Transmission of data for multimedia broadcast/multicast sevices

• US 20030223394A1
• Filed: 05/28/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Leppisaari, Arto, Jokinen, Harri, Parantainen, Janne
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transmitting data for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) from a radio access network of a cellular communication network via a radio interface to mobile terminals located in a radio cell supplied by said radio access network. The radio access network transmits paging messages on a common control channel. It is proposed that a dedicated channel is employed for transmitting the MBMS data, which dedicated channel is allocated in a way that the mobile terminals are able to receive simultaneously paging messages and the MBMS data. The invention relates equally to a corresponding network entity, mobile terminal and communication system.

Claims

1. Method for transmitting data for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) from a radio access network of a cellular communication network via a radio interface to mobile terminals located in a radio cell supplied by said radio access network, said method comprising transmitting paging messages in at least one common control channel defined in a frame structure employed in said radio cell and transmitting said MBMS data in a dedicated channel defined in said frame structure, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated such that said mobile terminals are capable of receiving paging messages and said MBMS data simultaneously.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein in said frame structure each frame is composed of a plurality of time slots, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated at least to a time slot employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages, and wherein said dedicated channel is placed on a carrier employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein in said frame structure each frame is composed of a plurality of time slots, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated at least to a time slot employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages and for a broadcast control channel employed in said radio cell, and wherein said dedicated channel is placed on a carrier employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages and for said broadcast control channel.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein in said frame structure each frame is composed of a plurality of time slots, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated at least to a time slot employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages, and wherein said dedicated channel is placed on a channel with the same frequency hopping parameters as used in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein in said frame structure each frame is composed of a plurality of time slots, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated at least to a time slot employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages and for a broadcast control channel employed in said radio cell, and wherein said dedicated channel is placed on a channel with the same frequency hopping parameters as used in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages and for said broadcast control channel.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein said dedicated charnel is placed on a carrier employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages, wherein in said frame structure each frame is composed of a plurality of time slots, and wherein the number of time slots in a sequence of consecutive time slots comprising a time slot associated to said common control channel employed for transmitting paging messages and a time slot associated to said dedicated channel is at the most equal to the number of time slots of which reception is supported by said mobile terminals for downlink transmissions from said radio access network.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated at least to a time slot adjacent to a time slot employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages.

8. Method according to claim 6, wherein said dedicated channel and all common control channels employed in said radio cell are allocated to adjacent time slots.

9. Method according to claim 6, wherein the number of time slots to which common control channels and said dedicated MBMS channel are allocated in said radio cell is at the most equal to the number of time slots supported by the mobile terminals in said cell for reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals.

10. Method according to claim 6, wherein a broadcast control channel employed in said radio cell is allocated to a different time slot than said common control channel comprising paging messages, wherein said broadcast control charnel, said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated to adjacent time slots, and wherein mobile terminals in said radio cell support reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals on at least three time slots, said mobile terminals monitoring at least said three adjacent time slots to which said broadcast control channel, said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated.

11. Method according to claim 6, wherein a broadcast control channel employed in said radio cell is allocated in addition to said time slot to which said common control channel comprising paging messages is allocated, and wherein mobile terminals in said radio cell support reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals on at least two time slots, said mobile terminals monitoring said two adjacent time slots to which said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated.

12. Method according to claim 6, wherein a broadcast control channel employed in said cell is allocated to a different time slot than said common control channel comprising paging messages, wherein mobile terminals in said radio cell support reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals on at least two time slots, said mobile terminals monitoring normally at least said two adjacent time slots to which said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated, and said mobile terminals monitoring during predetermined short periods instead at least said time slots to which said common control channel comprising paging messages and said broadcast control channel are allocated.

13. Method according to claim 6, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated in addition to at least one time slot to which a common control channel is allocated in said radio cell, during periods in which said at least one time slot is not required for said common control channel.

