Service transmission method for multimedia broadcast/multicast service

• US 20060203756A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hu, Hao
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention provides a service transmission method for MBMS, comprising: a core network initiates a MBMS service; having received a session start instruction of the MBMS service, the RNC selects the PTM mode or the PTP mode as a service bearer mode to bear the MBMS service for each cell that belongs to the RNC. The method of the invention makes it possible to directly adopt the PTM mode or the PTP mode to bear a MBMS service, skipping the complicated Counting process adopted by the prior art, reducing the complexity of the system, decreasing interaction of signaling of the air interface, and lowering power consumption of the UE.

Claims

1. A service transmission method for multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS), comprising:

a. a core network (CN) initiating a MBMS service;

b. having received a session start instruction of the MBMS service, a radio network controller (RNC) selecting one of a point-to-multipoint (PTM) mode and a point-to-point (PTP) mode as a service bearer mode to bear the MBMS service for each cell that belongs to the RNC.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RNC selects one of the PTM mode and the PTP mode according to at least one of the characteristics of the MBMS service and a current load of each said cell in step b.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RNC selects a service bearer mode for each said cell separately.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

defining a service load threshold for each said cell that belongs to the RNC in advance;

the selection in step b comprising;

the RNC judging whether the service load of each said cell that belongs to the RNC is less than the service load threshold respectively, and if yes, selecting the PTM mode, otherwise, selecting the PTP mode bearer mode.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

defining a duration threshold of said MBMS service session in advance;

the selection in step b comprising;

the RNC judging whether the duration of the MBMS session is less than the duration threshold, and if yes, selecting the PTM mode, otherwise, selecting the PTP mode.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

defining a service load threshold and a cell ratio threshold in advance;

the selection in step b comprising;

the RNC judging whether the number of the cells in which there are users requesting the MBMS service and the service load is less than the service load threshold reaches the cell ratio threshold, and if yes, selecting the PTM mode, otherwise, selecting the PTP mode.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

defining a threshold of interference among cells in advance;

the selection in step b comprising;

the RNC judging whether the interference among the cells in which there are users requesting the MBMS service is less than the interference threshold, and if yes, selecting the PTM mode, otherwise, selecting the PTP mode.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the CN initiating the MBMS service comprises:

the CN sending to the RNC a session start instruction of the MBMS service containing a bearer mode indication;

the selection in step b comprises;

the RNC selecting one of the PTM mode and the PTP mode according to the bearer mode indication.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing the relationship between types of MBMS services and bearer modes in the RNC in advance;

the selection in step b comprising;

the RNC selecting one of the PTM mode and the PTP mode according to the type of the MBMS service and the relationship between types of the MBMS services and the bearer modes.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

dividing the users into different levels, and defining the relationship between user levels and bearer modes in advance;

the selection in step b comprising;

the RNC selecting one of the PTM mode and the PTP mode according to the level of the user currently requesting the MBMS service and the relationship between the user levels and the bearer modes.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the relationship between the user levels and the bearer modes is one-to-one relationship;

or the relationship between the user levels and the bearer modes is a defined dividing level so that, when a user is requesting the MBMS service, the PTP mode is selected if the user level is higher than or equal to the dividing level, the PTM mode is selected if the user level is lower than the dividing level.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the relationship between the user levels and the bearer modes is a defined dividing level so that, when a user is requesting the MBMS service, the PTP mode is selected if the user level is higher than or equal to the dividing level, the PTM mode is selected if the user level is lower than the dividing level.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the RNC selects the PTP mode only for the users with relatively high priority level when providing services.