Method and apparatus for monitoring and processing component carriers

1. A method implemented by a wireless transmit/receive unit

(WTRU), the method comprising:

receiving a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message configures the WTRU to support at least one additional component carrier and the RRC reconfiguration message does not activate the at least one additional component carrier;

receiving a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), wherein the MAC CE indicates that the at least one additional component carrier is to be activated, and the MAC CE comprises a bit combination field that is indicative of which component carriers are to be activated; and

activating the at least one additional component carrier based on receiving the MAC CE.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein activating the at least one additional component carrier comprises beginning to process transmissions sent via the at least one additional component carrier.

3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the at least one additional component carrier is activated after a predefined delay after receiving the MAC CE.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the bit combination field indicates which component carriers are to be activated based on identifying information for the component carriers that is assigned in the RRC reconfiguration message.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the bit combination field indicates that multiple component carriers are to be activated.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the bit combination field indicates that at least one active component carrier is to be deactivated.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the bit combination field comprises an aggregation of identifiers for a plurality of component carriers.

8. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a deactivation timer for each active component carrier, wherein the WTRU stops monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for the active component carrier upon expiration of the deactivation timer for the active component carrier.

9. The method as in claim 8 , wherein the deactivation timer for the active component carrier is started based on resources being assigned to the WTRU on the active component carrier.

10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the RRC reconfiguration message comprises a cell identity and a carrier frequency for the at least one additional component carrier.

11. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) comprising:

a processor and memory, the processor configured to:

receive a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message configures the WTRU to support at least one additional component carrier and the RRC reconfiguration message does not activate the at least one additional component carrier;

receive a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), wherein the MAC CE indicates that the at least one additional component carrier is to be activated, and the MAC CE comprises a bit combination field that is indicative of which component carriers are to be activated; and

activate the at least one additional component carrier based on receiving the MAC CE.

12. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

start processing transmissions sent via the at least on additional component carrier upon activating the at least one additional component carrier.

13. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the bit combination field indicates which component carriers are to be activated based on identifying information for the component carriers that is assigned in the RRC reconfiguration message.

14. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the bit combination field indicates that multiple component carriers are to be activated.

15. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the bit combination field indicates that at least one active component carrier is to be deactivated.

16. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to maintain a deactivation timer for each active component carrier, wherein the WTRU is configured to stop monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for the active component carrier upon expiration of the deactivation timer for the active component carrier.

17. The WTRU as in claim 16 , wherein the deactivation timer for the active component carrier is started based on resources being assigned to the WTRU on the active component carrier.

18. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the RRC reconfiguration message comprises a cell identity and a carrier frequency for the at least one additional component carrier.

19. The WTRU as in claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to initiate reception of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the at least one additional component carrier after a pre-defined delay upon activating the at least one additional component carrier.

20. An evolved Node-B (eNB) comprising:

a processor and memory, the processor configured to:

transmit a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message, wherein the RRC reconfiguration message configures a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) to support at least one additional component carrier, and the RRC reconfiguration message does not activate the at least one additional component carrier for use by the WTRU;

transmit a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to the WTRU, wherein the MAC CE indicates that the at least one additional component carrier is to be activated for use by the WTRU and the MAC CE comprises a bit combination field that is indicative of which component carriers are to be activated by the WTRU; and

send at least one transmission to the WTRU via the at least one additional component carrier.