Patent ID: 8170569
Filing Date: 2012-05-01
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a radio access network to facilitate a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) session, the method comprising: (a) transmitting a transport channel setup request message to a radio base station arranged to serve plural cells; (b) determining a common transport bearer corresponding to the MBMS session; (c) determining one or more common transport channels each mapped to the common transport bearer; and (d) configuring a new transport channel mapped to the common transport bearer such that the new transport channel is stable relative to each of the one or more common transport channels, wherein the transport channel setup request message relates to a particular cell of the plural cells, each of the one or more common transport channels correspond to each of one or more cells other than the particular cell, a mapping between a transport channel and a transport bearer is defined such that MBMS data of the MBMS session transmitted from the radio network controller over the transport bearer to the radio base station is retransmitted from the radio base station over the mapped transport channel to the corresponding cell, and a relative stability between first and second transport channels using a same transport bearer is defined such that a timing adjustment of the same transport bearer triggered for the first transport channel does not trigger an opposing timing adjustment of the same transport bearer for the second transport channel.