Packet data unit, a receiving communication device, a radio network controller and methods therein for transmitting data from the radio network controller to the user equipment

1. A method in a radio network controller for transmitting data to a user equipment in a wireless communication system, which radio network controller is communicating over a Radio Link Control layer with the user equipment, said method comprising:

assigning an extended sequence number to a packet data unit to be transmitted to the user equipment, said extended sequence number having an extended number space and comprising a first number of bits representing a sequence number in a smaller number space, and further comprising a second number of bits representing a sequence number extension that extends the sequence number into the extended number space;

generating the packet data unit comprising a header with a first field of bits conveying the sequence number of the packet data unit, a third field of bits comprising the sequence number extension, and a second field of one or more bits indicating that a third field of the header comprises the sequence number extension; and

transmitting the packet data unit to the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third field comprises two to six bits followed by a header extension field indicating a length in bits of the packet data unit.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second field comprises two bits and the method includes setting the two bits to a preconfigured value, which preconfigured value indicates that the third field of the header comprises bits that extend the sequence number.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the preconfigured value defines that a succeeding octet of bits of the header comprises a first two bits that are the last two bits of a fourteen bit sequence number as said extended sequence number, a next four bits that are spare bits, and a last two bits that are header extension field bits.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the packet data unit is a Radio Link Control Protocol Data Unit and the header is a Radio Link Control Acknowledgment Mode header.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating is performed only when the user equipment is using a particular technology.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the particular technology is High Speed Data Packet Access for eight or four carriers.

8. A method in a user equipment for receiving data from a radio network controller in a wireless communication system, which user equipment is communicating over a Radio Link Control layer with the radio network controller, said method comprising:

receiving a packet data unit from the radio network controller comprising a header with bits indicating a sequence number in a first field;

recognizing from bits in a second field of the header that a third field of the header includes bits representing a sequence number extension, for forming an extended sequence number from the sequence number of the first field, said extended sequence number having an extended number space as compared to a number space of the sequence number; and

determining the extended sequence number of the received packet data unit based on the sequence number and the sequence number extension.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining a length of the packet data unit in bits, from a header extension field that indicates the length in bits of the packet data unit and follows the third field.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the method includes recognizing that the second field comprises two bits with a preconfigured value, which preconfigured value indicates that the third field of the header comprises the sequence number extension.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the preconfigured value defines that a succeeding octet of bits of the header comprises first two bits that are the last two bits of a fourteen bit sequence number, next four bits that are spare bits, and last two bits that are header extension field bits.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the packet data unit is a Radio Link Control Protocol Data Unit and the header is a Radio Link Control Acknowledgment Mode header.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user equipment is using High Speed Data Packet Access for eight or four carriers.

14. A radio network controller for transmitting data to a user equipment in a wireless communication system, wherein the radio network controller is configured to communicate over a Radio Link Control layer with the user equipment and comprises:

a processor configured to:

assign an extended sequence number to a packet data unit to be transmitted to the user equipment, said extended sequence number having an extended number space and comprising a first number of bits representing a sequence number in a smaller number space, and further comprising a second number of bits representing a sequence number extension that extends the sequence number into the extended number space; and

generate the packet data unit comprising a header with a first field of bits conveying the sequence number of the packet data unit, a third field of bits comprising the sequence number extension, and a second field of one or more bits indicating that a third field of the header comprises the sequence number extension; and

a transmitting circuit configured to transmit the packet data unit to the user equipment.

15. The radio network controller of claim 14 , wherein the third field comprises two to six bits followed by a header extension field indicating a length in bits of the packet data unit.

16. The radio network controller of claim 14 , wherein the second field comprises two bits and wherein the processor is configured to set the two bits to a preconfigured value, which preconfigured value indicates that the third field of the header comprises bits that extend the sequence number.

17. The radio network controller of claim 16 , wherein the preconfigured value defines that a succeeding octet of bits of the header comprises a first two bits that are the last two bits of a fourteen bit sequence number as said extended sequence number, a next four bits that are spare bits, and a last two bits that are header extension field bits.

18. The radio network controller of claim 14 , wherein the packet data unit is a Radio Link Control Protocol Data Unit and the header is a Radio Link Control Acknowledgment Mode header.

19. The radio network controller of claim 14 , wherein the generating circuit is configured to generate the packet data unit only when the user equipment is using a particular technology.

20. The radio network controller of claim 19 , wherein the particular technology is High Speed Data Packet Access for eight or four carriers.

21. A user equipment for receiving data from a radio network controller in a wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment is configured to communicate over a Radio Link Control layer with the radio network controller and comprises:

a receiver circuit configured to receive a packet data unit received from the radio network controller comprising a header with bits indicating a sequence number in a first field; and

a processor configured to:

recognize from bits in a second field of the header that a third field of the header includes bits representing a sequence number extension, for forming an extended sequence number from the sequence number of the first field, said extended sequence number having an extended number space as compared to a number space of the sequence number; and

determine the extended sequence number based on the sequence number and the sequence number extension.

22. The user equipment of claim 21 , wherein the processor is configured to determine a length of the packet data unit in bits, from a header extension field indicating the length in bits of the packet data unit.

23. The user equipment of claim 21 , wherein the processor is configured to recognize that the second field comprises two bits with a preconfigured value, which preconfigured value indicates that the third field of the header comprises bits for the sequence number.

24. The user equipment of claim 23 , wherein the preconfigured value defines that a succeeding octet of bits of the header comprises a first two bits that are the last two bits of a fourteen bit sequence number, a next four bits that are spare bits, and a last two bits that are header extension field bits.

25. The user equipment of claim 21 , wherein the packet data unit is a Radio Link Control Protocol Data Unit and the header is a Radio Link Control Acknowledgment Mode header.

26. The user equipment of claim 21 , wherein the user equipment is configured to use High Speed Data Packet Access for eight or four carriers.