Patent ID: 7792935
Filing Date: 2010-09-07
Classification: H04L,H04M,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: creating at least one group of user nodes for internet protocol based group communication in a mobile communications system, each group having a group identifier and a multicast address for identifying the group, wherein the multicast address of the group is also utilized as a group identifier; pre-establishing separate packet data protocol contexts between a network apparatus and each user node registered to the group, wherein a user node is registered to a group based upon at least an access point name indicated in a registration request received from the user node, wherein pre-establishing separate packet data protocol contexts comprises creating a packet data protocol context for each user node registered to the group, and establishing logical connections between the network apparatus and the user nodes registered to the group; mapping, by the network apparatus, the packet data protocol contexts to the multicast address of the group; routing, by the network apparatus, packets addressed to the multicast address of the group, wherein the packets addressed to the multicast address are transferred over the packet data protocol contexts mapped to the multicast address of the group; and supporting internet protocol multicasting procedures between the network apparatus and an internet protocol multicasting server, comprising converting, by the network apparatus, group registrations made in a packet data protocol context layer into internet protocol multicast registrations in an internet protocol user layer.