System and method for resource management in a communications system

A method for operating a communications device, the method comprising:

• receiving a resource block including a plurality of control messages interleaved within a positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups defined in a data region of the resource block, the resource block having a total number of resource elements, the total number of resource elements consisting of available resource elements and reserved resource elements, wherein a plurality of potentially-available resource elements have been assigned to fill in each of the positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups with a same number N available resource elements in each resource element group, wherein some of the reserved resource elements are muted, wherein the muted resource elements are muted channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS), and wherein the positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups exclude any resource elements mapped to reference signals;
• de-interleaving the plurality of control messages from the received resource block;
• and
• selecting a control message for the communications device from the plurality of control messages.

A communications controller comprising:

• a processor configured to:
• define a positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups in a data region of a resource block, the resource block having a total number of resource elements, the total number of resource elements consisting of available resource elements and reserved resource elements, wherein some of the reserved resource elements are muted, wherein the muted resource elements are muted channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS), and wherein the positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups exclude any resource elements mapped to reference signals;
• assign a plurality of available resource elements to fill in each of the positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups with a same number N available resource elements in each resource element group, wherein every resource element in the data region of the resource block is either reserved or assigned;
• and
• interleave a plurality of control messages onto the positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups;
• and
• a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the positive integer quantity of control channel resource element groups.