Enhanced machine type communication radio resource management requirements based on machine type communication physical downlink control channel monitoring

An apparatus comprising:

• at least one processor and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
• determine a discontinuous reception usage state of a user equipment, wherein the discontinuous reception usage state comprises a general discontinuous reception state, a machine type communication physical downlink control channel discontinuous reception state, or both a general discontinuous reception state and a machine type communication physical downlink control channel discontinuous reception state;
• select a monitoring performance requirement from a plurality of monitoring performance requirements based on the determined discontinuous reception usage state, wherein when it is determined that the user equipment is in the general discontinuous reception state and is in the machine type communication physical downlink control channel discontinuous reception state, the selecting comprises selecting a requirement for the user equipment to follow standard monitoring performance requirements modified to replace the discontinuous reception cycle with the greater of a discontinuous reception cycle time period and a machine type communication physical downlink control channel monitoring time period, wherein the machine type communication physical downlink control channel monitoring time period is G*R, wherein G is a configured parameter for controlling a machine type communication physical downlink control channel, and R is a maximum reception level of machine type communication physical downlink control channel;
• and
• power save in accordance with the selected monitoring performance requirement.

A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, said computer program comprising a set of instructions, execution of which by a processor configures an apparatus to at least:

• determine a discontinuous reception usage state of a user equipment, wherein the discontinuous reception usage state comprises a general discontinuous reception state, a machine type communication physical downlink control channel discontinuous reception state, or both a general discontinuous reception state and a machine type communication physical downlink control channel discontinuous reception state;
• select a monitoring performance requirement from a plurality of monitoring performance requirements based on the determined discontinuous reception usage state, wherein when it is determined that the user equipment is in the general discontinuous reception state and is in the machine type communication physical downlink control channel discontinuous reception state, the selecting comprises selecting a requirement for the user equipment to follow standard monitoring performance requirements modified to replace the discontinuous reception cycle with the greater of a discontinuous reception cycle time period and a machine type communication physical downlink control channel monitoring time period, wherein the machine type communication physical downlink control channel monitoring time period is G*R, wherein G is a configured parameter for controlling a machine type communication physical downlink control channel, and R is a maximum reception level of machine type communication physical downlink control channel;
• and
• power save in accordance with the selected monitoring performance requirement.