Narrowband time-division duplex frame structure for narrowband communications

An apparatus for wireless communications for a user equipment, comprising:

• means for determining a time-division duplex (TDD) frame structure of a group of TDD frame structures being used by a radio access network for narrowband communications;
• means for receiving, from a base station, a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure, wherein a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions comprises a first subframe group and a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions comprises a second subframe group;
• wherein the first subframe group comprises a first set of downlink subframes scrambled using a first scrambling sequence, the first set of downlink subframes including a first downlink subframe and a predetermined first number of following subframes;
• and
• wherein the second subframe group comprises a second set of downlink subframes scrambled using a second scrambling sequence, the second set of downlink subframes including a second downlink subframe and a predetermined second number of following subframes, and the first subframe group and the second subframe group do not overlap.

An apparatus for wireless communications for a user equipment, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• determine a time-division duplex (TDD) frame structure of a group of TDD frame structures being used by a radio access network for narrowband communications;
• receive, from a base station, a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure, wherein a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions comprises a first subframe group and a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions comprises a second subframe group;
• wherein the first subframe, group comprises a first set of downlink subframes scrambled using a first scrambling sequence, the first set of downlink subframes including a first downlink subframe and a predetermined first number of following subframes;
• and
• wherein the second subframe group comprises a second set of downlink subframes scrambled using a second scrambling sequence, the second set of downlink subframes including a second downlink subframe and a predetermined second number of following subframes, and the first subframe group and the second subframe group do not overlap.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for a user equipment, the code when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

• determine a time-division duplex (TDD) frame structure of a group of TDD frame structures being used by a radio access network for narrowband communications;
• receive, from a base station, a series of repetitions of a narrowband physical downlink channel using the narrowband TDD frame structure, wherein a first portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions comprises a first subframe group and a second portion of repetitions from the series of repetitions comprises a second subframe group;
• wherein the first subframe group comprises a first set of downlink subframes scrambled using a first scrambling sequence, the first set of downlink subframes including a first downlink subframe and a predetermined first number of following, subframes;
• and
• wherein the second subframe group comprises a second set of downlink subframes scrambled using a second scrambling sequence, the second set of downlink subframes including a second downlink subframe and a predetermined second number of following subframes, and the first subframe group and the second subframe group do not overlap.