SIGNALING EXTENDED EARFCN AND E-UTRA BANDS IN UMTS NETWORKS

Embodiments of a user equipment (UE) and Node-B to operate in a wireless communication network using extended evolved absolute radio frequency channel numbers (EARFCN) and evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) frequency bands are disclosed herein. The UE may comprise transceiver and processing circuitry to receive a multiple frequency band indicators (MFBI) list that includes list elements corresponding to E-UTRA frequency bands on which neighboring LTE cells are operated. The MFBI list corresponds to an entry in the E-UTRA frequency and priority list or the E-UTRA frequency and priority extension list. The number of list elements for E-UTRA frequency and priority information corresponds to a sum of the number of entries in an E-UTRA frequency and priority list and a number of entries in an E-UTRA frequency and priority extension list. Other embodiments are disclosed.