WO2017034507A1 - Data rate cap for iot solution - Google Patents

Abstract

This document discusses, among other things, a data rate cap for an Internet-of-Things (IoT) solution An apparatus of an enhanced Node B (eNB) can include processing circuitry to schedule narrow band communication between a User Equipment (UE) and a network with a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB), and radio interface circuitry to communicate with the UE using a first air interface. An apparatus of the UE can receive scheduling information from the eNB for narrow band communication with the network, the scheduling information including the scheduling unit. The eNB can include processing circuitry to process information for communication with the network through the eNB according to the scheduling information, and radio interface circuitry to communicate with the eNB using a first air interface according to the scheduling information.

Description

DATA RATE CAP FOR IOT SOLUTION

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of priority of Sesia et al., U.S.

Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/210,295, entitled "PROVIDING DATA RATE CAP FOR EXTREMELY COST EFFICIENT IOT SOLUTION," filed on August 26, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This document relates generally to cellular communication and more particularly to a data rate cap for an Internet-of-Things (IoT) solution. Some embodiments relate to wireless networks including 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) networks, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, and 3GPP LTE-A (LTE Advanced) networks, although the scope of the

embodiments is not limited in this respect. Some embodiments relate to Fifth Generation (5G) networks.

BACKGROUND

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication represents a significant growth opportunity for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) ecosystem. With proliferation of the wireless networks, there is an accelerated push towards connected, smart physical objects, such as wireless sensors, smart meters, dedicated microprocessors, etc., that span different ecosystems with diverse business models.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document. FIG. 1 illustrates generally an example system including a User Equipment (UE) and a component of a cellular network.

FIG. 2 illustrates generally an example LTE frame structure, including one radio frame composed of 10 subframes.

FIGS. 3-4 illustrate generally example process flows for communication between an enhanced Node B (eNB) and a User Equipment (UE).

FIG. 5 illustrates generally a block diagram of an example UE upon which one or more embodiments may be implemented.

FIG. 6 illustrates generally a block diagram of an example machine upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may perform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 illustrates generally an example system 100 including a User Equipment (UE), such as a smart meter 10 IB, and a component of a cellular network, such as an enhanced Node B (eNB) 102. The UE can include one or more connected, smart physical object, such as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device configured to communicate with a network (e.g., a cellular network) through the eNB 102. In other examples, the IoT UE can be connected to one or more other components of a cellular network, such as a base station (BS), a gateway (GW), etc. As illustrated herein, the IoT UE can include any number of devices configured to be coupled to a network, such as a smart refrigerator 101 A or one or more other smart home appliances, smart glasses 101C, a smart watch 101D, a cellular phone 101E, etc. The cellular networks described herein can include, among others, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, 3GPP LTE-A (LTE Advanced) networks, Fifth Generation (5G) networks, etc.

With the increase in connected, IoT devices, there is a need for a cellular low-throughput IoT technology to service the specific needs of the IoT devices, namely reduced complexity, cost, and power requirements. In an example, a narrow-band LTE (NB-LTE) radio technology is proposed, re-using LTE physical layer principles, such as its DL numerology and the multiple access schemes. The uplink is based on single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), including single-tone transmission per UE as a special case of SC-FDMA. The uplink subcarrier spacing is 2.5 kHz, which is one sixth of the LTE subcarrier spacing. As a result, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol duration, slot duration, and sub- frame duration in the uplink are all 6 times of the LTE counterparts. In the downlink, the 15 kHz subcarrier spacing of LTE is kept. So-called M-subframes of 6 ms are introduced (corresponding to 6 LTE subframes with 1 ms and 180 kHz bandwidth). Having a system bandwidth of 180 kHz, NB-LTE can be deployed in a GSM band of 200 kHz, including guard bands.

