A control information communication method, a base station, and user equipment are provided. A determination is made whether downlink control information (DCI) is used for multicast transmission or for paging. When the DCI is determined to be used for multicast transmission, the DCI is scrambled by using a single cell radio network temporary identifier (SC-RNTI). The DCI includes indication information and scheduling information, the indication information indicating whether a multicast control channel is updated. When the DCI is determined to be used for paging, the DCI is scrambled by using a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). The scrambled DCI can be sent to user equipment by using a first downlink control information format.