Method and apparatus for determining the transmission time interval length

1. A method comprising:

receiving information on a requested transmission time interval length for use by a user equipment, wherein said receiving information comprises receiving one of a set of random access channel preambles, wherein said preambles are configured to be divided at least into a first set and a second set, wherein said first set of preambles is associated with a first transmission time interval length and said second set of preambles is associated with a second transmission time interval length, wherein said first set of preambles is associated with a first and a second set of user equipment and said second set of preambles is only associated with the second set of user equipment, wherein each random access channel preamble is associated with a particular resource, and wherein at least one of said resources is configured to be usable with said first transmission time interval length and said second transmission time interval length;

determining whether said requested transmission time interval length can be used; and

when said requested transmission time interval length cannot be used, causing a different transmission time interval length to be used by said user equipment, when the user equipment belongs to the second set of user equipment, wherein a first set of resources is provided associated with a first transmission time interval length and an indication is provided indicating which of said first set of resources is also available with a second transmission time interval length, and

wherein a preamble space is divided into four partitions, a first partition being used for a Release '99 access request, a second partition being used for a Release 8 Common E-DCH access request with the first TTI length and first E-AGCH code, a third partition being used for a Release 11 Common E-DCH access request with the first TTI length and first E-AGCH code, and a fourth partition being used for a Release 11 Common E-DCH access request with the second TTI length and the second E-AGCH code.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one resource of a set of said resources is associated with a plurality of preambles.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first set of preambles is associated with a first transmission time interval length and said second set of preambles is divided into a plurality of subsets, each of said subsets being associated with a different transmission time interval length.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said first set of preambles is associated with a first set of user equipment only and said second set of preambles is only associated with a second set of user equipment.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first set of preambles is associated with a first transmission time interval length and a first set of user equipment, said second set of preambles is associated with the first transmission time interval length and a second set of user equipment, and a third set of preambles is associated with a second transmission time interval length and said second set of user equipment.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein information is provided to distinguish user equipment using said first transmission time interval length from user equipment using a second transmission time interval length.

7. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising code for performing the method of claim 1 .

8. A method comprising:

causing information to be sent on a requested first transmission time interval for use by a user equipment, wherein said information comprises receiving one of a set of random access channel preambles, wherein said preambles are configured to be divided at least into a first set and a second set, wherein said first set of preambles is associated with said requested first transmission time interval length and said second set of preambles is associated with a second transmission time interval length, wherein said first set of preambles is associated with a first and a second set of user equipment and said second set of preambles is only associated with the second set of user equipment;

receiving information indicating that said requested first transmission time interval can be used or, when said requested first transmission time interval cannot be used, said second transmission time interval length should be used, wherein the received information comprises an indication indicating which of a first set of resources is also available with said second transmission time interval length; and

using the transmission time interval length indicated by said received information when the user equipment belongs to the second set of user equipment, and

wherein a preamble space is divided into four partitions, a first partition being used for a Release '99 access request, a second partition being used for a Release 8 Common E-DCH access request with the first TTI length and first E-AGCH code, a third partition being used for a Release 11 Common E-DCH access request with the first TTI length and first E-AGCH code, and a fourth partition being used for a Release 11 Common E-DCH access request with the second TTI length and the second E-AGCH code.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform:

receive information on a requested transmission time interval length for use by a user equipment, wherein said information comprises one of a set of random access channel preambles, wherein said preambles are configured to be divided at least into a first set and a second set, wherein said first set of preambles is associated with said requested first transmission time interval length and said second set of preambles is associated with a second transmission time interval length, wherein said first set of preambles is associated with a first and a second set of user equipment and said second set of preambles is only associated with the second set of user equipment, and wherein the received information comprises an indication indicating which of a first set of resources is also available with said second transmission time interval length;

determine whether said requested first transmission time interval length can be used; and

cause, when said requested transmission time interval cannot be used, the second transmission time interval length to be used by said user equipment when the user equipment belongs to the second set of user equipment, and

wherein a preamble space is divided into four partitions, a first partition being used for a Release '99 access request, a second partition being used for a Release 8 Common E-DCH access request with the first TTI length and first E-AGCH code, a third partition being used for a Release 11 Common E-DCH access request with the first TTI length and first E-AGCH code, and a fourth partition being used for a Release 11 Common E-DCH access request with the second TTI length and the second E-AGCH code.