To further reduce complexity of IoT devices, the receiver, and in particular, the downlink PDSCH (physical downlink shared channel) reception, can be simplified. The complexity of NB-LTE is linked to the maximum data rate that the UE can support. In NB-LTE, an entire physical resource block (PRB), 180 kHz, can be scheduled to a user, which means that 160 resource elements (REs) can be all scheduled to the same UE, leading to a high complexity in terms of number of operations for the UE.

FIG. 2 illustrates generally an example LTE frame structure 200, including one radio frame 201 composed of 10 subframes, such as a first subframe 202. The radio frame 201 has a length of 10 ms, and each subframe 1 ms. Each subframe includes two slots, such as the first slot 203 (e.g., slot #0), each slot having a length of 0.5 ms. Each slot includes one or more physical resource blocks, such as a first physical resource block 204, including a plurality of resource elements, such as a first RE 205. The resource elements are arranged as subcarriers (illustrated in FIG. 2 along a subcarrier axis 206 as a row 208) and symbols (illustrated in FIG. 2 along a symbol axis 207 as a column 209). Each resource block can include 7 symbols and 12 subcarriers, corresponding to a frequency of 180 kHz and time of 0.5 ms.

The NB-LTE design is based on the legacy LTE and as such the control channels are mainly the same as for legacy LTE, ensuring coexistence in case of in-band deployment. As such, PDCCH and EPDCCH structure is reused for the NB-LTE, the channels referred to as M-PDCCH and M-EPDCCH.

M-PDCCH ends up being distributed across an M-subframe. To avoid buffering M-PDSCH symbols while receiving M-PDCCH, a forward scheduling technique is used for NB-LTE. The M-PDCCH scheduling information given in an M-subframe is applicable to PDSCH that starts at least one M-subframe later. In an M-subframe, the minimum scheduling unit is 1 PRB (1 ms x 180 kHz). Hence, in principle, up to 6 UEs may be scheduled in an M-subframe. Following the principle of LTE, a transport block is mapped to the scheduling units (PRBs) assigned to a UE in one M-subframe. Unlike LTE, these scheduling units now appear in time.

The minimum scheduling unit for the PDCCH and EPDCCH is 12 subcarriers in frequency domain which means 168 REs (including cell-specific reference signals (CRSs)).

To further limit the peak data rate, the present inventors have recognized, among other things, a new downlink channel information (DCI) format to reduce even further the maximum amount of REs which a UE should be capable to handle (e.g., to limit the peak complexity). Existing minimum scheduling units includes 12 subcarriers which leads to a too high complexity for an IoT device to handle. The present inventors have recognized, among other things, a restricted scheduling unit to limit the maximum computational complexity.

In an example, providing a restricted scheduling unit can limit the maximum computational complexity required by IoT devices. In case when the IoT is scheduled in dedicated frequencies (e.g., standalone deployment in GSM bands or in guard bands) the M-PDCCH and M-EPDCCH can be used to carry the special device configuration. In case of in-band deployment, IvDs can been provided to avoid collision with a legacy PDCCH region and to make use of the M-EPDCCH.

In an example, in a network that supports narrowband transmissions to devices capable of receive narrowband signals, a component of the network (e.g., eNB, BS, etc.) can restrict the scheduling unit to a granularity finer than a PRB (e.g., where, for example, a PRB in legacy LTE includes 12 subcarriers). The component of the network can signal to the IoT device that it cannot be scheduled more than X PRBs (in time domain) every M-subframe (e.g., every 6 ms), where X can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or all. In one solution, the number of allocated PRBs in the time domain is consecutive to minimize the connected state activity for the device and to limit battery consumption. In other solutions, the allocated PRBs are not consecutive. In certain examples, the allocated PRBs can follow a pattern, such as communicated to the IoT device, or preconfigured. The network can inform the UE (e.g., IoT device) in a semi-static way, such as using radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control (MAC) Control Element (CE) at which PRB in the M-subframes scheduling can occur (e.g., in case new information has to transmitted to the device). In an alternative solution, the PRB in the M-subframes at which scheduling can occur can be sent in a more dynamic way, such as using a MAC CE or in DCI in M-PDCCH or M- EPDCCH.

