Method to control a multimedia broadcast multicast service(MBMS) mode of a MBMS session in a communication system

1. A method to control a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) mode of a MBMS session in a communication system, the method comprising:

determining, at a first network element that is located outside a radio access network, to use one of a single frequency network MBMS mode (SFN mode) and a single cell MBMS mode (SC mode) for the MBMS session based on a property of the MBMS session;

transmitting a session control signaling message from the first network element to a second network element that is located inside the radio access network, the session control signaling message instructing the second network element that user plane data for the MBMS session shall be transmitted using the determined MBMS mode by including a service area information element identifying one of a first service area and a second service area, and wherein the service area identification implies the determined MBMS mode, and where the user plane data for the MBMS session directed to the first service area is transmitted in the SFN mode and the user plane data for the MBMS session directed to the second service area is transmitted in the SC mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network element is one of a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC), a Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN), a Serving GPRS support node (SGSN), MBMS Gateway, and a mobile management entity (MME).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the session control signaling message includes an information element identifying the determined MBMS mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the SFN mode enables a plurality of base stations in a service area to transmit the user plane data to one or more user equipments in synchronized fashion, and wherein the SC mode enables one or more base stations in a service area to independently schedule and transmit the user plane data to one or more user equipments.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

determining, at the first network element, to use the SC mode for the MBMS session when the MBMS session is in progress using the SFN mode; and

pursuant to the transmitting the session control signaling message,

transmitting the user plane data for the MBMS session in the SC mode to zero or more user equipments in a cell;

estimating, at the second network element, a property of the zero or more user equipments receiving the user plane data for the MBMS session in the cell; and

ceasing the transmitting of the user plane data for the MBMS session in SC mode to the zero or more user equipments in the cell when the property of the zero or more user equipments in the cell meets a criterion.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the property of the MBMS session includes one or more of: a number of user equipments that will receive user plane data for the MBMS session, locations of the user equipments that will receive the user plane data, mobility of the user equipments that will receive the user plane data, priority level of the user plane data, and media type of the user plane data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second network element is one of a radio network controller (RNC), a multicast coordination entity (MCE), a Node-B, and an evolved Node-B (eNB).

8. A method to control a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) mode of a MBMS session in a communication system, the method comprising:

determining, at a first network element that is located outside a radio access network, to use a MBMS mode based on a property of the MBMS session, wherein the MBMS mode is one of

a single frequency network MBMS mode (SFN mode),

a single cell MBMS mode (SC mode), and

a local optimization MBMS mode specifying to a second network element that is located in the radio access network, to select one of the SFN mode or the SC mode based on local optimization; and

transmitting a session control signaling message from the first network element to the second network element, the session control signaling message instructing the second network element that user plane data for the MBMS session shall be transmitted using the determined MBMS mode and the session control signaling message includes a service area information element identifying one of a first service area and a second service area, and wherein the identified service area implies the determined MBMS mode.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first network element is one of a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC), a Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN), a Serving GPRS support node (SGSN), MBMS Gateway, and a mobile management entity (MME).

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the session control signaling message includes an information element identifying the determined MBMS mode.

11. The method of claim 8 , where the user plane data for the MBMS session directed to the first service area is transmitted in the SFN mode and the user plane data for the MBMS session directed to the second service area is transmitted in the single cell mode.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the property of the MBMS session includes one or more of: a number of user equipments that will receive user plane data for the MBMS session, locations of the user equipments that will receive the user plane data, mobility of the user equipments that will receive the user plane data, priority level of the user plane data, and media type of the user plane data.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second network element is one of a radio network controller (RNC), a multicast coordination entity (MCE), a Node-B, and an evolved Node-B (eNB).

14. A method to control a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) mode of a MBMS session in a communication system, the method comprising:

maintaining, at a first network element and at a second network element, information related to a first service area identifying a first set of cells and a second service area identifying a second set of cells, where the first set of cells substantially comprises the second set of cells;

maintaining at the first network element and at the second network element, information identifying that a MBMS user plane data corresponding to the first service area shall be transmitted in single frequency network MBMS mode and that the MBMS user plane data corresponding to the second service area code shall be transmitted in single cell MBMS mode;

determining, at the first network element, to use one of a single frequency network MBMS mode and a single cell MBMS mode for the MBMS session based on a property of the MBMS session;

when determining to use the single frequency network MBMS mode, transmitting a first session control signaling message from the first network element to the second network element, the first session control signaling message instructing the second network element to transmit the MBMS session in the first service area; and

when determining to use the single cell MBMS mode, transmitting a second session control signaling message from the first network element to the second network element, the second session control signaling message instructing the second network element to transmit the MBMS session in the second service area.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first network element is one of a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC), a Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN), a Serving GPRS support node (SGSN), MBMS Gateway, and a mobile management entity (MME).

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second network element is one of a radio network controller (RNC), a multicast coordination entity (MCE), a Node-B, and an evolved Node-B (eNB).

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first session control signaling message includes a service area code identifying the first service area and the second session control signaling message includes a service area code identifying the second service area.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the property of the MBMS session includes one or more of: a number of user equipments that will receive user plane data for the MBMS session, locations of the user equipments that will receive the user plane data, mobility of the user equipments that will receive the user plane data, priority level of the user plane data, and media type of the user plane data.