A method for transmitting common information, a base station, and user equipment are provided, where the method includes: generating additional information according the common information, where the common information is a paging message and/or system information, and data packets of the additional information and data packets of the common information are the same at a Media Access Control MAC layer; and sending the common information and the additional information to the user equipment. In embodiments of the present invention, because the additional information and the common information carry same MAC layer data packet content, in a case of receiving the common information and the additional information, the user equipment may determine a data packet at the MAC layer according to the common information and the additional information; therefore a probability of correct detection of the common information may be increased.