Supporting multicast communications in sectors that border adjacent subnets within a wireless communications system

A method of monitoring multicast communications at boundary sectors within a wireless communications system, comprising:

• receiving a message at an access terminal located within a boundary sector that belongs to a first subnet and is adjacent to at least one sector belonging to a second subnet, the received message advertising a given multicast session and indicating one or more channels on a downlink upon which the given multicast session is being carried;
• tuning to the one or more channels on the downlink to monitor for multicast packets associated with the given multicast session;
• receiving multicast packets associated with the given multicast session on multiple channels, the multiple channels including the one or more channels on the downlink indicated by the received message;
• and
• decoding the received multicast packets on the one or more channels on the downlink.

An access network within a wireless communications system, comprising:

• means for configuring a primary cluster for a given multicast session, the primary cluster including a plurality of sectors within a first subnet;
• means for configuring a boundary cluster for the multicast session, the boundary cluster including at least one boundary sector that overlaps with a sector belonging to the primary cluster, the boundary sector being adjacent to a sector belonging to a second subnet;
• means for transmitting multicast packets associated with the given multicast session at each of the plurality of sectors of the primary cluster on a primary channel at a first data rate;
• and
• means for transmitting multicast packets associated with the given multicast session at the at least one boundary sector on a supplemental channel at a second data rate.

An access terminal within a wireless communications system, comprising:

• means for receiving a message within a boundary sector that belongs to a first subnet and is adjacent to at least one sector belonging to a second subnet, the received message advertising a given multicast session and indicating one or more channels on a downlink upon which the given multicast session is being carried;
• means for tuning to the one or more channels on the downlink to monitor for multicast packets associated with the given multicast session;
• means for receiving multicast packets associated with the given multicast session on multiple channels, the multiple channels including the one or more channels on the downlink indicated by the received message;
• and
• means for decoding the received multicast packets on the one or more channels on the downlink.

An access network within a wireless communications system, comprising:

• logic configured to configure a primary cluster for a given multicast session, the primary cluster including a plurality of sectors within a first subnet;
• logic configured to configure a boundary cluster for the multicast session, the boundary cluster including at least one boundary sector that overlaps with a sector belonging to the primary cluster, the boundary sector being adjacent to a sector belonging to a second subnet;
• logic configured to transmit multicast packets associated with the given multicast session at each of the plurality of sectors of the primary cluster on a primary channel at a first data rate;
• and
• logic configured to transmit multicast packets associated with the given multicast session at the at least one boundary sector on a supplemental channel at a second data rate.

An access terminal within a wireless communications system, comprising:

• logic configured to receive a message within a boundary sector that belongs to a first subnet and is adjacent to at least one sector belonging to a second subnet, the received message advertising a given multicast session and indicating one or more channels on a downlink upon which the given multicast session is being carried;
• logic configured to tune to the one or more channels on the downlink to monitor for multicast packets associated with the given multicast session;
• logic configured to receive multicast packets associated with the given multicast session on multiple channels, the multiple channels including the one or more channels on the downlink indicated by the received message;
• and
• logic configured to decode the received multicast packets on the one or more channels on the downlink.

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by an access network within a wireless communications system, cause the access network to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

• program code to configure a primary cluster for a given multicast session, the primary cluster including a plurality of sectors within a first subnet;
• program code to configure a boundary cluster for the multicast session, the boundary cluster including at least one boundary sector that overlaps with a sector belonging to the primary cluster, the boundary sector being adjacent to a sector belonging to a second subnet;
• program code to transmit multicast packets associated with the given multicast session at each of the plurality of sectors of the primary cluster on a primary channel at a first data rate;
• and
• program code to transmit multicast packets associated with the given multicast session at the at least one boundary sector on a supplemental channel at a second data rate.

A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by an access terminal within a wireless communications system, cause the access terminal to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

• program code to receive a message within a boundary sector that belongs to a first subnet and is adjacent to at least one sector belonging to a second subnet, the received message advertising a given multicast session and indicating one or more channels on a downlink upon which the given multicast session is being carried;
• program code to tune to the one or more channels on the downlink to monitor for multicast packets associated with the given multicast session;
• program code to receive multicast packets associated with the given multicast session on multiple channels, the multiple channels including the one or more channels on the downlink indicated by the received message;
• and
• program code to decode the received multicast packets on the one or more channels on the downlink.