RESOURCE ALLOCATION METHODS FOR CONTROL CHANNELS

Embodiments include methods for allocating physical-layer (PHY) resources of a communication system for a control channel, including determining a set of resource allocation patterns, selecting at least one resource allocation pattern from the determined set, encoding a plurality of indices identifying each of the selected resource allocation patterns, wherein the plurality of indices comprises a first index identifying a selected resource group allocation and a second index identifying a selected resource block allocation, and sending a message comprising the plurality of indices for the selected resource allocation patterns. Other embodiments include methods for determining resource allocation patterns used to allocate PHY resources for a control channel, and methods for receiving an allocation of PHY resources for a control channel. Other embodiments include various apparatus and computer-readable media embodying one or more of the methods.