In an example, a new DCI format can be introduced, such as Format M, which can include one or more of the following information: (1) Resource allocation type (MO, Ml, M2); (2) Resource assignment on a subcarrier granularity (e.g., 1-12 subcarriers possible, 4 bits) or clusters of subcarriers; (3) Modulation and coding scheme; or Power control command.

In another example, the DCI information can include one or more of the following information (e.g., in this case, the resource allocation can be fixed to per SC allocation and the modulation can be fixed to QPSK): (1) Resource assignment on a subcarrier granularity (e.g., 1-12 subcarriers possible, 4 bits); (2) Coding scheme; or (3) Power control command. In an example, a combination of the DCI format and information above can be used.

Resource allocation types MO, Ml, and M2 can follow the legacy definitions, except that the granularity can be subcarriers or groups of subcarriers instead of PRBs, as in the legacy configuration. Subcarrier assignment can be consecutive or distributed (e.g., to allow operation in highly frequency selective environments, etc.).

In an example, a fixed set of scheduling patterns can be defined and shared among the eNB and IoT devices. A legacy DCI format can be reused, with some bits reinterpreted to indicate which static pattern is used to schedule a particular device. For example, DCI format 2 (closed loop MIMO supporting up to 2 code words) can be used, with the bits dedicated to the second code word used to indicate the selected scheduling pattern. Depending on the amount of available bits, several fixed scheduling patterns can be considered, and the maximum data rate can be changed. In an example, the amount of fixed scheduling patterns can range between 2 and 12. In other examples, one or more other legacy DCI formats can be changed, similar to the DCI format 2, above. In an example, several scheduling patterns can be allocated to a single device in order to address different data rates. In an example, the UE (e.g., IoT device) can report support of one of the following two data-rate classes/categories applicable only to IOT devices: (1) Class Ml supports restricted data rate, restricted scheduling possibilities, and QPSK modulation, such as described above; and (2) Class M2 supports enhanced data rate with scheduling flexibility and full PRB allocation (e.g., continuous reception is possible). In Class Ml, X can be restricted to 1 or 2, or 6 or 12 fixed patterns can be considered. In Class M2, the UE can support QPSK, 16-bit quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM), and optionally 64-bit QAM (64QAM).

In an example, puncturing schemes can be introduced in order to fit code block sizes into the limited scheduling unit. The puncturing patterns can be shared among the eNB and the IoT device with one puncturing pattern per amount of SC/subframes allocated within the M-subframe.

In an example, the eNB device can perform channel estimation by using all CRS available in the 12 subcarriers in order to have sufficient accuracy in the channel estimation process.

FIG. 3 illustrates generally an example process flow 300 for

communication between an enhanced Node B (eNB) or one or more other cellular network components and a User Equipment (UE), such as an Internet-of- Things (I ) device.

At 302, processing circuitry of an apparatus of an enhanced Node B (eNB) can schedule narrow band communication between the UE and a network, for example, through one or more cellular network components (e.g., eNB, BS, GW, etc.) with a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB). The processing circuitry can be configured to schedule communication between the UE and the network for a maximum of X PRBs for every Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms, X is between 1 and 6, and B is greater than or equal to 1 (e.g., between 1 and 6). In an example, the M-subframe has a bandwidth of 180 kHz, and optionally, a length of 6 ms. In other examples, the length of the M-subframe can be between 1 and 6 traditional subframes (e.g., existing LTE subframes), or between 1 and 6 basic scheduling time units, where one subframe duration could be 1 ms. The scheduled data might be a multiple of an M-subframe (e.g., depending on potential repetition, etc.). In certain examples, the PRBs can be consecutive in the time domain, and X can be greater than 1.

At 304, radio interface circuitry of the apparatus of the eNB can communicate with the UE using a first air interface. In an example, the first air interface can include a cellular air interface between the eNB and the UE.

