Method to transmit signaling radio bearer messages in multi antenna wireless communication system

A method in a user equipment, comprising:

• communicating channel state information to a network node, the channel state information comprising:
• a first transmission rank reported by the user equipment for one or more subsequent downlink transmissions to the user equipment, wherein the first transmission rank is greater than 1;
• a channel quality indicator;
• and
• a precoding matrix indicator, the precoding matrix indicator providing an indication of a first precoding matrix corresponding to the first transmission rank reported by the user equipment;
• and
• receiving, from the network node, a signaling radio bearer message associated with a handover procedure, the received signaling radio bearer message scheduled using a second transmission rank, the second transmission rank comprising a lower rank than the first transmission rank reported by the user equipment for the one or more subsequent downlink transmissions to the user equipment, wherein the signaling radio bearer message is scheduled based at least in part on the second transmission rank and a second precoding matrix corresponding to the second transmission rank.

A first network node, comprising:

• a receiver;
• a transmitter;
• and
• one or more processors coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, the one or more processors configured to:
• receive channel state information from a user equipment, the channel state information comprising:
• a first transmission rank reported by the user equipment for one or more subsequent downlink transmissions to the user equipment, wherein the first transmission rank is greater than 1;
• a channel quality indicator;
• and
• a precoding matrix indicator, the precoding matrix indicator providing an indication of a first precoding matrix corresponding to the first transmission rank reported by the user equipment;
• determine whether the user equipment should be handed over to a second network node;
• upon determining that the user equipment should be handed over to the second network node, modify the first transmission rank to a second transmission rank, the second transmission rank comprising a lower rank than the first transmission rank reported by the user equipment;
• modify the channel quality indicator based at least in part on the second transmission rank;
• determine a second precoding matrix corresponding to the second transmission rank;
• and
• transmit a signaling radio bearer message associated with a handover procedure to the user equipment using the second transmission rank.

A user equipment, comprising:

• a receiver;
• a transmitter;
• and
• one or more processors coupled to the receiver and the transmitter, the one or more processors configured to:
• communicate channel state information to a network node, the channel state information comprising:
• a first transmission rank reported by the user equipment for one or more subsequent downlink transmissions to the user equipment, wherein the first transmission rank is greater than 1;
• a channel quality indicator;
• and
• a precoding matrix indicator, the precoding matrix indicator providing an indication of a first precoding matrix corresponding to the first transmission rank reported by the user equipment;
• and
• receive, from the network node, a signaling radio bearer message associated with a handover procedure, the received signaling radio bearer message scheduled using a second transmission rank, the second transmission rank comprising a lower rank than the first transmission rank reported by the user equipment for the one or more subsequent downlink transmissions to the user equipment, wherein the signaling radio bearer message is scheduled based at least in part on the second transmission rank and a second precoding matrix corresponding to the second transmission rank.