Patent ID: 8625606

Claim:
An apparatus configured to manage a source cell with a radio coverage area within which there is currently located a user equipment, the apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores processor-executable instructions therein where the processor interfaces with the memory and executes the processor-executable instructions to enable the following: select a target cell to handover the user equipment such that the user equipment would continue to receive a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service, MBMS service by: requesting the user equipment while located within the source cell to provide information about the MBMS service; receiving the requested information from the user equipment; acquiring information which identifies a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network, MBSFN, Area within each of neighboring cells adjacent to the source cell; and selecting one of the neighboring cells to be the target cell to handover the user equipment by using the received information from the user equipment and the acquired information about each of the neighboring cells such that the user equipment after undergoing the handover to the target cell would continue to receive the MBMS service; and wherein if the processor is not able to select a target cell to handover the user equipment such that the user equipment would continue to receive the MBMS service then the processor further executes the processor-executable instructions to have the received information about the MBMS service currently being received by the user equipment sent to a neighboring apparatus associated with one of the neighboring cells that was selected for the handover of the user equipment even though the selected neighboring cell associated with the neighboring apparatus does not support the MBMS service.