BROADCAST-BASED COMMUNICATION IN A RADIO OR WIRELESS ACCESS NETWORK TO SUPPORT MOBILITY

摘要

In a radio or wireless access network, packets to be transmitted to a mobile radio are broadcast over a transport network to a set of associated radio access points, where each set of associated radio access points corresponds to a broadcast group. Each access point monitors packets broadcast to it broadcast group to determine if the access point should retrieve the packet. Rather than establishing packet tunnels to specific access points to transport packets to be transmitted to a mobile station through a transport network, those packets simply are broadcast over the transport network to the relevant broadcast group(s). Select diversity may be used where the mobile selects which access point transmits a particular packet to the mobile station. Alternatively, the network may decide which access point transmits a particular packet to the mobile station. This approach greatly facilitates cost-efficient and fast handovers of a mobile connection between access points in a wireless network.