Initial connection establishment in a wireless communication system

1. A method of initiating a wireless connection and subsequent communication over a shared physical channel in a wireless communication system between user equipment and network equipment, the method, by the user equipment, comprising:

using at least one variable that varies over time to generate an address as a temporary identifier to identify the user equipment to the network equipment from among a plurality of user equipments, wherein the at least one variable that varies over time is selected from the group of time parameters consisting of: a super frame number, a radio frame number, a subframe number, and a timeslot number;

transmitting the temporary identifier to the network equipment;

receiving a downlink message conveying the temporary identifier and a scheduled resource on the shared physical channel, the scheduled resource comprising a resource allocated to the user equipment by the network equipment; and

communicating data on the scheduled resource without using the temporary identifier in response to the downlink message.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the temporary identifier includes forming the temporary identifier from a portion of a network known UE identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one variable that varies over time comprises a variable that varies in accordance with a predetermined pattern.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an indication of a plurality of temporary identifiers from the network equipment.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the received indication comprises receiving the indication a broadcast.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising saving the plurality of temporary identifiers in non-volatile memory.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting the temporary identifier to the network equipment includes transmitting the temporary identifier within a first uplink message containing the temporary identifier and a request for the scheduled resource.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scheduled resource includes an uplink scheduled resource.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scheduled resource includes a downlink scheduled resource.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

transmitting the temporary identifier includes transmitting a first uplink message;

receiving the downlink message includes receiving a first downlink message; and

communicating the data on the scheduled resource includes transmitting a connection request in a second uplink message.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the temporary identifier includes transmitting a first uplink message, the method further comprising:

timing out after the transmitting the first uplink message and before the receiving of the downlink message;

selecting a different temporary identifier; and

retransmitting the first uplink message including the different temporary identifier in place of the temporary identifier.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting of the temporary identifier includes transmitting the temporary identifier in a first uplink message, the method further comprising transmitting a second uplink message including an RRC connection request, wherein the second uplink message is separate from the first uplink message.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating of the data includes a RRC connection request message.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting a RRC connection request; and

receiving an RRC connection setup message.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a replacement identifier from the network equipment; and

using the replacement identifier in place of the temporary identifier.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising decoding a message from the network equipment using a network-known UE identifier.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication system comprises an evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN).

18. User equipment used in initiating a wireless connection and subsequent communication over a shared physical channel in a wireless communication system between the user equipment and network equipment, the user equipment comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory; and

program code stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the program code operable for:

using at least one variable that varies over time to generate an address as a temporary identifier to identify the user equipment to the network equipment from among a plurality of user equipments, wherein the at least one variable that varies over time is selected from the group of time parameters consisting of: a super frame number, a radio frame number, a subframe number, and a timeslot number;

transmitting the temporary identifier to the network equipment;

receiving a downlink message conveying the temporary identifier and a scheduled resource on the shared physical channel, the scheduled resource comprising a resource allocated to the user equipment by the network equipment; and

communicating data on the scheduled resource in response to the downlink message.

19. The user equipment of claim 18 , wherein transmitting the temporary identifier to the network equipment includes transmitting the temporary identifier within a first uplink message containing the temporary identifier and a request for the scheduled resource.

20. The user equipment of claim 18 , wherein:

transmitting the temporary identifier includes transmitting a first uplink message;

receiving the downlink message includes receiving a first downlink message; and

communicating the data on the scheduled resource includes transmitting a connection request in a second uplink message.

21. The user equipment of claim 20 , wherein the program code is further operable for:

receiving a second downlink message sent in response to the second uplink message, the second downlink message conveying the temporary identifier and a scheduled downlink resource on a shared downlink channel, the scheduled downlink resource comprising a downlink resource allocated to the user equipment by the network equipment; and

receiving a third downlink message on the scheduled downlink resource, the third downlink message including a connection setup message.

22. The user equipment of claim 18 , wherein the transmitting of the temporary identifier includes transmitting a first uplink message, and wherein the program code is further operable for:

timing out after the transmitting the first uplink message and before the receiving of the downlink message;

selecting a different temporary identifier; and

retransmitting the first uplink message including the different temporary identifier in place of the temporary identifier.

23. Network equipment used in initiating a wireless connection and subsequent communication over a shared physical channel in a wireless communication system between user equipment and the network equipment, the network equipment comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory; and

program code stored in the memory and executable on the processor, the program code operable for:

receiving an address as a temporary identifier generated by the user equipment as a function of at least one variable that varies over time to identify the user equipment to the network equipment from among a plurality of user equipments, wherein the at least one variable that varies over time is selected from the group of time parameters consisting of: a super frame number, a radio frame number, a subframe number, and a timeslot number;

allocating a scheduled resource to the user equipment, the scheduled resource comprising a resource on the shared physical channel;

transmitting a downlink message conveying the temporary identifier and the scheduled resource; and

communicating data on the scheduled resource in response to the downlink message.

24. The network equipment of claim 23 , wherein receiving the temporary identifier from the user equipment includes receiving the temporary identifier within a first uplink message containing the temporary identifier and a request for the scheduled resource.

25. The network equipment of claim 23 , wherein:

receiving the temporary identifier includes receiving a first uplink message;

transmitting the downlink message includes transmitting a first downlink message; and

communicating the data on the scheduled resource includes receiving a connection request in a second uplink message.

26. The network equipment of claim 23 , wherein the program code is further operable for:

allocating a scheduled downlink resource to the user equipment, the scheduled downlink resource comprising a resource on a shared channel;

transmitting a second downlink message sent in response to the second uplink message, the second downlink message conveying the temporary identifier and the scheduled downlink; and

transmitting a third downlink message on the scheduled downlink resource, the third downlink message including a connection setup message.

27. The network equipment of claim 23 , wherein the program code is further operable for:

allocating a replacement identifier from a plurality of identifiers; and

transmitting the replacement identifier to the user equipment.

28. The network equipment of claim 23 , wherein the program code is further operable for:

incorporating a network-known UE identifier in a message; and

transmitting the message to the user equipment.

29. The network equipment of claim 28 , wherein the incorporating comprises computing a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value using the network known UE identifier.

30. A method for initiating a wireless connection and subsequent communication over a shared physical channel in a wireless communication system between user equipment and the network equipment, the method comprising at the network equipment:

receiving a temporary identifier generated by the user equipment as a function of at least one variable that varies over time to identify the user equipment to the network equipment from among a plurality of user equipments, wherein the at least one variable that varies over time is selected from the group of time parameters consisting of: a super frame number, a radio frame number, a subframe number, and a timeslot number;

allocating a scheduled resource to the user equipment, the scheduled resource comprising a resource on the shared physical channel;

transmitting a downlink message to the user equipment employing the temporary identifier as an address, the downlink message conveying the temporary identifier and the scheduled resource; and

communicating data on the scheduled resource in response to the downlink message.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the address is a layer 2 address.

32. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one variable that varies over time is from a clock of the user equipment.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein the scheduled resource provides layer 2 context for layer 2 messaging between the user equipment and the network.