FIG. 4 illustrates generally an example process flow 400 for

communication between an enhanced Node B (eNB) or one or more other cellular network components and a User Equipment (UE), such as an Internet-of- Things (IoT) device.

At 402, an apparatus of a UE can receive scheduling information from the eNB for narrow band communication with a network. The scheduling information can include a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB).

At 404, processing circuitry of the apparatus of the UE can be configured to process information for communication with the network through the eNB according to the received scheduling information, such as the scheduling unit. The processing circuitry can be configured to process information for communication to the eNB for a maximum of X PRBs each every Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), according to the received scheduling information, wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms, X is between 1 and 6, and B is greater than or equal to 1 (e.g., between 1 and 6). In an example, the M-subframe has a bandwidth of 180 kHz, and optionally, a length of 6 ms. In other examples, the length of the M-subframe can be between 1 and 6 traditional subframes (e.g., existing LTE subframes), or between 1 and 6 basic scheduling time units, where one subframe duration could be 1 ms. The scheduled data might be a multiple of an M-subframe (e.g., depending on potential repetition, etc.).

The processing circuitry can be configured to process information for communication to the eNB, including which PRB in an M-subframe scheduling for the UE will occur, according to the received scheduling information. The processing circuitry can be configured to process information for communication to the eNB using a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a full 12 subcarriers of a PRB. At 406, radio interface circuitry of the apparatus of the UE can be configured to communicate with the eNB using a first air interface according to the scheduling information. The first air interface can include a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

[0001]FIG. 5 illustrates generally a block diagram of an example UE 500 upon which one or more embodiments may be implemented. In an example, the UE 500 may include application circuitry 502, baseband circuitry 504, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 506, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 508 and one or more antennas 510, coupled together at least as shown. As used with reference to FIG. 5, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor

(shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide

the described functionality.

The application circuitry 502 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 502 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with and/or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system.

The baseband circuitry 504 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 504 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 506 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 506. Baseband processing circuitry 504 may interface with the application circuitry 502 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 506. For example, the baseband circuitry 504 may include a second generation (2G) baseband processor 504a, third generation (3G) baseband processor 504b, fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 504c, and/or other baseband processor(s) 504d for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation (5G), 6G, etc.). The baseband circuitry 504 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 504a-d) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 506. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In an example, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 504 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In an example, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 504 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In an example, the baseband circuitry 504 may include elements of a protocol stack such as, for example, elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) protocol including, for example, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and/or radio resource control (RRC) elements. A central processing unit (CPU) 504e of the baseband circuitry 504 may be configured to run elements of the protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP and/or RRC layers. In an example, the baseband circuitry may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 504f. The audio DSP(s) 504f may be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. In an example, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board. In an example, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 504 and the application circuitry 502 may be

implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In an example, the baseband circuitry 504 may provide for

communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, the baseband circuitry 504 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) and/or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 504 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0002JRF circuitry 506 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 506 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 506 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 508 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 504. RF circuitry 506 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 504 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 508 for transmission.

In an example, the RF circuitry 506 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 506 may include mixer circuitry 506a, amplifier circuitry 506b and filter circuitry 506c. The transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 506 may include filter circuitry 506c and mixer circuitry 506a. RF circuitry 506 may also include synthesizer circuitry 506d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 506a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In an example, the mixer circuitry 506a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 508 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 506d. The amplifier circuitry 506b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 506c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 504 for further processing. In an example, the output baseband signals may be zero- frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In an example, mixer circuitry 506a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In an example, the mixer circuitry 506a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 506d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 508. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 504 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 506c. The filter circuitry 506c may include a low-pass filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In an example, the mixer circuitry 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 506a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and/or upconversion respectively. In an example, the mixer circuitry 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 506a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In an example, the mixer circuitry 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 506a may be arranged for direct downconversion and/or direct upconversion, respectively. In an example, the mixer circuitry 506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 506a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

In an example, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 506 may include analog-to- digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 504 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 506.

