The exemplary embodiments of this invention include apparatus, methods and computer program products that provide a signaling scheme that enables the execution of an uplink gating feature. In one non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, the signaling scheme is an Iub/Iur signaling scheme and the uplink gating feature is an uplink dedicated physical control channel (DPCCH) gating feature, for example, as may be utilized within a wideband code divisional multiple access (WCDMA) communication network. In one non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, a method includes: sending a first message from a base station towards a network element in a communications network, wherein the first message includes a first parameter that is indicative of a capability for supporting uplink gating in a cell under the base station; and sending a second message from the network element towards the base station, wherein the second message includes an instruction for uplink gating in the cell.