Method and arrangement in a radio-access network

A network node, comprising:

• a transceiver configured to transmit, to an intermediate node in a radio-access network, a subframe having a defined frequency bandwidth and time length and comprising a first time portion and a second time portion following the first time portion;
• and
• a processor connected to the transceiver and configured to generate the subframe by including a user equipment (UE) control region in the first time portion at a beginning of the subframe;
• first and second control information in a time-frequency region comprised within the second time portion and within a first frequency bandwidth portion that is part of and smaller than the defined frequency bandwidth, the first control information being comprised in a first part of the time-frequency region followed in time by the second control information in a second part of the time-frequency region, wherein said first control information includes downlink related information and said second control information includes uplink related information;
• and
• data payload in time portions within the second time portion also carrying the first and second control information and within a second frequency bandwidth portion that is different from the first frequency bandwidth portion carrying the first and second control information.

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by an intermediate node from a network node in a radio-access network, a subframe having a defined frequency bandwidth and time length and comprising a first time portion and a second time portion following the first time portion, wherein receiving the subframe comprises
• receiving a user equipment (UE) control region in the first time portion at a beginning of the subframe;
• receiving, in a first part of a time-frequency region comprised within the second time portion and within a first frequency bandwidth portion that is part of and smaller than the defined frequency bandwidth, first control information including downlink related information;
• decoding the first control information, wherein the decoding starts at or after an end in time of the first part of the time-frequency region;
• when said first control information indicates data payload to the intermediate node in the subframe, receiving and decoding the data payload;
• and
• receiving, in a second part of the time-frequency region comprised within the second time portion and within the first frequency bandwidth portion that is part of and smaller than the defined frequency bandwidth, second control information including uplink related information, wherein the second part of the time-frequency region follows in time the first part of the time-frequency region,
• wherein the data payload is received in time portions within the second time portion also carrying the first and second control information and within a second frequency bandwidth portion that is different from the first frequency bandwidth portion carrying the first and second control information.

An intermediate node configured to receive, from a network node in a radio-access network, a subframe having a defined frequency bandwidth and time length and comprising a first time portion and a second time portion following the first time portion, wherein to receive the subframe the intermediate node comprises:

• a transceiver configured to receive a user equipment (UE) control region in the first time portion at a beginning of the subframe;
• first control information including downlink related information in a first part of a time-frequency region comprised within the second time portion and within a first frequency bandwidth portion that is part of and smaller than the defined frequency bandwidth;
• second control information including uplink related information in a second part of the time-frequency region comprised within the second time portion and within the first frequency bandwidth portion that is part of and smaller than the defined frequency bandwidth, the second part of the time-frequency region following in time the first part of the time-frequency region;
• when said first control information indicates the subframe comprises data payload to the intermediate node, a data payload in time portions within the second time portion also carrying the first and second control information and within a second frequency bandwidth portion that is different from the first frequency bandwidth portion carrying the first and second control information;
• and
• a processor connected to said transceiver and configured to control transmission and reception by said transceiver, the processor further configured to decode the first control information at or after an end in time of the first part of the time-frequency region, the processor further configured to, when said first control information indicates the data payload to the intermediate node in the subframe, decode the data payload.