Small data communications in a wireless communication network

1. A method for enabling small data transmissions in a user equipment (UE) configured for machine type communication (MTC), the method comprising:

receiving, by the UE from an evolved node (eNB), a system information block (SIB), the SIB including system information related to small data transmissions for MTC;

reading a small data transmission indicator in the system information included in the SIB;

executing, by the UE, a fast radio resource connection (RRC) with the eNB in response to the small data transmission indicator received from the eNB, wherein the fast RRC connection is executed without the establishment of bearers between the UE and the eNB; and

performing the small data transmission, from the UE to the eNB, based on the system information included in the SIB.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

reading a small data transmission command request in the system information included in the SIB; and

performing the small data transmission by sending uplink measurement data, by the UE to the eNB, in response to the small data transmission command request received from the eNB.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reading a small data payload in the SIB, received from the eNB at the UE, wherein the small data payload is defined according to at least one of: a subscription; and a network operator policy.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein reading a small data payload in the SIB includes reading small data, at the UE, related to at least one of:

a traffic congestion application;

an energy wastage application;

a home monitoring application;

a parking guidance application; or

an electric meter reading application.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the small data transmission, from the UE to the eNB, based on the system information included in the SIB, further comprises:

forming a connection between the UE and the eNB after reading the SIB using a random access channel (RACH); and

executing the fast RRC connection between the UE and the eNB in order to perform the small data transmission.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising entering an RRC idle mode by the UE after executing the fast RRC connection.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving, by the UE from the eNB, a SIB, further comprises receiving, at the UE from the eNB, a paging notification indicating that the SIB includes system information related to the UE, wherein the paging notification is received according to a paging cycle of the UE.

8. A user equipment (UE) configured for machine type communication (MTC), the UE comprising:

a multicast information transfer message module configured to receive a multicast information transfer message, at a user equipment (UE) from an evolved node (eNB), wherein the multicast information transfer message notifies the UE of updated system information in a system information block (SIB) related to small data transmissions by the UE, wherein the multicast information transfer message module is implemented in a first hardware circuit or is comprised of code that is stored in one or more digital memory devices to be executed by one or more processors;

a system information block (SIB) module configured to read the updated system information in the SIB when notified of the change in the SIB by the multicast information transfer message from the eNB, wherein the updated system information in the SIB comprises a small data transmission indicator, wherein the system information block (SIB) module is implemented in a second hardware circuit or is comprised of code that is stored in the one or more digital memory devices to be executed by the one or more processors; and

a small data transmission module configured to communicate the small data transmission to the eNB by executing a fast radio resource connection (RRC), in response to the small data transmission indicator received from the eNB, wherein executing the fast RRC connection comprises executing a RRC connection setup phase, without an establishment of bearers, between the UE and the eNB and wherein the small data transmission module is implemented in a third hardware circuit or is comprised of code that is stored in the one or more digital memory devices to be executed by the one or more processors.

9. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the multicast information transfer message module is further configured to receive the multicast information transfer message from the eNB during a radio resource control (RRC) idle mode of the UE.

10. The UE of claim 9 , wherein the multicast information transfer message module is further configured to receive the multicast information transfer message from the eNB in a paging cycle of the UE during the RRC idle mode.

11. The UE of claim 9 , wherein the multicast information transfer message module further comprises:

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) during the RRC idle mode of the UE; and

identifying a Multicast Radio Network Temporary Identifier (MC-RNTI) indicating that the multicast information transfer message is received from the eNB.

12. The UE of claim 8 , wherein the multicast information transfer message includes at least one of:

a small data payload; or

a small data command request.

13. The UE of claim 8 , further comprising:

the SIB module configured to read a small data transmission command request in the updated system information, wherein the updated system information is received, by the UE in the multicast information transfer message; and

the small data transmission module configured to perform the small data transmission by sending uplink measurement data, by the UE to the eNB, in response to the small data transmission command request received as part of the multicast information transfer message.

14. The UE of claim 8 , further comprising the multicast information transfer message module configured to read a small data payload in the multicast information transfer message.

15. An evolved node (eNB) comprising:

a first hardware circuit configured to receive a multicast information transfer message from a Mobility Management Entity (MME);

a second hardware circuit configured to determine a Multicast Radio Network Temporary Identifier (MC-RNTI) used for transmitting the multicast information transfer message to a user equipment (UE), wherein the MC-RNTI is one of a fixed value or a variable value that is derived at the eNB using an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) received from the MME; and

a third hardware circuit configured to transmit the multicast information transfer message, from the eNB to the UE, based on the MC-RNTI of the UE.

16. The eNB of claim 15 , wherein the multicast information transfer message includes at least one of a: a small data payload or a small data transmission command request.

17. The eNB of claim 15 , wherein the small data payload includes data related to at least one of:

a traffic congestion application;

an energy wastage application;

a home monitoring application;

a parking guidance application; or

an electric meter reading application.

18. The eNB of claim 15 , wherein the third hardware circuit is further configured to transmit the multicast information transfer message to at least one of: a specific UE, a single multicast group of UEs based on the fixed MC-RNTI, and a plurality of multicast groups of UEs based on the variable MC-RNTI, wherein the MC-RNTI is used to identify selected UEs within an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN).

19. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the following operations for enabling small data transmissions in a user equipment (UE) configured for machine type communication (MTC), the operations comprising:

receiving, by the UE from an evolved node (eNB), a system information block (SIB) including system information related to small data transmissions for MTC;

reading, by the UE, the SIB including a small data transmission indicator in the system information related to the small data transmissions;

executing, by the UE, a fast radio resource connection (RRC) with the eNB in response to the small data transmission indicator received from the eNB, wherein the fast RRC connection is executed without the establishment of bearers between the UE and the eNB; and

performing the small data transmissions transmission, from the UE to the eNB, based on the system information read by the UE.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the system information related to small data transmissions for MTC includes at least one of:

a small data transmission command request; or

a small data payload.

21. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 , further comprising instructions which when executed by a processor perform the following:

read the SIB based on receiving a multicast information transfer message from the eNB during a radio resource control (RRC) idle mode of the UE, wherein the multicast information transfer message indicates that system information related to small data transmissions is included in the SIB.