Control channels for wireless communication

A base station for use in a wireless communication system and arranged to transmit a control channel message, the base station comprising:

• a configurer configured to configure a plurality of search spaces, each of the plurality of search spaces being configured from a plurality of control channel elements within a subframe by using a pseudo-random function;
• a scheduler configure to determine one or more control channel elements to use for transmission of the control channel message within the plurality of search spaces, and
• a transmitter configured to transmit the control channel message located in the one or more control channel elements,
• wherein, the pseudo-random function is a function based on a sum of a first value and a second value,
• wherein the first value is a pseudo-random factor, and the second value is based on an aggregation level and a total of control channel elements in the subframe.

A terminal for use in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network arranged to transmit at least one control channel message to the terminal, wherein the terminal comprises:

• a receiver configured to receive the at least one control channel message located in one or more control channel elements within a plurality of search spaces, each of the plurality of search spaces being configured from a plurality of control channel elements within a subframe by using a pseudorandom function;
• a decoder configured to decode the control channel message by making a selection of locations for blind decoding the plurality of search spaces within the subframe, using the pseudorandom function,
• wherein, the pseudo-random function is a function based on a sum of a first value and a second value,
• wherein the first value is a pseudo-random factor, and the second value is based on an aggregation level and a total of control channel elements in a subframe.