In a dual-mode example, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In an example, the synthesizer circuitry 506d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+l synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 506d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase- locked loop with a frequency divider. The synthesizer circuitry 506d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 506a of the RF circuitry 506 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In an example, the synthesizer circuitry 506d may be a fractional N/N+l synthesizer.

In an example, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 504 or the applications processor 502 depending on the desired output frequency. In an example, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 502.

Synthesizer circuitry 506d of the RF circuitry 506 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In an example, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DP A). In an example, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+l (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In an example, synthesizer circuitry 506d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In an example, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In an example, the RF circuitry 506 may include an IQ/polar converter.

FEM circuitry 508 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 510, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 506 for further processing. FEM circuitry 508 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 506 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 510.

In an example, the FEM circuitry 508 may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 506). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 508 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 506), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 510.

In an example, the UE 500 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, and/or input/output (I/O) interface.

FIG. 6 illustrates generally a block diagram of an example machine 600 upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may perform. In alternative embodiments, the machine 600 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 600 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In an example, the machine 600 may act as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The machine 600 may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations.

Examples, as described herein, may include, or may operate by, logic or a number of components, or mechanisms. Circuit sets are a collection of circuits implemented in tangible entities that include hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). Circuit set membership may be flexible over time and underlying hardware variability. Circuit sets include members that may, alone or in combination, perform specified operations when operating. In an example, hardware of the circuit set may be immutably designed to carry out a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In an example, the hardware of the circuit set may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.) including a computer readable medium physically modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, moveable placement of invariant massed particles, etc.) to encode instructions of the specific operation. In connecting the physical components, the underlying electrical properties of a hardware constituent are changed, for example, from an insulator to a conductor or vice versa. The instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., the execution units or a loading mechanism) to create members of the circuit set in hardware via the variable connections to carry out portions of the specific operation when in operation. Accordingly, the computer readable medium is communicatively coupled to the other components of the circuit set member when the device is operating. In an example, any of the physical components may be used in more than one member of more than one circuit set. For example, under operation, execution units may be used in a first circuit of a first circuit set at one point in time and reused by a second circuit in the first circuit set, or by a third circuit in a second circuit set at a different time.

Machine (e.g., computer system) 600 may include a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 608. The machine 600 may further include a display unit 610 (e.g., a raster display, vector display, holographic display, etc.), an alphanumeric input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In an example, the display unit 610, input device 612 and UI navigation device 614 may be a touch screen display. The machine 600 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit) 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 620, and one or more sensors 621, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 600 may include an output controller 628, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.).

The storage device 616 may include a machine readable medium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 604, within static memory 606, or within the hardware processor 602 during execution thereof by the machine 600. In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, or the storage device 616 may constitute machine readable media.

While the machine readable medium 622 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 624.

The term "machine readable medium" may include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine 600 and that cause the machine 600 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non- limiting machine readable medium examples may include solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. In an example, a massed machine readable medium comprises a machine readable medium with a plurality of particles having invariant (e.g., rest) mass. Accordingly, massed machine-readable media are not transitory propagating signals. Specific examples of massed machine readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory

(EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

(EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD- ROM disks. The instructions 624 may further be transmitted or received over a communications network 626 using a transmission medium via the network interface device 620 utilizing any one of a number of transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1 1 family of standards known as WiFi®, IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax®), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communications network 626. In an example, the network interface device 620 may include a plurality of antennas to wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. The term "transmission medium" shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying iiibti ucLiuiis for execution by the machine 600, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software.

