Service transmission method for multimedia broadcast/multicast service

• US 7,970,002 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US11/433,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20060203756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 370/335, 370/349, 455/414.1, 455/515, 455/519, 455/466
• US Class Current: 370/432
• 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 an 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 an 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 a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS service) comprising:

receiving, by a radio network controller (RNC), a session start instruction of the MBMS service from a core network (CN);

selecting, by the RNC, a service bearer mode to carry the MBMS service for a cell that belongs to the RNC; and

providing, by the RNC, the MBMS service using the selected service bearer mode for the cell,

wherein the service bearer mode is a point-to-multipoint (PTM) mode or a point-to-point (PTP) mode, and the selecting the bearer mode is based on a characteristic of the MBMS service or a current service load of the cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein there are multiple cells belonging to the RNC, and selecting a service bearer mode for the cell comprises:

selecting, by the RNC, a service bearer mode for each of the cells separately.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein selecting the service bearer mode is based on the current service load of the cell, and wherein selecting a service bearer mode for the cell comprises:

judging, by the RNC, whether the current service load of said cell is less than a predefined service load threshold;

if the current service load is less than the predefined service load threshold, selecting the PTM mode for the cell;

if the current service load is not less than the predefined service load threshold, selecting the PTP mode for the cell.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein selecting the service bearer mode is based on the characteristic of the MBMS service, and wherein selecting a service bearer mode for the cell comprises:

judging, by the RNC, whether a session duration of the MBMS service is less than a predefined duration threshold of a MBMS service session;

if the session duration is less than the predefined duration threshold, selecting the PTM mode for the cell;

if the session duration is not less than the predefined duration threshold, selecting the PTP mode for the cell.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein selecting the service bearer mode is based on the current service load of the cell, and wherein selecting a service bearer mode for the cell comprises:

judging, by the RNC, whether a cell ratio reaches a predefined cell ratio threshold, wherein the cell ratio is a ratio of the number of one or more first cells to the total number of the cells that belong to the RNC, in the one or more first cells there are users requesting the MBMS service, and a service load of each of the one or more first cells is less than a predefined service load threshold;

if the cell ratio reaches the predefined cell ratio threshold, selecting the PTM mode for the cells that belong to the RNC;

if the cell ratio does not reach the predefined cell ratio threshold, selecting the PTP mode for the cells that belong to the RNC.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein selecting the service bearer mode is based on the characteristic of the MBMS service, and wherein selecting the service bearer mode for the cell comprises:

selecting, by the RNC, the PTM mode or the PTP mode according to a type of the MBMS service and a relationship, stored in the RNC, between types of MBMS services and the bearer modes.

6. A service transmission method for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS service) comprising:

receiving, by a radio network controller (RNC), a session start instruction of the MBMS service from a core network (CN);

for cells that belong to the RNC, judging, by the RNC, whether an interference between the cells in which there are users requesting the MBMS service is less than a predefined interference threshold;

if the interference is less than the predefined interference threshold, selecting a point-to-multipoint (PTM) mode as a service bearer mode to carry the MBMS service for the cells;

if the interference is not less than the predefined interference threshold, selecting a point-to-point (PTP) mode as the service bearer mode to carry the MBMS service for the cells; and

providing, by the RNC, the MBMS service using the selected service bearer mode for the cells.

7. A service transmission method for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS service) comprising:

receiving, by a radio network controller (RNC), a session start instruction of the MBMS service from a core network (CN), wherein the session start instruction contains a bearer mode indication;

selecting, by the RNC, a point-to-multipoint (PTM) mode or a point-to-point (PTP) mode according to the bearer mode indication; and

providing, by the RNC, the MBMS service using the selected service bearer mode for a cell that belongs to the RNC.

9. A radio network controller (RNC) comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a session start instruction of a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS service) initiated by a core network,

a selecting unit, configured to select a point-to-multipoint (PTM) mode or a point-to-point (PTP) mode as a service bearer mode according to a characteristic of the MBMS service or a current load of a cell that belongs to the RNC; and

a providing unit, configured to provide the MBMS service using the selected service bearer mode for the cell.

10. The RNC according to claim 9, wherein the selecting unit is configured to:

judge whether the current service load of the cell is less than a predefined service load threshold;

if the current service load is less than the predefined service load threshold, select the PTM mode for the cell;

if the current service load is not less than the predefined service load threshold, select the PTP mode for the cell.

11. The RNC according to claim 9, wherein the selecting unit is configured to:

judge whether a session duration of the MBMS service is less than a predefined duration threshold of a MBMS service session;

if the session duration is less than the predefined duration threshold, select the PTM mode for the cell;

if the session duration is not less than the predefined duration threshold, select the PTP mode for the cell.

12. The RNC according to claim 9, wherein the selecting unit is configured to:

judge whether a cell ratio reaches a predefined cell ratio threshold, wherein the cell ratio is a ratio of the number of one or more first cells to the total number of the cells that belong to the RNC, in the one or more first cells there are users requesting the MBMS service, and a service load of each of the one or more first cells is less than a predefined service load threshold;

if the cell ratio reaches the predefined cell ratio threshold, select the PTM mode for the cells that belong to the RNC;

if the cell ratio does not reach the predefined cell ratio threshold, select the PTP mode for the cells that belong to the RNC.

13. The RNC according to claim 9, wherein the selecting unit is configured to:

select the PTM mode or the PTP mode according to a type of the MBMS service and a relationship, stored in the RNC, between types of MBMS services and bearer modes.