Communication efficiency may be enhanced by using compressed headers. In an example embodiment, a method is performed by a transmitting device to reduce header size. A mapping is created between a logical channel identifier and a compressed logical channel identifier. The compressed logical channel identifier occupies fewer bits than the logical channel identifier. The mapping is transmitted to a receiving device. A compressed header that includes the compressed logical channel identifier is formulated. A communication that includes the compressed header is transmitted to the receiving device. In another example embodiment, a method is performed by a receiving device to decode a header having a reduced size. A mapping and a communication including a compressed header are received. A compressed logical channel identifier is extracted from the compressed header. A logical channel identifier is recovered from the compressed logical channel identifier using the mapping.