CN105451190B

CN105451190B - Method and equipment for MBMS service, base station and mobile equipment

Info

Publication number: CN105451190B
Application number: CN201410505341.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 邓云; 钱德瑞卡·沃拉尔
Original assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
Current assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
Priority date: 2014-09-26
Filing date: 2014-09-26
Publication date: 2020-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 2034-09-26
Also published as: CN105451190A

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS), a method and apparatus for receiving an MBMS service, and a base station and a mobile device. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the method first detects an MBMS service employing enhanced configuration. Then, in the system information, the related information of the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration is indicated by using an enhanced configuration information element, wherein the enhanced configuration information element is different from a common configuration information element used for indicating the related information of the MBMS service adopting the common configuration. According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the related information of the MBMS service adopting the normal configuration and the related information of the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration may be indicated by using different information elements in the system information. In this way, the enhanced configuration of the MBMS service is transparent to the user equipment not supporting the enhanced configuration, and at the same time, does not affect the reception of the MBMS service employing the enhanced configuration by the user equipment supporting the enhanced configuration.

Description

Method and equipment for MBMS service, base station and mobile equipment

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of wireless communication technologies, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS), a method and an apparatus for receiving an MBMS, and a base station and a mobile apparatus.

Background

Multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) techniques are defined in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) for delivering multimedia content to a large set of receivers simultaneously, thereby providing a flexible and efficient mechanism for sending common information from one transmitter to multiple receivers.

There has been a clear requirement in the Radio Access Network (RAN) of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) project research working group: multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission on a Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) in rel.12 should support 256 QAM.

For Rel.12 User Equipments (UEs), some of the UEs are capable of supporting MTCH transmission with 256QAM and some of the UEs are not capable of supporting MTCH transmission with 256 QAM. Also, for UEs before rel.12, they cannot support 256QAM either.

In general, to support the continuity of the MBMS service, a serving cell provides necessary MBMS information of the same frequency and different frequencies for UEs served by the serving cell. If a rel.12ue is interested in an MBMS service on a certain frequency, it will consider the frequency to have the highest priority when it wants to receive the MBMS service in idle state, and then select a suitable cell to receive the MBMS service according to the rules of cell reselection. According to the prior art, when a UE which does not support 256QAM is interested in, for example, an MBMS service modulated by 256QAM, it considers that the frequency on which the MBMS service is located has the highest priority and performs cell reselection. But since 256QAM is not supported, it cannot receive the MBMS service in which it is interested even if cell reselection is performed. On the other hand, for a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected UE, which informs the network of its MBMS service of interest through an RRC message, the network performs handover for the UE so that it can receive the MBMS service. When the target cell utilizes 256QAM MTCH, the UE that does not support 256QAM cannot receive the MBMS service of the target cell even though handover has been performed. Also, this may cause a large number of UEs to camp on the target cell.

To this end, there is a need in the art for improvements to existing MBMS communication mechanisms.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides a new communication scheme for MBMS services to overcome or alleviate at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art as described above.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service is provided. The method may include detecting an MBMS service employing enhanced configuration; and in the system information, the related information of the MBMS adopting the enhanced configuration is indicated by utilizing an enhanced configuration cell, wherein the enhanced configuration cell is a cell different from a common configuration cell used for indicating the related information of the MBMS adopting the common configuration.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the MBMS service may include an MBMS service in the local cell. In this case, the method may further include transmitting MBMS service indication information to the neighboring cell, the MBMS service indication information indicating information related to the MBMS service employing enhanced configuration in another information element different from the information element indicating information related to the MBMS service employing normal configuration.

In yet another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the MBMS service includes an MBMS service in a neighboring cell. In this case, the method may further include receiving MBMS service indication information from the neighboring cell; and the detecting of the MBMS service with enhanced configuration may include detecting the MBMS service with enhanced configuration from another cell different from a cell indicating related information for indicating the MBMS service with normal configuration within the received MBMS service indication information.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the MBMS service indication information may include an X2 setup request message; x2 builds a reply message; and any of the base station configuration update messages.

In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the method may further include determining whether to perform cell handover for the user equipment according to a support capability of the user equipment for the enhanced configuration in response to a request of the user equipment for the MBMS service of interest.

In yet another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the normal configuration information element and the enhanced configuration information element are located in the same system information block.

