Embodiments of the present disclosure describe communication techniques and configurations for energy-harvesting devices in a wireless communication network. An apparatus may include circuitry to receive, by a network device of a wireless communication network, a message from user equipment, the message including an indication that the user equipment is an energy-harvesting device and circuitry to differentiate the energy-harvesting device from other non-energy-harvesting devices in the wireless communication network based on the indication. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.