14. Method according to claim 1, wherein said dedicated channel is placed on a channel with the same frequency hopping parameters as used in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages, wherein in said frame structure each frame is composed of a plurality of time slots, and wherein the number of time slots in a sequence of consecutive time slots comprising a time slot associated to said common control channel employed for transmitting paging messages and a time slot associated to said dedicated channel is at the most equal to the number of time slots of which reception is supported by said mobile terminals for downlink transmissions from said radio access network.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated at least to a time slot adjacent to a time slot employed in said radio cell for said common control channel comprising paging messages.

16. Method according to claim 14, wherein said dedicated channel and all common control channels employed in said radio cell are allocated to adjacent time slots.

17. Method according to claim 14, wherein the number of time slots to which common control channels and said dedicated MBMS channel are allocated in said radio cell is at the most equal to the number of time slots supported by the mobile terminals in said cell for reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals.

18. Method according to claim 14, wherein a broadcast control channel employed in said radio cell is allocated to a different time slot than said common control channel comprising paging messages, wherein said broadcast control channel, said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated to adjacent time slots, and wherein mobile terminals in said radio cell support reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals on at least three time slots, said mobile terminals monitoring at least said three adjacent time slots to which said broadcast control channel, said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated.

19. Method according to claim 14, wherein a broadcast control channel employed in said radio cell is allocated in addition to said time slot to which said common control channel comprising paging messages is allocated, and wherein mobile terminals in said radio cell support reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals on at least two time slots, said mobile terminals monitoring said two adjacent time slots to which said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated.

20. Method according to claim 14, wherein a broadcast control channel employed in said cell is allocated to a different time slot than said common control channel comprising paging messages, wherein mobile terminals in said radio cell support reception of downlink transmissions from said radio access network to said mobile terminals on at least two time slots, said mobile terminals monitoring normally at least said two adjacent time slots to which said common control channel comprising paging messages and said dedicated channel are allocated, and said mobile terminals monitoring during predetermined short periods instead at least said time slots to which said common control channel comprising paging messages and said broadcast control channel are allocated.

21. Method according to claim 14, wherein said dedicated channel is allocated in addition to at least one time slot to which a common control channel is allocated in said radio cell, during periods in which said at least one time slot is not required for said common control channel.

22. Method according to claim 1, wherein in said frame structure predetermined numbers of frames constitute a respective block, wherein said MBMS data is transmitted on said dedicated channel in blocks which are different from blocks in which paging messages are transmitted on said common control channel.

23. Method according to claim 1, wherein MBMS data transmitted on said dedicated channel is allowed to be lost during transmission in said radio cell and to be received later on by said mobile terminals during a repetition of the transmission of said MBMS data on said dedicated channel.

24. Method according to claim 1, wherein said paging messages are transmitted in addition on said dedicated channel.

25. Method according to claim 1, wherein in case a paging message will be provided on said common control channel, an information that a paging message will be provided is transmitted in addition on said dedicated channel.

26. Network entity of a cellular communication network comprising means for transmitting via a radio interface paging messages on a common control channel, and for transmitting via said radio interface data for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) on a dedicated channel, wherein said paging messages and said MBMS data are transmitted such that they can be received simultaneously by mobile stations which are capable of receiving MBMS data and which are located in a radio cell supplied by said network entity.

27. Mobile terminal comprising means for receiving via a radio interface simultaneously paging messages transmitted by said radio access network on a common control channel and data for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) transmitted by a radio access network of a cellular communication network on a dedicated channel.

28. Communication system comprising

a network entity of a cellular communication network with means for transmitting via a radio interface paging messages on a common control channel, and for transmitting via said radio interface data for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) on a dedicated channel, wherein said paging messages and said MBMS data are transmitted such that they can be received simultaneously by mobile stations which are capable of receiving MBMS data and which are located in a radio cell supplied by said network entity;

and

a mobile terminal with means for receiving via a radio interface simultaneously paging messages transmitted by said radio access network on a common control channel and data for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) transmitted by a radio access network on a dedicated channel.