Resource Allocation

1. A method of signalling resource allocation data in a communication system which uses a plurality of frequency blocks in each of which a plurality of sub-carriers are arranged in a sequence of resource blocks, the method comprising: determining at least one frequency block assigned for use by a user device; determining an allocation of resource blocks within the at least one identified frequency block, for use by said user device; generating first resource allocation data identifying the at least one determined frequency block for the user device; generating second resource allocation data identifying the determined allocation of resource blocks for the user device, wherein said second resource allocation data is dependent on the determined at least one frequency block assigned for use by the user device; and signalling said first and second resource allocation data to said user device.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resource blocks are grouped in a sequence of resource block groups; wherein said sequence of resource block groups comprises at least one allocated resource block group comprising said determined allocation of resource blocks; and wherein said second resource allocation data is arranged for identifying the at least one allocated resource block group, thereby to identify said determined allocation of resource blocks.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second resource allocation data is arranged for identifying the relative position of the at least one allocated resource block group in said sequence of resource block groups.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second resource allocation data comprises a resource block group assignment bit mask, and wherein the or each resource block group in said determined at least one frequency block is respectively represented by at least one bit of said assignment bit mask.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the number of bits in said second resource block allocation data is dependent on the number of frequency blocks assigned for use by said user device.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the number of bits in said second resource block allocation data remains the same regardless of the number of frequency blocks assigned for use by said user device.

7. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the number of bits in said second resource block allocation data remains the same regardless of the number of frequency blocks assigned for use by said user device.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said allocation of resource blocks comprises at least one contiguous sequence of resource blocks, and wherein said second resource allocation data comprises a value which encodes a position of a start resource block of the contiguous sequence and the number of resource blocks in the contiguous sequence.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said allocation of resource blocks comprises at least one contiguous sequence of resource blocks, and wherein said second resource allocation data comprises a value which encodes a position of a start resource block of the contiguous sequence and the number of resource blocks in the contiguous sequence.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said allocation of resource blocks comprises at least one contiguous sequence of resource blocks, and wherein said second resource allocation data comprises a value which encodes a position of a start resource block of the contiguous sequence and the number of resource blocks in the contiguous sequence.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first resource allocation data comprises a frequency block assignment bit mask, and wherein the or each frequency block is respectively represented by at least one bit of said frequency block assignment bit mask.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining the at least one frequency block assigned for use by the user device determines that a plurality of said frequency blocks are assigned for use by the user device; and wherein in said generating second resource allocation data, the sequence of resource blocks in each of the frequency blocks assigned for use by the user device are treated as a concatenated sequence, and said generated resource allocation data is arranged to indicate the position of said allocated resource blocks in said concatenated sequence.

13. A method of determining resource allocation in a communication system which uses a plurality of frequency blocks in each of which a plurality of sub-carriers are arranged in a sequence of resource blocks, the method comprising: receiving first resource allocation data identifying at least one assigned frequency block; receiving second resource allocation data identifying an allocation of resource blocks, wherein said second resource allocation data is dependent on the at least one assigned frequency block; determining the at least one assigned frequency block using the received first allocation data; and determining the allocation of resource blocks based on the received second resource allocation data and the determined at least one assigned frequency block.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said resource blocks are grouped in a sequence of resource block groups; wherein said sequence of resource block groups comprises at least one allocated resource block group comprising said determined allocation of resource blocks; and wherein said second resource allocation data is arranged for identifying the at least one allocated resource block group, thereby to identify said determined allocation of resource blocks.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said second resource allocation data is arranged for identifying the relative position of the at least one allocated resource block group in said sequence of resource block groups.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said second resource allocation data is arranged for identifying the relative position of the at least one allocated resource block group in said sequence of resource block groups.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the number of bits in said second resource block allocation data is dependent on the number of frequency blocks assigned for use by said user device.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the number of bits in said second resource block allocation data remains the same regardless of the number of frequency blocks assigned for use by said user device.

19. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the number of resource blocks in each resource block group is dependent on the number of assigned frequency blocks.

20. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said allocation of resource blocks comprises at least one contiguous sequence of resource blocks, and wherein said second resource allocation data comprises a value which encodes a position of a start resource block of the contiguous sequence and the number of resource blocks in the contiguous sequence.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein said allocation of resource blocks comprises a contiguous sequence of resource blocks in each assigned frequency block, wherein each contiguous sequence comprises the same number of resource blocks, and wherein the start resource block of each contiguous sequence has the same relative position in the frequency block in which it is located.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein said allocation of resource blocks comprises a contiguous sequence of resource blocks starting in a first assigned frequency block and ending in a second assigned frequency block.

23. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first resource allocation data comprises a frequency block assignment bit mask, and wherein the or each assigned frequency block is respectively represented by at least one bit of said frequency block assignment bit mask.

24. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said at least one assigned frequency block comprises a plurality of said frequency blocks; and wherein during said determining the allocation of resource blocks the sequence of resource blocks in each of the assigned frequency blocks are treated as a concatenated sequence, and said resource allocation data is interpreted as indicating the position of said allocated resource blocks in said concatenated sequence.

