Signaling framework for assistance information

1. A method comprising:

composing, at a target base station, to which handover of a user equipment is to be performed, a signaling message including information whether the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, wherein said assistance information is used to assist a network in Long Term Evolution for at least one of multimedia broadcast-multicast service (MBMS), in-device coexistence (ICE), and enhancements for diverse data applications (EDDA);

transmitting the signaling message to a source base station to which the user equipment is connected; and

when the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, receiving assistance information from the user equipment when the user equipment is connected to the target base station.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signaling message is sent at handover of the user equipment.

3. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, a first signaling message including information whether a target base station, to which handover of the user equipment is to be performed, supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, wherein said assistance information is used to assist a network in Long Term Evolution for at least one of multimedia broadcast-multicast service (MBMS), in-device coexistence (ICE), and enhancements for diverse data applications (EDDA);

receiving, at the user equipment, a second signaling message including information whether a source base station, to which the user equipment is connected, supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment;

determining, based on the information included in the first signaling message and the second signaling message, whether each of the source base station and the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment; and

when it is determined that the source base station does not support reception of assistance information from the user equipment and the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, transmitting assistance information to the target base station when the user equipment is connected to the target base station.

4. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following, when a handover of a user equipment to the apparatus is to be performed:

compose a signaling message including information whether the apparatus supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, wherein said assistance information is used to assist a network in Long Term Evolution for at least one of multimedia broadcast-multicast service (MBMS), in-device coexistence (ICE), and enhancements for diverse data applications (EDDA);

transmit the signaling message to a source base station to which the user equipment is connected; and

when the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, receive assistance information from the user equipment when the user equipment is connected to the target base station,

wherein the apparatus is a target base station.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the signaling message is sent at handover of the user equipment.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the signaling message is an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message.

7. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the user equipment to perform at least the following:

receive a first signaling message including information whether a target base station, to which handover of the apparatus is to be performed, supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, wherein said assistance information is used to assist a network in Long Term Evolution for at least one of multimedia broadcast-multicast service (MBMS), in-device coexistence (ICE), and enhancements for diverse data applications (EDDA);

receive a second signaling message including information whether a source base station, to which the apparatus is connected, supports reception of assistance information from the apparatus;

determine, based on the information included in the first signaling message and the second signaling message, whether each of the source base station and the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the apparatus; and

when it is determined that the source base station does not support reception of assistance information from the user equipment and the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, transmitting assistance information to the target base station when the user equipment is connected to the target base station,

wherein the apparatus is a user equipment.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising code for performing:

composing, at a target base station, to which handover of a user equipment is to be performed, a signaling message including information whether the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, wherein said assistance information is used to assist a network in Long Term Evolution for at least one of multimedia broadcast-multicast service (MBMS), in-device coexistence (ICE), and enhancements for diverse data applications (EDDA);

transmitting the signaling message to a source base station to which the user equipment is connected; and

when the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, receiving assistance information from the user equipment when the user equipment is connected to the target base station.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising code for performing:

receiving, at a user equipment, a first signaling message including information whether a target base station, to which handover of the user equipment is to be performed, supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, wherein said assistance information is used to assist a network in Long Term Evolution for at least one of multimedia broadcast-multicast service (MBMS), in-device coexistence (ICE), and enhancements for diverse data applications (EDDA);

receiving, at the user equipment, a second signaling message including information whether a source base station, to which the user equipment is connected, supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment;

determining, based on the information included in the first signaling message and the second signaling message, whether each of the source base station and the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment; and

when it is determined that the source base station does not support reception of assistance information from the user equipment and the target base station supports reception of assistance information from the user equipment, transmitting assistance information to the target base station when the user equipment is connected to the target base station.