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AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
InventorIna Widegren
Estimating the term…
In a flat Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture, each base station (16) shares Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS) control plane information with its neighboring base stations (16), by sharing with neighboring base stations (16) the same control plane information that the base station (16) transmits via its air interface (24). For example, in a Wideband CDMA embodiment, where each base station (16) in a flat WCDMA RAN (12) is referred to as a NodeB÷, one NodeB÷ shares MBMS control plane information with one or more neighboring NodeB+s. Such sharing allows a given base station (16-1) not only to broadcast MBMS configuration information for its own cells (18-1), but also to broadcast such information for one or more neighboring cells (18-2, 18-3) that operate under control of one or more neighboring base stations (16-2, 16-3). Thus, a user equipment (UE) (22) camping in the given base station's cell (18-1) is provided with the information needed to acquire the MBMS user plane in its current cell (18-1) and in one or more of the neighboring cells (18-2, 18-3). In this manner, the UE (22)—also referred to as a mobile terminal—can receive MBMS transmissions from multiple base stations (16-1, 16-2, 16-3), for selective and/or soft combining. UE reception performance is thereby improved and base stations (16) in a flat RAN (12) generally can send MBMS transmissions at a lower power.
1-27. (canceled)
A method of sharing Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services, MBMS, configuration information between neighboring first and second base stations in a flat architecture Radio Access Network, RAN, the method comprising sending one or more Radio Resource Control, RRC, messages from the first base station to the second base station via an inter-base station interface, wherein the one or more RRC messages sent from the first base station to the second base station have been or will be transmitted by the first base station over an air interface of the first base station, for providing user equipment with MBMS user plane configuration information for one or more cells controlled by the first base station.
A first base station for operation in a flat architecture Radio Access Network, RAN, said first base station configured to transmit one or more Radio Resource Control, RRC, messages via its air interface, for providing user equipment with Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services, MBMS, user plane configuration information, for one or more cells controlled by the first base station, and to share that MBMS user plane configuration information with a neighboring second base station by sending the one or more RRC messages to the second base station via an inter-base station interface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.