Technique for transmitting system information

1. A method of transmitting system information for a narrowband (NB) time-division duplex (TDD) communication in a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising:

transmitting a master information block (MIB) on an anchor carrier of the TDD communication in the RAN, the MIB indicating a frequency location of a non-anchor carrier, different from the anchor carrier, allocated to a system information block (SIB) of the TDD communication in the RAN; and

transmitting the SIB on the non-anchor carrier indicated in the MIB;

wherein no primary or secondary synchronization signal is transmitted on the non-anchor carrier;

wherein the MIB is further indicative of an in-band or standalone NB deployment, and further

indicative of whether the non-anchor carrier transmitting the SIB is arranged in a physical resource block (PRB) adjacent to a lower-frequency edge or a higher-frequency edge of a PRB used by the anchor carrier.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting initial synchronization signals on the anchor carrier for the TDD communication in the RAN.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmissions on the anchor carrier are governed by an uplink-downlink configuration of the TDD communication in the RAN.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising selectively transmitting and receiving payload data on the anchor carrier according to the uplink-downlink configuration of the TDD communication in the RAN.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the TDD communication in the RAN is a narrowband (NB) radio communication involving NB devices.

6. The method of claim 5 :

wherein the RAN further provides radio access to mobile broadband (MBB) devices for a MBB communication in a MBB system bandwidth of the RAN; and

wherein a NB used by the NB communication is deployed within the MBB system bandwidth or in a guard-band of the MBB system bandwidth.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the NB system bandwidth encompasses at least one of the anchor carrier and the non-anchor carrier.

8. The method of claim 6 :

wherein physical resource blocks (PRBs) for the MBB communication are arranged in the frequency domain according to a PRB scheme; and

wherein the anchor carrier for the NB communication is arranged in the frequency domain according to a carrier raster.

9. The method of claim 8 :

wherein the anchor carrier uses a PRB according to the PRB scheme; and

wherein an offset between a center frequency of the PRB and a carrier of the carrier raster is equal to or less than 7.5 kHz or half of a subcarrier spacing.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the non-anchor carrier uses another PRB according to the PRB scheme next to the PRB of the anchor carrier.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the anchor carrier and the non-anchor carrier of the NB communication is located in one or more guard-bands of the MBB system bandwidth.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the MIB is indicative of whether the anchor carrier and the non-anchor carrier are located in the same guard-band of the MBB system bandwidth or opposing guard-bands of the MBB system bandwidth.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein the anchor carrier is closer to a frequency edge of the MBB system bandwidth than the non-anchor carrier or equal to the frequency edge of the MBB system bandwidth.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein:

the anchor carrier is closer to a MBB carrier frequency than the non-anchor carrier; or

the anchor carrier and the non-anchor carrier are symmetrically arranged relative to the MBB carrier frequency.

15. The method of claim 6 , wherein the MIB is indicative of whether the non-anchor carrier used for transmitting the SIB is located at a guard-band at the lower-frequency edge of the MBB system bandwidth or at a guard-band at the higher-frequency edge of the MBB system bandwidth.

16. The method of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the anchor carrier and the non-anchor carrier of the NB communication is located within the MBB system bandwidth.

17. The method of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the anchor carrier and the non-anchor carrier used for transmitting the SIB of the NB communication is located within the MBB system bandwidth.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the MIB is indicative of a subframe used on the non-anchor carrier for transmitting the SIB.

19. A method of receiving system information for a narrowband (NB) time-division duplex (TDD) communication in a radio access network (RAN), the method comprising:

receiving a master information block (MIB) on an anchor carrier of the TDD communication in the RAN, the MIB indicating a frequency location of a non-anchor carrier, different from the anchor carrier, allocated to a system information block (SIB) of the TDD communication in the RAN; and

receiving the SIB on the non-anchor carrier indicated in the MIB;

wherein no primary or secondary synchronization signal is received on the non-anchor carrier;

wherein the MIB is further indicative of an in-band or standalone NB deployment, and further

indicative of whether the non-anchor carrier transmitting the SIB is arranged in a physical resource block (PRB) adjacent to a lower-frequency edge or a higher-frequency edge of a PRB used by the anchor carrier.

20. A device for transmitting system information for a narrowband (NB) time-division duplex (TDD) communication in a radio access network (RAN), the device comprising:

processing circuitry;

memory containing instructions configured to be executed by the processing circuitry whereby the device is operative to:

transmit a master information block (MIB) on an anchor carrier of the TDD communication in the RAN, the MIB indicating a frequency location of a non-anchor carrier, different from the anchor carrier, allocated to a system information block (SIB) of the TDD communication in the RAN; and

transmit the SIB on the non-anchor carrier indicated in the MIB;

wherein no primary or secondary synchronization signal is transmitted on the non-anchor carrier;

wherein the MIB is further indicative of an in-band or standalone NB deployment, and further

indicative of whether the non-anchor carrier transmitting the SIB is arranged in a physical resource block (PRB) adjacent to a lower-frequency edge or a higher-frequency edge of a PRB used by the anchor carrier.

21. A device for receiving system information for a narrowband (NB) time-division duplex (TDD) communication in a radio access network (RAN), the device comprising:

processing circuitry;

memory containing instructions configured to be executed by the processing circuitry whereby the device is operative to:

receive a master information block (MIB) on an anchor carrier of the TDD communication in the RAN, the MIB indicating a frequency location of a non-anchor carrier, different from the anchor carrier, allocated to a system information block (SIB) of the TDD communication in the RAN; and

receive the SIB on the non-anchor carrier indicated in the MIB;

wherein no primary or secondary synchronization signal is received on the non-anchor carrier;

wherein the MIB is further indicative of an in-band or standalone NB deployment, and further

indicative of whether the non-anchor carrier transmitting the SIB is arranged in a physical resource block (PRB) adjacent to a lower-frequency edge or a higher-frequency edge of a PRB used by the anchor carrier.