Patent ID: 8565801

Claim:
A communications method for use in a cellular communications network including a wireless communications device and a base station configured to provide radio coverage to a communication cell of the cellular communications network, the method comprising: transmitting to the base station over a wireless communications link in response to moving between two communication cells of the cellular communications network, from a wireless interface module having a connection to an element in said wireless communications device, a group membership information change request signal generated by a group communication module requesting a change in group membership, said wireless communications device being a member of zero, one, or more multicast groups at any point in time, wherein the wireless communications device is added to or removed from a group membership list maintained on the base station responsive to the group membership information change request signal; and operating the group communication module to monitor for receipt by said wireless interface module of a response indicating acceptance or rejection of the group membership information change request signal determined by the base station based upon communication with an Authentication Accounting and Authorization (AAA) server that serves the cellular communications network and to receive group communications transmitted from said base station in response to said group membership information change request signal, wherein the group communication module intercepts signaling from a standard group membership client module that does not enable the base station to maintain the group membership list and generates the group membership information change request signal based on the intercepted signaling.