Apple Inc.
Synchronization signals and channel structure for narrowband LTE deployments

Abstract:

User equipment (UE) provides machine type communications (MTC) through a narrowband (NB)-long term evolution (LTE) system having a downlink transmission bandwidth in a range from about 180 kilohertz (kHz) to about 200 kHz. Receive circuitry is configured to receive, through a downlink transmission of an evolved node B (eNB) in the NB-LTE system, an NB-physical synchronization channel (NB-PSCH), the NB-PSCH including a synchronization signal and having a channel structure, the synchronization signal including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and the channel structure defined by multiple subcarriers mutually spaced apart by about 15 kHz and located entirely within the downlink transmission bandwidth. Control circuitry configured to decode the synchronization signal.