Patent ID: 8254387
Filing Date: 2012-08-28
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for establishing and maintaining a multicast group call among a plurality of communication devices in a communication system, the method comprising: at a control entity: monitoring one or more link parameters for each of the plurality of communication devices associated with the multicast group call; selecting, for each of the plurality of communication devices, a sector from a plurality of permitted sectors based on the monitored link parameters, the selected sector providing an associated highest signal strength for the communication device, wherein the selected sectors form a multicast communication zone for the multicast group call; calculating a signal to interference plus noise ratio for each communication device associated with the multicast group call based on the formed multicast communication zone; identifying a communication device with a lowest signal to interference plus noise ratio among the plurality of communication devices; updating a spectral efficiency metric relative to the formed multicast communication zone based on the lowest signal to interference plus noise ratio; and establishing and maintaining the multicast group call among the plurality of communication devices in the formed multicast communication zone when the updated spectral efficiency metric meets a minimum expected spectral efficiency metric for the multicast group call.