Managing transmission protocols for group communications within a wireless communications network

摘要

Apparatuses and methods for managing transmission protocols for group communications are disclosed. In an example, an access network receives a forward link packet having a first transmission protocol, the forward link packet associated with a given group communication session. The access network determines whether the first transmission protocol is acceptable. The access network selects a second transmission protocol, if the determining step determines the first transmission protocol is not acceptable. The access network transmits the forward link packet in accordance with the second transmission protocol (e.g., by mapping the packet between transmission protocols at the access network).

主权项

1. A method of managing group communications within a wireless communications system, comprising:
receiving a forward link packet having a multicast transmission protocol, the forward link packet associated with a multicast group communication session; determining whether the multicast transmission protocol is acceptable within a serving area of a base station in an access network based on whether a number of geographically co-located multicast group members participating in the multicast group communication session from within the serving area of the base station is below a multicast threshold; and transmitting the forward link packet to the multicast group members in the serving area of the base station in accordance with a unicast transmission protocol in response to determining that the number of multicast group members participating in the multicast group communication session from within the serving area of the base station is below the multicast threshold.