Multicast support in packet switched wireless networks

• US 20050053068A1
• Filed: 10/03/2002
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Hundscheidt, Frank, Lundin, Niklas Sven, Goransson, Thomas R., Lohmar, Thorsten, Toth, Stefan, Hegdahl, Tormod
• Granted Patent: US 7,107,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A packet radio data network has been disclosed, wherein the network comprise at least a gateway node (GGSN), at least one serving node (SGSN) coupled to the gateway node, a plurality of radio access nodes (RAN) coupled to the serving node (SGSN), the packet radio network transporting packet data from an external packet data network, comprising an Internet Service Provider (ISP), to mobile stations (MS) wirelessly attached to radio access nodes (RAN). A given mobile station (MS) issues a membership report message indicating that the mobile station wishes to receive content of a specific multicast group (1), whereupon the gateway node (GGSN) issues a multicast context activation message to the serving node (SGSN) (2). The serving node (SGSN) informs the radio access network (RAN) that the mobile station is joining the respective multicast group (3) and sends a multicast activation response to the gateway node (GGSN) (4).

Claims

1. Method of establishing a multicast service in a packet radio data network including at least a gateway node (GGSN), at least one serving node (SGSN) coupled to the gateway node, a plurality of radio access nodes (RAN) coupled to the serving node (SGSN), the packet radio network transporting packet data from an external packet data network to mobile stations (MS) wirelessly attached to radio access nodes (RAN), the method comprising the steps of

a mobile station (MS) issuing a membership report message indicating that the mobile station wishes to receive content of a specific multicast group;

the gateway node (GGSN) receiving the message and issues issuing a multicast context activation message to the serving node (SGSN);

the serving node (GGSN) informing the radio access network (RAN) that the mobile station is joining the respective multicast group;

the serving node (SGSN) sending a multicast activation response to the gateway node (GGSN);

the serving node (SGSN) notifying the mobile station of the radio access bearer and the quality of service for the multicast session.

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

the gateway node (GGSN) issuing a multicast report message to the mobile station, whereupon the given mobile station is ready for taking part in the requested multicast session.

8. Method according to claim 1 in which the membership report message from the mobile station is an IGMP membership report message.

9. Method according to claim 1 in which the membership report message from the mobile station is a MLD listener report message.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the connections are formed of GTP tunnels.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein the connections are based on memberships to IP multicast addresses.

3. A Gateway node (GGSN) establishing a multicast service in a packet radio data network including at least one serving node (SGSN) coupled to the gateway node, a plurality of radio access nodes (RAN) coupled to the serving node (SGSN), the packet radio network transporting packet data from an external packet data network to mobile stations (MS) wirelessly attached to radio access nodes (RAN), comprising the steps of:

whereby the gateway node (GGSN),

upon receiving a multicast membership report from a mobile station examining if there is a context for the multicast group in the gateway node (GGSN),

if no multicast group exists, setting up a connection to the multicast source from the gateway node (GGSN),

creating a context in the gateway node (GGSN) for the multicast groups

adding the mobile station to the multicast group; and

sending a multicast context activation message to the serving node (SGSN) from which the membership report message appeared in order to set up a connection with the serving node (SGSN).

4. Gateway node according to claim 3, in which subsequently the gateway node (GGSN) upon being informed that a multicast connection has been established between a respective serving node (SGSN) and the mobile station

responding to the mobile station that such a connection has been established from the multicast source to the mobile station.

13. The Gateway node according to claim 3, wherein

the serving node (SGSN) acknowledging the multicast context activation request from the gateway node (GGSN).

14. The Gateway node according to claim 3 in which the membership report message from the mobile station is an IGMP membership report message

15. The Gateway node according to claim 3 in which the membership report message from the mobile station is a MLD listener report message.

16. The Gateway node according to claim 3, wherein the connections are formed of GTP tunnels.

17. The Gateway node according to claim 3, wherein the connections are based on memberships to IP multicast addresses.

5. A Serving node (SGSN) establishing a multicast service in a packet radio data network including at least a gateway node (GGSN), a plurality of radio access nodes (RAN) coupled to the serving node (SGSN), the packet radio network transporting packet data from an external packet data network to mobile stations (MS) wirelessly attached to radio access nodes (RAN), comprising the steps of:

whereby the serving node (SGSN)

upon receiving a multicast context activation from a gateway node (GGSN), extending the context of the mobile station in question with the respective multicast group,

if a multicast group does not already exist on the serving node (SGSN), the serving node (SGSN) creating a context for the multicast group,

the serving node (SGSN) adding the mobile station, to the MC group context; and

the serving node (SGSN) notifying the RAN that the mobile station wants to join the MC group.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein

if no connection for the multicast group already exists between the gateway node (GGSN) and the serving node (SGSN) in question,

the serving node creating such a connection.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

the serving node (SGSN) acknowledging the multicast context activation request from the gateway node (GGSN).

18. The method according to claim 5, wherein the connections are formed of GTP tunnels.

19. The method according to claim 5, wherein the connections are based on memberships to IP multicast addresses.

12. Mobile station establishing a multicast service in a packet radio data network including at least a gateway node (GGSN), at least one serving node (SGSN) coupled to the gateway node, a plurality of radio access nodes (RAN) coupled to the serving node (SGSN), the packet radio network transporting packet data from an external packet data network to mobile stations (MS) wirelessly attached to radio access nodes (RAN), whereby the mobile station subsequently to having initiated a PDP context procedure informs the gateway node of its interest for a specific multicast service by issuing a membership report such as IGMP or MLD, whereupon the mobile station receives a notification context update and a multicast report response, whereupon the mobile station can engage in the multicast communication session.