Fronthaul interface for use with a cloud radio access network

A cloud radio access network (C-RAN), comprising:

• a plurality of remote units in a cell, each being configured to use a respective at least one antenna to exchange radio frequency signals with at least one user equipment (UE);
• a centralized unit comprising at least one processor and communicatively coupled to the plurality of remote units via a fronthaul network, wherein the fronthaul network is configured to implement a plurality of multicast groups, each of the plurality of multicast groups including a respective group of the plurality of remote units, the centralized unit being configured to:
• determine each of a plurality of sets of data to be sent across the fronthaul network to a respective corresponding subset of the plurality of remote units in the cell, wherein one of the plurality of sets of data is different than another one of the plurality of sets of data;
• determine a mapping of each of the plurality of sets of data to the corresponding subset of the plurality of remote units;
• and
• for each of the plurality of sets of data, if at least one of the plurality of multicast groups wholly contains the corresponding subset of the plurality of remote units mapped to that set of data, transmit that set of data to the corresponding subset of the plurality of remote units over the fronthaul network by multicasting that set of data to a multicast group of the plurality of multicast groups that best matches the corresponding subset of the plurality of remote units mapped to that set of data;
• wherein an updated plurality of multicast groups is periodically defined based on at least locations of the at least one user equipment and at least locations of one or more of the plurality of remote units used to serve the at least one user equipment.