Disclosed are methods for base stations to indicate the start and end of a downlink message, by prepending and appending demarcations to the message in 5G or 6G. A user device can then readily locate the message by detecting the demarcations, greatly reducing the amount of computation required of the receiver processor. There may be no need for a DCI message alerting the user device of the coming message. Each demarcation may be a brief predetermined bit sequence such as a demodulation reference or an identification code of the intended recipient. The start and end demarcations may be different, and may include a gap of zero or low transmission, to further assist the receiver. The user device may transmit a request message to the base station, requesting that demarcations be applied to the user's downlink messages, and declining the redundant DCI alert messages, thereby saving further energy and network overhead.