Patent ID: 9191784
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of counting wireless communication devices in a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) system comprising a plurality of communication devices, each wireless communication device operable in one of at least two modes comprising a connected mode and an idle mode where each wireless communication device is the connected mode when a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection has been established and where each wireless communication device is in the idle mode when no RRC Connection has been established, the method comprising: executing a connected mode counting procedure to determine whether a number of wireless communication devices in a connected mode indicating that they should be counted for a Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) compatible service is greater than a threshold, the PTM compatible service capable of being provided by MBMS; executing an idle mode counting procedure only if the number of communication devices in the connected mode is not larger than the threshold, the idle mode counting procedure comprising: transmitting a downlink message that can be received by wireless communication devices in idle mode, the downlink message comprising a service identifier identifying the PTM compatible service; receiving idle mode response messages transmitted by wireless communication devices that were in the idle mode at the time the downlink message was sent, each idle mode counting request response message indicating the wireless communication device sending the idle mode counting request response message should be counted for the PTM compatible service.