Method, system and a network element for controlling point-to-multipoint transmission in a mobile communication system

1. A method for controlling a point-to-multipoint transmission of a message in a mobile communication system, the method comprising

receiving the message;

storing the message in a buffer of the messages to be transmitted;

scheduling the message;

transmitting the message located in the buffer according to the predetermined scheduling;

scheduling a starting time of the transmission;

delaying a first transmission until the beginning of the starting time of the transmission;

determining a life time for the message;

deleting the message from the buffer in response to the expiry of the life time;

checking before transmitting the message, whether there is life time left; and

if there is, transmitting the message, and

if there is not, deleting the message from the buffer,

determining an acknowledgement time for the message to be transmitted as a group call;

transmitting the message to the group members;

waiting for the acknowledgements of the group members during the acknowledgement time;

checking after the expiry of the acknowledgement time, whether a predetermined part of the group members has acknowledged the message; and

if it has, deleting the message from the buffer; and

if it has not, transmitting the message located in the buffer to the group members from whom an acknowledgement has not been received.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:

receiving the message to be transmitted from another network element;

making a report on the successful transmission of the message in response to deleting the message from the buffer; and

transmitting the report to said another network element.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising

receiving the message to be transmitted as a group call in the first network element;

storing the message in the buffer of the first network element;

transmitting the message to the second network element;

transmitting the message from the second network element to the group members;

waiting for the acknowledgements of the group members in the second network element during the acknowledgement time after the transmission;

making a report on the acknowledgements in the second network element after the expiry of the acknowledgement time; and

transmitting the report to the first network element.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 , comprising:

storing the message also in the buffer of the second network element;

deleting the message also from the buffer of the second network element in response to the expiry of the life time of the message;

checking in the second network element after the expiry of the acknowledgement time, whether a predetermined part of the group members has acknowledged the message; and

if it has, making a report on the acknowledgements and deleting the message from the buffer of the second network element;

if it has not, transmitting the message located in the buffer to the mobile stations from whom an acknowledgement has not been received.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 , comprising:

determining the maximum number of transmissions for the message in the second network element;

calculating the number of the realized transmissions;

checking before transmitting the message, whether the number of the realized transmissions is the same as the maximum number; and

if it is, making a report on the acknowledgements and deleting the message from the buffer of the second network element;

if it is not, transmitting the message located in the buffer.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4 , comprising giving a report on the acknowledgements, if the message has been deleted from the buffer of the second network element before transmitting.

7. A method as claimed in claim 3 , comprising the report including the group members who acknowledged the message as received.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 , comprising first network element being arranged to transmit the message to the group members who did not acknowledge the group message, if these group members become reachable before the life time of the message expires.

9. A mobile communication system comprising at least one service center to transmit a message as a point-to-multipoint transmission and at least one network element via which the message is transmitted to cells belonging to a destination area, wherein the service center is arranged to

schedule a starting time of the transmission; and

delay the first transmission until the beginning of the starting time of the transmission,

wherein the network element is arranged to

determine the remaining life time of the message for point-to-multipoint transmission and to check before transmitting the message, whether there is life time left and to transmit the message only if there is still life time left;

determine the remaining life time of the message and to check before transmitting the message, whether there is life time left and to transmit the message only if there is still life time left; and

receive acknowledgements from the group members during a certain acknowledgement time and to transmit the information on the acknowledgements in one message to the service center.

10. A network element of a mobile communication network which network supports the point-to-multipoint transmission of a message,

wherein the network element comprises

means for scheduling a starting time of the transmission; and

means for delaying the first transmission until the beginning of the starting time of the transmission;

means for determining the remaining life time of a message to be transmitted point-to-multipoint;

means for transmitting said message according to the scheduling of the message, if there is still life time left;

means for determining the acknowledgement time for the message to be transmitted as a multipoint group call which has to be acknowledged;

means for monitoring the acknowledgements until the acknowledgement time has expired; and

means for compiling the acknowledgements as one acknowledgement report.

11. A network element as claimed in claim 10 , wherein it comprises means for transmitting the message to be transmitted as a multipoint group call which has to be acknowledged during the life time of the message to the group members who are reachable in the destination area of the message and who have not acknowledged the message as received.

12. A network element as claimed in claim 10 , wherein it comprises a processor which is arranged to carry out software routines and that said means are implemented as software routines.