A method for providing scheduling request resources to a user equipment involves a wireless network node (e.g., an eNB) transmitting a configuration of scheduling request resources to the user equipment via radio resource control signaling, and the wireless network node enabling the scheduling request resources by transmitting a message to the user equipment via physical layer signaling. The message that enables the scheduling request resources may be transmitted as part of an uplink grant or downlink grant. In some implementations, the enabling message maps to one of several sets of scheduling request resources, which the wireless network node has previously communicated to the user equipment via radio resource control signaling. In other implementations, the selection of which set of scheduling request resources is to be enabling is made by the user equipment based on implicit signaling from the wireless node.