A base station (BS) supporting a protocol stack can implement a method for increasing network efficiency. The method includes transmitting (202), to at least a first user equipment (UE), a group identity for a group of two or more UEs that includes the first UE. The method further includes generating (302), by processing hardware of the base station and using the group identity, a data signal that includes aggregated downlink data. The aggregated downlink data includes (i) a UE-specific identity for at least two target UEs within the group and (ii) for each target UE of the at least two target UEs, a respective UE-specific identity, at an upper layer of the protocol stack, that indicates a location of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE within the aggregated downlink data. The method further includes transmitting (306) the data signal to at least a portion of the group via a downlink data channel.