25. A communication node which is operable to communicate with a plurality of user devices in a communication system which uses a plurality of frequency blocks in each of which a plurality of sub-carriers are arranged in a sequence of resource blocks, the communication node comprising: means for determining at least one frequency block assigned for use by a user device; means for determining an allocation of resource blocks within the at least one identified frequency block, for use by said user device; means for generating first resource allocation data identifying the at least one determined frequency block for the user device; means for generating second resource allocation data identifying the determined allocation of resource blocks for the user device, wherein said second resource allocation data is dependent on the determined at least one frequency block assigned for use by the user device; and means for signalling said first and second resource allocation data to said user device.

26. A user device which is operable to communicate with a communication node in a communication system which uses a plurality of frequency blocks in each of which a plurality of sub-carriers are arranged in a sequence of resource blocks, the user device comprising: means for receiving first resource allocation data identifying at least one assigned frequency block; means for receiving second resource allocation data identifying an allocation of resource blocks, wherein said second resource allocation data is dependent on the at least one assigned frequency block; means for determining the at least one assigned frequency block using the received first allocation data; and means for determining the allocation of resource blocks based on the received second resource allocation data and the determined at least one assigned frequency block.

27. A communication node which is operable to communicate with a plurality of user devices in a communication system which uses a plurality of frequency blocks in each of which a plurality of sub-carriers are arranged in a sequence of resource blocks, the communication node comprising: a determiner operable to determine at least one frequency block assigned for use by a user device; a determiner operable to determine an allocation of resource blocks within the at least one identified frequency block, for use by said user device; a generator operable to generate first resource allocation data identifying the at least one determined frequency block for the user device; a generator operable to generate second resource allocation data identifying the determined allocation of resource blocks for the user device, wherein said second resource allocation data is dependent on the determined at least one frequency block assigned for use by the user device; and a signaller operable to signal said first and second resource allocation data to said user device.

28. A user device which is operable to communicate with a communication node in a communication system which uses a plurality of frequency blocks in each of which a plurality of sub-carriers are arranged in a sequence of resource blocks, the user device comprising: a receiver operable to receive first resource allocation data identifying at least one assigned frequency block; a receiver operable to receive second resource allocation data identifying an allocation of resource blocks, wherein said second resource allocation data is dependent on the at least one assigned frequency block; a determiner operable to determine the at least one assigned frequency block using the received first allocation data; and a determiner operable to determine the allocation of resource blocks based on the received second resource allocation data and the determined at least one assigned frequency block.

29. A method of signalling resource allocation data in a communication system which operates over a system bandwidth comprising a plurality of frequency blocks, each frequency block having a plurality of sub-carriers arranged in a sequence of resource blocks, each having a resource block index value that is unique within the system bandwidth, the method comprising: determining, using said index values, an allocation of a contiguous sequence of resource blocks for a user device having a bandwidth corresponding to a subset of said frequency blocks; generating resource allocation data encoding the determined allocation of resource blocks for the user device, wherein said resource allocation data encodes the relative position of the contiguous sequence within the system bandwidth; and signalling said resource allocation data to the user device.

30. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein said resource allocation data comprises a value which encodes a relative position of a start resource block of the contiguous sequence in said system bandwidth and the number of resource blocks in the contiguous sequence.

31. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein said method comprises identifying reserved resource blocks and other resource blocks, and allocating said unique index values to said other resource blocks but not to said reserved resource blocks.

32. A method performed by a base station, the method comprising: communicating with a mobile telephone on multiple frequency blocks; and transmitting, to the mobile telephone, first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates at least one frequency block, and wherein the second information indicates at least one resource block within the at least one frequency block, the at least one resource block being allocated for the mobile telephone.

33. A method performed by a mobile telephone, the method comprising: communicating with a base station on multiple frequency blocks; and receiving, from the base station first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates at least one frequency block, and wherein the second information indicates at least one resource block within the at least one frequency block, the at least one resource block being allocated for the mobile telephone.

34. A base station comprising: a transceiver circuit; and a controller coupled to the transceiver circuit and that: controls the transceiver circuit to communicate with a mobile telephone on multiple frequency blocks; and controls the transceiver circuit to transmit, to the mobile telephone first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates at least one frequency block, and wherein the second information indicates at least one resource block within the at least one frequency block, the at least one resource block being allocated for the mobile telephone.

35. A mobile telephone comprising: a transceiver circuit; and a controller coupled to the transceiver circuit and that: controls the transceiver circuit to communicate with a base station on multiple frequency blocks; and controls the transceiver circuit to receive, from the base station first information and second information, wherein the first information indicates at least one frequency block, and wherein the second information indicates at least one resource block within the at least one frequency block, the at least one resource block being allocated for the mobile telephone.

36. The method according to claim 32, wherein the at least one resource block is used for transmitting a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

37. The method according to claim 32, wherein the at least one resource block is used for receiving a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

38. The method according to claim 33, wherein the at least one resource block is used for receiving a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

39. The method according to claim 33, wherein the at least one resource block is used for transmitting a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).