Cell monitoring in cross-carrier scheduling

A method of operating a network node operating in a communications network and configured to communicate with a communication device operating in the communications network via a primary cell, PCell, and one or more secondary cells, SCells, the method comprising

• transmitting a configuration message from the network node to configure an SCell of the one or more SCells as a scheduling cell for cross carrier scheduling wherein when the configuration message configures the SCell as the scheduling cell the communication device is configured to:
• monitor the SCell for first scheduling information associated with communications via the PCell;
• only monitor the PCell for second scheduling information associated with second communications with the PCell and not monitor the PCell for any scheduling information associated with communications for any SCells of the one of more SCells;
• and
• only monitor for scheduling related to communications for the SCell configured for scheduling on the SCell.

A computer program comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code to be executed by processing circuitry whereby execution of the program code causes the processing circuitry to receive a configuration message from a network node to configure a secondary cell, SCell, of one or more SCells as a scheduling cell for cross carrier scheduling wherein when the configuration message configures the SCell as the scheduling cell a communication device is configured to:

• monitor the SCell for first scheduling information associated with communications via a primary cell, PCell;
• only monitor the PCell for second scheduling information associated with second communications for the PCell and not monitor the PCell for any scheduling information associated with communications for any SCells of the one or more SCells;
• and
• only monitor for scheduling related to communications for the SCell configured for scheduling on the SCell.