Modified downlink control information to support low tier user equipment

A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising:

• transmitting an indication of a modified physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration for enhanced coverage;
• and
• transmitting downlink control information (DCI) configured according to the modified PDCCH configuration,
• wherein the indication of the modified PDCCH configuration for enhanced coverage includes at least one of:
• an indication of whether to monitor for a DCI with a reduced payload size compared to legacy DCI, the DCI with the reduced payload size excludes one or more DCI fields included in the legacy DCI, one or more bits of one or more DCI fields included in the legacy DCI, or a combination thereof,
• an indication of whether to use at least one of a first de-interleaving pattern or a first frozen bit repetition pattern associated with the legacy DCI or at least one of a second de-interleaving pattern or a second frozen bit repetition pattern associated with the DCI in which one or more low priority bits of the DCI are mapped to one or more less reliable positions as compared to one or more high priority bits of the DCI, one or more values corresponding to the one or more low priority bits are indicated in system information or in a radio resource control message, or
• an indication of whether to use a first radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) having a first bit length to decode the DCI or a second RNTI having a second bit length, longer than the first bit length, to decode the DCI.

A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the UE to:
• receive an indication of a modified physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration for enhanced coverage;
• receive downlink control information (DCI) configured according to the modified PDCCH configuration;
• and
• process the DCI according to the modified PDCCH configuration,
• wherein the indication of the modified PDCCH configuration for enhanced coverage includes at least one of:
• an indication of whether to monitor for a DCI with a reduced payload size compared to legacy DCI, the DCI with the reduced payload size excludes one or more DCI fields included in the legacy DCI, one or more bits of one or more DCI fields included in the legacy DCI, or a combination thereof,
• an indication of whether to use at least one of a first de-interleaving pattern or a first frozen bit repetition pattern associated with the legacy DCI or at least one of a second de-interleaving pattern or a second frozen bit repetition pattern associated with the DCI in which one or more low priority bits of the DCI are mapped to one or more less reliable positions as compared to one or more high priority bits of the DCI, one or more values corresponding to the one or more low priority bits are indicated in system information or in a radio resource control message, or
• an indication of whether to use a first radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) having a first bit length to decode the DCI or a second RNTI having a second bit length, longer than the first bit length, to decode the DCI.

A network node for wireless communication, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the network node to:
• transmit an indication of a modified physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) configuration for enhanced coverage;
• and
• transmit downlink control information (DCI) configured according to the modified PDCCH configuration,
• wherein the indication of the modified PDCCH configuration for enhanced coverage includes at least one of:
• an indication of whether to monitor for a DCI with a reduced payload size compared to legacy DCI, the DCI with the reduced payload size excludes one or more DCI fields included in the legacy DCI, one or more bits of one or more DCI fields included in the legacy DCI, or a combination thereof,
• an indication of whether to use at least one of a first de-interleaving pattern or a first frozen bit repetition pattern associated with the legacy DCI or at least one of a second de-interleaving pattern or a second frozen bit repetition pattern associated with the DCI in which one or more low priority bits of the DCI are mapped to one or more less reliable positions as compared to one or more high priority bits of the DCI, one or more values corresponding to the one or more low priority bits are indicated in system information or in a radio resource control message, or
• an indication of whether to use a first radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) having a first bit length to decode the DCI or a second RNTI having a second bit length, longer than the first bit length, to decode the DCI.