Embodiments of the technology herein may be described as related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) or LTE- advanced (LTE-A) standards. For example, terms or entities such as eNodeB

(eNB), mobility management entity (MME), User Equipment (UE), etc., may be used that may be viewed as LTE-related terms or entities. However, in other embodiments the technology may be used in or related to other wireless technologies such as the IEEE 802.16 wireless technology (WiMax), IEEE 802.1 1 wireless technology (WiFi), various other wireless technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE radio access network (GERAN), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), or other 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc. technologies either already developed or to be developed. In those embodiments, where LTE-related terms such as eNB, MME, UE, etc. are used, one or more entities or components may be used that may be considered to be equivalent or approximately equivalent to one or more of the LTE-based terms or entities.

Additional Notes and Examples

Example 1 is an apparatus of an enhanced Node B (eNB), the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry to schedule narrow band communication between a User Equipment (UE) and a network with a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB); and radio interface circuitry to communicate with the UE using a first air interface.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally includes, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to schedule communication between the UE and the network for a maximum of X PRBs each Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms, wherein X is between 1 and 6, and wherein B is greater than or equal to 1. In certain examples, B is optionally between 1 and 6.

In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 2 optionally includes, wherein the M-subframe has a bandwidth of 180 kHz. The M-subframe optionally has a length of 6 ms, but can include lengths gicatci than υι equal U> 1 ms.

In Example 4, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 2-3 optionally include, wherein X is greater than 1, and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

In Example 5, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1—4 optionally include, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine scheduling information for the UE, including which PRBs in an M-subframe scheduling for the UE will occur, and wherein the radio interface circuitry is configured to communicate the scheduling information to the UE.

In Example 6, the subject matter of Example 5 optionally includes, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to provide scheduling information for the UE using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI) in an MTC Downlink Control Channel (M-PDCCH) or an MTC Enhanced PDCCH (M-EPDCCH).

In Example 5, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 1-6 optionally include, wherein the scheduling unit includes a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a full 12 subcarriers of a PRB, and wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

Example 8 is an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry to receive scheduling information from an enhanced Node B (eNB) for narrow band communication with a network, the scheduling information including a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB), and to process information for communication with the network through the eNB according to the scheduling information; and radio interface circuitry to communicate with the eNB using a first air interface according to the scheduling information.

In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 optionally includes, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process information for communication to the eNB for a maximum of X PRBs each every Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), according to the received scheduling information, wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms, wherein X is between 1 and 6, and wherein B is greater than or equal to 1. In certain examples, B is optionally between 1 and 6.

In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 9 optionally includes, wherein the M-subframe has a bandwidth of 180 kHz. The M-subframe optionally has a length of 6 ms, but can include lengths greater than or equal to 1 ms.

In Example 1 1, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 9-10 optionally include, wherein X is greater than 1, and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

In Example 12, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 8-11 optionally include, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process information for communication to the eNB, including which PRB in an M- subframe scheduling for the UE will occur, according to the received scheduling information.

In Example 13, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 8-12 optionally include, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process information for communication to the eNB using a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a full 12 subcarriers of a PRB.

In Example 14, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 8-13 optionally include, wherein the UE includes a Cellular Internet-of-Things (CIoT) UE, wherein the narrow band communication and scheduling unit reduce the complexity and power requirements of the UE, and wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

Example 15 is at least one machine readable medium including instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of an enhanced Node B (eNB), cause the eNB to: schedule narrow band communication between a User Equipment (UE) and a network with a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB) using the processing circuitry of the eNB; and communicate with the UE through a first air interface using radio interface circuitry of the eNB.

In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 optionally includes, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the eNB, cause the eNB to schedule communication between the UE and the network for a maximum of X PRBs each Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms, wherein X is between 1 and 6, and wherein B is greater than or equal to 1. In certain examples, B is optionally between 1 and 6.

In Example 17, the subject matter of Example 16 optionally includes, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the eNB, cause the eNB to: determine scheduling information for the UE, including which PRBs in an M-subframe scheduling for the UE will occur; and

communicate the scheduling information to the UE using the radio interface circuitry of the eNB, wherein X is greater than 1, and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

In Example 18, the subject matter of Example 17 optionally includes, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the eNB, cause the eNB to: provide scheduling information for the UE using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI) in an MTC Downlink Control Channel (M-PDCCH) or an MTC Enhanced PDCCH (M-EPDCCH).

