Downlink control for wireless heterogeneous telecommunications

A method in a base station node of a heterogeneous radio access network, the heterogeneous radio access network comprising a macro layer including at least one macro base station and a micro layer comprising at least one micro base station, the method comprising:

• preparing a subframe to include a micro layer downlink control channel region and a macro layer downlink control region, wherein:
• the micro layer downlink control channel region comprises micro layer downlink control channel resource elements distinct from any reference signal resource elements;
• the macro layer downlink control channel region comprises macro layer downlink control channel resource elements distinct from the reference signal resource elements;
• the resource elements of the micro layer downlink control region are interleaved with the resource elements of the macro layer downlink control region in time and frequency;
• and
• one of the micro layer downlink control channel region or the macro layer downlink control channel region includes downlink control signaling to one or more wireless terminals and the other of the micro layer downlink control channel region or the macro layer downlink control channel region is muted;
• and
• transmitting at least the subframe over a radio interface.

A non-transitory computer readable comprising coded instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a base station node to:

• prepare a subframe to include a micro layer downlink control channel region and a macro layer downlink control region, wherein:
• the micro layer downlink control channel region comprises micro layer downlink control channel resource elements distinct from any reference signal resource elements;
• the macro layer downlink control channel region comprises macro layer downlink control channel resource elements distinct from the reference signal resource elements;
• the resource elements of the micro layer downlink control region are interleaved with the resource elements of the macro layer downlink control region in time and frequency;
• and
• one of the micro layer downlink control channel region or the macro layer downlink control channel region includes downlink control signaling to one or more wireless terminals and the other of the micro layer downlink control channel region or the macro layer downlink control channel region is muted;
• and
• transmit at least the subframe over a radio interface.