the communication standard, with the terminal identifier, whereby a legacy terminal is able to determine that the enhanced signal is not intended for the legacy terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enhanced signal includes a control signal relating to at least one of channel estimation, measurements, cell search, cell acquisition, power control, and synchronization.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining an amount of control channel resources to meet a current demand; and

reserving an excess amount of control channel resources; and

wherein transmitting the enhanced signal comprises transmitting the enhanced signal utilizing the excess amount of control channel resources.

4. A method performed by wireless station in a wireless telecommunication network, the wireless station capable of supporting a legacy terminal and a non-legacy terminal, comprising:

generating an enhanced signal that provides a multicast service function or broadcast service function not supported in a communication standard corresponding to a specification of the legacy terminal, and wherein the function is supported by the non-legacy terminal;

providing the enhanced signal to a downlink transmitter;

associating a terminal identifier with the enhanced signal by determining a terminal identifier of the non-legacy terminal;

encoding the terminal identifier with the enhanced signal; and

transmitting the enhanced signal with the terminal identifier according to the communication standard using a channel of the communication standard, on frames or sub-frames on which no multicast service or broadcast service is subscribed by a legacy terminal, whereby the legacy terminal will ignore those frames or sub-frames.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

selecting sub-frames to be transmitted as multicast/broadcast single-frequency network (MBSFN) sub-frames; and

inserting the enhanced signal in one or more of the MBSFN sub-frames.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the communication standard comprises a long term evolution (LTE) communication standard.

7. A method performed by a legacy terminal and a non-legacy terminal operative in a wireless telecommunication network, each terminal having a terminal identifier, comprising:

receiving an enhanced signal that provides a function not supported in a communication standard corresponding to a specification of the legacy terminal, and wherein the enhanced signal provides a function supported in a communication standard corresponding to a specification of the non-legacy terminal, wherein the received enhanced signal is encoded with a terminal identifier, and

determining whether the enhanced signal can be processed by decoding the terminal identifier;

comparing the decoded terminal identifier with its own terminal identifier and

processing the enhanced signal if the decoded terminal identifier matches its own terminal identifier and not processing the enhanced signal if the decoded terminal identifier does not match its own terminal identifier.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the received enhanced signal is encoded with the terminal identifier corresponding to a terminal identifier of the non-legacy terminal.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the received enhanced signal includes a reference signal.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the enhanced signal is received on a control channel.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the enhanced signal includes control information associated with a broadcast channel not supported in the communication standard.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein non-legacy terminals are configured to detect the presence of the enhanced signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said enhanced signal is detected by means of higher-layer signaling.

14. A wireless station in a wireless telecommunication environment, the wireless station capable of serving a legacy terminal and a non-legacy terminal, comprising:

one or more antennas; and

a processing system operative to

generate an enhanced signal that provides a function not supported in a communication standard corresponding to a specification of the legacy terminal, and wherein the enhanced signal provides a function capable of being performed by the non-legacy terminal;

provide the enhanced signal to the one or more antennas;

transmit the enhanced signal according to a channel structure of the communication standard,

determine a terminal identifier of the non-legacy terminal;

encode the terminal identifier with the enhanced signal; and

associate the terminal identifier with the enhanced signal, whereby a legacy terminal is able to determine that the enhanced signal is not intended for the legacy terminal.

15. A non-legacy mobile terminal operative in a wireless telecommunication environment, comprising:

one or more antennas; and

a processing system operative to

receive an enhanced signal, the enhanced signal including a function that a legacy terminal is incapable of performing, wherein the legacy terminal operates according to a communication standard, and the non-legacy mobile terminal operates according to an enhanced version of the communication standard, and wherein the enhanced signal is received by the non-legacy mobile terminal in a format of the communication standard, and encoded with a terminal identifier, and

perform the function if the decoded terminal identifier matches the terminal identifier of the non-legacy terminal.