In Example 19, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 15-18 optionally include, wherein the scheduling unit includes a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a full 12 subcarriers of a PRB, and wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

Example 20 is at least one machine readable medium including instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a User Equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive scheduling information from an enhanced Node B (eNB) for narrow band communication with a network, the scheduling information including a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB); process information for communication with the network through the eNB according to the scheduling information using the processing circuitry of the UE; and communicate with the eNB using a first air interface according to the scheduling information using radio interface circuitry of the UE.

In Example 21, the subject matter of Example 20 optionally includes, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the UE, cause the UE to process information for communication to the eNB for a maximum of X PRBs each every Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), according to the received scheduling information, wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms, wherein X is between 1 and 6, and wherein B is greater than or equal to 1. In certain examples, B is optionally between 1 and 6.

In Example 22, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 20-21 optionally include, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the UE, cause the UE to process information for communication to the eNB, including which PRB in an M-subframe scheduling for the UE will occur, according to the received scheduling information, wherein X is greater than 1, and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

In Example 23, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 20-22 optionally include, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the UE, cause the UE to process information for communication to the eNB using a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a full 12 subcarriers of a PRB.

In Example 24, the subject matter of any one or more of Examples 20-23 optionally include, wherein the UE includes a Cellular Internet-of-Things (CIoT) UE, wherein the narrow band communication and scheduling unit reduce the complexity and power requirements of the UE, and wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

In an example, the UE can include a Cellular Internet-of-Things (CIoT) UE. The narrow band communication can include narrow band Long Term Evolution (NB-LTE) Machine-Type Communication (MTC) between a CIOT UE and the network. The narrow band communication and scheduling unit described herein can reduce the complexity and power requirements of the UE. Using the scheduling unit described herein, up to 6 UE can be scheduled in a single Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), wherein the M-subframe has a 6 ms length and a 180 kHz bandwidth.

In certain examples, the network can include an operator network or a cloud service network, for example, compatible with a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification. The first air interface can include a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware.

In an example, a system or apparatus can include, or can optionally be combined with any portion or combination of any portions of any one or more of the examples illustrated above to include, means for performing any one or more of the functions of the examples illustrated above, or a non-transitory machine- readable medium including instructions that, when performed by a machine, cause the machine to perform any one or more of the functions of the examples illustrated above.

The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as "examples." Such examples can include elements in addition to those shown or described.

However, the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the present inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof), either with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.

All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s) should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

In this document, the terms "a" or "an" are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of "at least one" or "one or more." In this document, the term "or" is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that "A or B" includes "A but not B," "B but not A," and "A and B," unless otherwise indicated. In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein." Also, in the following claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. Method examples described herein can be machine or computer- implemented at least in part. Some examples can include a computer-readable medium or machine-readable medium encoded with instructions operable to configure an electronic device to perform methods as described in the above examples. An implementation of such methods can include code, such as microcode, assembly language code, a higher-level language code, or the like. Such code can include computer readable instructions for performing various methods. The code may form portions of computer program products. Further, the code can be tangibly stored on one or more volatile or non-volatile tangible computer-readable media, such as during execution or at other times. Examples of these tangible computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, hard disks, removable magnetic disks, removable optical disks (e.g., compact disks and digital video disks), magnetic cassettes, memory cards or sticks, random access memories (RAMs), read only memories (ROMs), and the like.

The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive.

