Point-to-multipoint service medium access control entity structure

1. A method for combining point-to-multipoint service data in a mobile terminal of a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving and processing point-to-multipoint service data of a current cell in a first medium access control entity capable of supporting a point-to-multipoint service and capable of processing a common channel and a shared channel;

receiving and processing the same point-to-multipoint service data from a neighboring cell in a second medium access control entity capable of only supporting the point-to-multipoint service, wherein only one second medium access control entity exists for the neighboring cell;

providing the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the current cell from the first medium access control entity to a radio link controller;

providing the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the neighboring cell from the second medium access control entity to the radio link controller; and

combining the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the current cell and the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the neighboring cell in the radio link controller,

wherein:

the first medium access control entity is operatively connected with a third medium access control entity capable of processing a dedicated channel;

the second medium access control entity is not operatively connected with the third medium access control entity; and

the first medium access control entity is a MAC-c/sh/m entity, the second medium access control entity is a MAC-m entity, and the third medium access control entity is a MAC-d entity.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the point-to-multipoint service data from the neighboring cell is transmitted from a medium access control entity of a network, capable of supporting the point-to-multipoint service and capable of processing a network common channel and a network shared channel, to the second medium access control entity of the mobile terminal capable of only supporting the point-to-multipoint service.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first medium access control entity is capable of supporting an uplink channel and a downlink channel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first medium access control entity is capable of processing a mobile terminal ID.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second medium access control entity is not capable of processing a mobile terminal ID.

6. A method for combining point-to-multipoint service data in a mobile terminal of a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

receiving and processing point-to-multipoint service data of a first cell in a first medium access control entity capable of processing a common channel and a shared channel;

receiving and processing the point-to-multipoint service data of the first cell in a second medium access control entity capable of processing only a first point-to-multipoint channel;

receiving and processing the same point-to-multipoint service data from a second cell in a third medium access control entity capable of processing only a second point-to-multipoint channel;

providing the processed service data of the first cell from the first medium access control entity to a first radio link controller;

providing the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the first cell from the second medium access control entity to a second radio link controller;

providing the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the second cell from the third medium access control entity to the second radio link controller; and

combining the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the first cell and the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the second cell in the second radio link controller,

wherein:

the first medium access control entity is operatively connected with a fourth medium access control entity capable of processing a dedicated channel;

the second medium access control entity and the third medium access control entity are not operatively connected with the fourth medium access control entity; and

the first medium access control entity is a MAC-c/sh entity, the second medium access control entity is a MAC-m entity, the third medium access control entity is a MAC-m entity, and the fourth medium access control entity is a MAC-d.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the point-to-multipoint service data from the second cell is transmitted from a medium access control entity of a network, capable of processing the second point-to-multipoint channel and a network common channel and a network shared channel, to the third medium access control entity of the mobile terminal capable of processing only the second point-to-multipoint channel.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first medium access control entity is capable of supporting an uplink channel and a downlink channel.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second medium access control entity and the third medium access control entity are capable of supporting a downlink channel.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first medium access control entity is capable of processing a mobile terminal ID.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second medium access control entity and the third medium access control entity are not capable of processing a mobile terminal ID.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio link controller is a radio link control entity in a radio link control layer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the current cell is provided to the radio link controller on a first MTCH (MBMS Traffic Channel) channel.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the neighboring cell is provided to the radio link controller on a second MTCH (MBMS Traffic Channel) channel.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first and second MTCH channels are combined to perform the combining step.

16. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first point-to-multipoint channel is a first MTCH (MBMS Traffic Channel) channel and the second point-to-multipoint channel is a second MTCH (MBMS Traffic Channel) channel.

17. A mobile terminal for combining point-to-multipoint service data of a wireless communication system, the mobile terminal comprising:

a first medium access control (MAC) entity adapted to receive and process point-to-multipoint service data of a current cell, wherein the first MAC entity is capable to support a point-to-multipoint service and capable to process a common channel and a shared channel;

a second medium access control (MAC) entity adapted to receive and process the same point-to-multipoint service data from a neighboring cell, wherein the second MAC entity is capable to only support the point-to-multipoint service, and only one second MAC entity exists for the neighboring cell; and

a radio link controller (RLC) entity adapted to receive the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the current cell from the first MAC entity and the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the neighboring cell from the second MAC entity, and to combine the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the current cell and the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the neighboring cell,

wherein:

the first MAC entity is operatively connected with a third medium access control entity capable of processing a dedicated channel;

the second MAC entity is not operatively connected with the third medium access (MAC) entity capable of processing a dedicated channel; and

the first MAC entity is a MAC-c/sh/m entity, the second MAC entity is a MAC-m entity, and the third MAC entity is a MAC-d entity.

18. A mobile terminal for combining point-to-multipoint service data of a wireless communication system, the mobile terminal comprising:

a first medium access control (MAC) entity is adapted to receive and process point-to-multipoint service data of a first cell, wherein the first MAC entity is capable to process a common channel and a shared channel;

a second medium access control (MAC) entity is adapted to receive and process point-to-multipoint service data of the first cell, wherein the second MAC entity is capable to process only a first point-to-multipoint channel;

a third medium access control (MAC) entity is adapted to receive and process the same point-to-multipoint service data from a second cell, wherein the third MAC entity is capable to process only a second point-to-multipoint channel;

a first radio link controller (RLC) entity is adapted to receive the processed service data of the first cell from the first MAC entity; and

a second radio link controller (RLC) entity is adapted to receive the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the first cell from the second MAC entity and the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the second cell from the third MAC entity, and to combine the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the first cell and the processed point-to-multipoint service data of the second cell,

wherein:

the first MAC entity is operatively connected with a fourth medium access control (MAC) entity capable of processing a dedicated channel;

the second MAC entity and the third MAC entity are not operatively connected with the fourth MAC entity; and

the first MAC entity is a MAC-c/sh entity, the second MAC entity is a MAC-m entity, the third MAC entity is a MAC-m entity, and the fourth MAC entity is a MAC-d.