Patent ID: 8447340

Claim:
A method of operating a telecommunications system comprising: (a) providing a terminal with push to talk multicast group information and a capability of participating in a push to talk multicast group in either of two modes of push to talk multicast group participation; (b) in a first mode enabling the terminal to join a multicast address at a join time as a passive recipient of transmissions of a push to talk multicast group through a multicast connection having a multicast context, in the first mode the terminal not being able to send media bursts to the multicast group; (c) in a second mode establishing a unicast connection as an additional and parallel connection between the terminal and a server for a session for the multicast group before the terminal can become an active participant in the session and send media bursts to the multicast group, the unicast connection having a unicast context and being connected to an unicast address of the server, and (d) providing the join time to the terminal, the join time specifying either (1) the terminal is to join the multicast address upon receipt by the terminal of the push to talk group information and thereby initially participate in the multicast group in the first mode or (2) the terminal is to join the multicast address upon joining the push to talk session and thereby initially participate in the multicast group in the second mode.