For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that such embodiments can be combined with each other in various

combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fiill scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An apparatus of an enhanced Node B (eNB), the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry to schedule narrow band communication between a

User Equipment (UE) and a network with a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB); and

radio interface circuitry to communicate with the UE using a first air interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to schedule communication between the UE and the network for a maximum of X PRBs each Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms,

wherein X is between 1 and 6, and

wherein B is greater than or equal to 1.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the M-subframe has a bandwidth of 180 kHz.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein X is greater than 1, and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine scheduling information for the UE, including which PRBs in an M- subframe scheduling for the UE will occur, and

wherein the radio interface circuitry is configured to communicate the scheduling information to the UE.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to provide scheduling information for the UE using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI) in an MTC Downlink Control Channel (M-PDCCH) or an MTC Enhanced PDCCH (M-EPDCCH).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scheduling unit includes a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a fall 12 subcarriers of a PRB, and wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

8. An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry to receive scheduling information from an enhanced

Node B (eNB) for narrow band communication with a network, the scheduling information including a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB), and to process information for communication with the network through the eNB according to the scheduling information; and

radio interface circuitry to communicate with the eNB using a first air interface according to the scheduling information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process information for communication to the eNB for a maximum of X PRBs each every Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), according to the received scheduling information,

wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms,

wherein X is between 1 and 6, and

wherein B is greater than or equal to 1.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the M-subframe has a bandwidth of 180 kHz.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein X is greater than 1, and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process information for communication to the eNB, including which PRB in an M-subframe scheduling for the UE will occur, according to the received scheduling information.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process information for communication to the eNB using a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a &11 12 subcarriers of a PRB.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the UE includes a Cellular Internet-of- Things (CIoT) UE,

wherein the narrow band communication and scheduling unit reduce the complexity and power requirements of the UE, and

wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

15. At least one machine readable medium including instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of an enhanced Node B (eNB), cause the eNB to:

schedule narrow band communication between a User Equipment (UE) and a network with a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB) using the processing circuitry of the eNB; and

communicate with the UE through a first air interface using radio interface circuitry of the eNB.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 15, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the eNB, cause the eNB to schedule communication between the UE and the network for a maximum of X PRBs each Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms,

wherein X is between 1 and 6, and

wherein B is greater than or equal to 1.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the eNB, cause the eNB to:

determine scheduling information for the UE, including which PRBs in an M-subframe scheduling for the UE will occur; and

communicate the scheduling information to the UE using the radio interface circuitry of the eNB,

wherein X is greater than 1, and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 17, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the eNB, cause the eNB to:

provide scheduling information for the UE using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI) in an MTC Downlink Control Channel (M-PDCCH) or an MTC Enhanced PDCCH (M-EPDCCH).

19. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the scheduling unit includes a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a full 12 subcarriers of a PRB, and

wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.

20. At least one machine readable medium including instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a User Equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive scheduling information from an enhanced Node B (eNB) for narrow band communication with a network, the scheduling information including a scheduling unit having a finer granularity than 12 subcarriers of a Physical Resource Block (PRB);

process information for communication with the network through the eNB according to the scheduling information using the processing circuitry of the UE; and

communicate with the eNB using a first air interface according to the scheduling information using radio interface circuitry of the UE.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 20, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the UE, cause the UE to process information for communication to the eNB for a maximum of X PRBs each every Machine-Type Communication (MTC) subframe (M-subframe), according to the received scheduling information,

wherein the M-subframe has a length of B ms,

wherein X is between 1 and 6, and

wherein B is greater than or equal to 1 .

22. The machine readable medium of claim 20, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the UE, cause the UE to process information for communication to the eNB, including which PRB in an M- subframe scheduling for the UE will occur, according to the received scheduling information,

wherein X is greater than 1 , and wherein the PRBs are consecutive in the time domain.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 20, including instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry of the UE, cause the UE to process information for communication to the eNB using a subcarrier or a group of subcarriers less than a full 12 subcarriers of a PRB.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 20, wherein the UE includes a Cellular Internet-of-Things (CIoT) UE,

wherein the narrow band communication and scheduling unit reduce the complexity and power requirements of the UE, and

wherein the first air interface includes a cellular air interface between the UE and the eNB.