Patent ID: 8451764

Claim:
A system structure for supporting Evolved Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (Evolved MBMS), comprising: a Broadcast/Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) for initiating control signaling and bearer services for Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS), said BM-SC being operative to transmit service data and control signaling to a System Architecture Evolved Gateway (SAE GW); a System Architecture Evolved Gateway (SAE GW), said SAE GW being operative to receive MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling from said BM-SC, if available therefrom and to receive MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling from another network, if available therefrom, and to forward said received MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling, said SAE GW being further operative to forward said received MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling to a Broadcast/Multicast Management Entity (BME); a Broadcast/Multicast Management Entity (BME) for receiving, processing and forwarding the MBMS control signaling, and determining, for each item of said MBMS service data, an enhanced Node B (eNB) which needs to receive said MBMS control signaling, said BME being operative to forward said MBMS control signaling to the determined eNB; and a multicast User Plane Entity (mUPE) for receiving the MBMS service data, processing the received MBMS service data according to the Evolved Packet System Architecture Evolution, and forwarding the processed MBMS service data to a downstream node, said mUPE being configured to receive MBMS service data sent from said BM-SC, wherein the SAE GW comprises: a Packet Data Network SAE GW for receiving the MBMS service data and the MBMS control signaling from the BM-SC or another network, storing locally service parameters and forwarding the received MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling to a Serving SAE GW; the Serving SAE GW for receiving the MBMS service data and the MBMS control signaling from the Packet Data Network SAE GW, storing locally service parameters and forwarding the received MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling to the downstream node and wherein the Serving SAE GW has a function of distribution tree management on the MBMS to be forwarded.