MULTIMEDIA BROADCAST/MULTICAST SERVICE (MBMS) SUPPORT IN UTRAN

摘要

The present invention relates to broadcast and/or multicast services in mobile communication networks. Control (105) and user (107', 107'') planes for services directed to a user (50A-C) in a multicast group (60) are allowed to be separated from each other. At least two user equipments (50A-C) (belonging to the same multicast group) receives service data over a common user plane (107') over an Iu interface (17). In cases where user equipment (50C) is controlled by a SRNC (22B) different from the CRNC (22A), a radio network subsystem application protocol is extended by procedures communicating service information from the SRNC (22B) to the CRNC (22A). The control plane (105) of such a user equipment (50C) can thus have a separate path compared with a common user plane (107'). Preferably, the user plane (107') is arranged directly over the Iu interface (17) between a serving support node (12) and the CRNC (22A), while control planes (105) may have a path over the Iur interface (14).