Patent ID: 8320292

Claim:
A method to control a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) mode of a MBMS session in a communication system, the method comprising: determining, at a first network element that is located outside a radio access network, to use one of a single frequency network MBMS mode (SFN mode) and a single cell MBMS mode (SC mode) for the MBMS session based on a property of the MBMS session; transmitting a session control signaling message from the first network element to a second network element that is located inside the radio access network, the session control signaling message instructing the second network element that user plane data for the MBMS session shall be transmitted using the determined MBMS mode by including a service area information element identifying one of a first service area and a second service area, and wherein the service area identification implies the determined MBMS mode, and where the user plane data for the MBMS session directed to the first service area is transmitted in the SFN mode and the user plane data for the MBMS session directed to the second service area is transmitted in the SC mode.