In still another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the enhanced configuration related to the MBMS service includes at least one of: multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission using 256 QAM; a new Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) format; a new Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) configuration; and a new broadcast/multicast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided an apparatus for receiving a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service. The device may include a service detection unit configured to detect an MBMS service employing enhanced configuration; and a service indication unit configured to indicate, in system information, related information of the MBMS service employing the enhanced configuration by using an enhanced configuration cell, wherein the enhanced configuration cell is a different cell from a normal configuration cell for indicating related information of the MBMS service employing a normal configuration.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method for receiving a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service is provided. The method may include: receiving system information including an enhanced configuration cell and a normal configuration cell, wherein the enhanced configuration cell indicates related information of an MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration, and the normal configuration cell indicates related information of the MBMS service adopting normal configuration, and the enhanced configuration cell and the normal configuration cell are different cells; acquiring the related information of the MBMS adopting the enhanced configuration from the enhanced configuration cell; and determining whether the mobile equipment receives the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration or not based on the supporting capability of the mobile equipment for the enhanced configuration.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided an apparatus for receiving a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service. The method may include: an information receiving unit configured to receive system information including an enhanced configuration cell indicating related information of an MBMS service employing enhanced configuration and a general configuration cell indicating related information of an MBMS service employing general configuration, wherein the enhanced configuration cell and the general configuration cell are different cells; an information acquisition unit configured to acquire the relevant information of the MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration from the enhanced configuration cell; and a service determination unit configured to determine whether the mobile device receives the MBMS service with the enhanced configuration based on a support capability of the mobile device for the enhanced configuration.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a base station comprising the apparatus according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a user equipment comprising the apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution for MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration and normal configuration is provided. In particular, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the MBMS service employing the normal configuration and the MBMS service employing the enhanced configuration may be indicated in the system information according to using different information elements. In this way, the enhanced configuration of the MBMS service is transparent to the user equipment not supporting the enhanced configuration, and at the same time, does not affect the reception of the MBMS service employing the enhanced configuration by the user equipment supporting the enhanced configuration.

Drawings

Features, advantages and other aspects of various embodiments of the disclosure will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

fig. 1 schematically shows a schematic diagram of an application scenario in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

fig. 2 schematically shows a flowchart of a method for an MBMS service according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 schematically shows a flowchart for transmitting MBMS service indication information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 schematically shows a flowchart of a method for receiving an MBMS service according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 schematically shows a flowchart of an apparatus for an MBMS service according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 6 schematically shows a flowchart of an apparatus for receiving an MBMS service according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings and description relate to preferred embodiments by way of example only. It should be noted that from the following description, alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein are readily contemplated and may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure as claimed in the present disclosure.

It should be understood that these exemplary embodiments are given solely for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and to practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Also, in the drawings, optional steps, modules, units, etc. are shown in dashed boxes for the purpose of illustration.

The term "base station" (BS) as used herein may refer to a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a relay, a low power node, such as a pico base station, a femto base station, and the like.

The term "user equipment" (UE) as used herein refers to any device capable of communicating with a BS. As an example, the UE may include a terminal, a Mobile Terminal (MT), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station (PSS), a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT).

The terms "including," comprising, "and the like, as used herein, are to be construed as open-ended terms, i.e.," including/including but not limited to. The term "based on" is "based, at least in part, on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". Relevant definitions for other terms will be given in the following description.

Hereinafter, a schematic diagram of an application scenario in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented will first be described with reference to fig. 1. However, it should be noted that the communication system shown here is only one example of an application scenario of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be embodied in any other suitable application scenario.

As shown in fig. 1, the base station eNB1 serves cell 1 at a serving frequency F1, and the base station eNB2 serves cell 2 at a serving frequency F2. User equipments UE0 and UE1 are user equipments within cell 1 served by base station eNB 1. User equipment UE0 represents a user equipment supporting enhanced configuration, such as a rel.12 UE; the UE1 represents a user equipment that does not support enhanced configuration, such as rel.11 or a previous version of UE or a rel.12ue that does not support enhanced configuration. Here, the enhanced configuration is, for example, the newly introduced 256QAM modulation scheme mentioned in the background, i.e., MTCH transmission using 256 QAM. The invention is not limited thereto and the enhanced configuration may be, for example, a new MCCH format; a new Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) configuration (e.g., a new scheduling period); and a new broadcast/multicast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration (e.g., a new subframe number or bandwidth available for MBMS services, etc.).

As shown in fig. 1, the base station eNB1 broadcasts MBMS service information to the user equipments UE0 and UE1 it serves. This service information is typically included in system information blocks, and MBMS service information is typically included in system information blocks SIB13 and SIB15, although the functional settings of the system information blocks are slightly different in different systems. For example, information for MCCH, such as "MBMS-NotificationConfig-r 9" is included in SIB13, and Service Area Identifier (SAI) information for indicating MBMS service, such as MBMS-SAI-IntraFreq-r11 and MBMS-SAI-InterFreqlist-r11, is included in SIB 15. Wherein the MBMS-SAI-IntraFreq-r11 includes SAI information of the MBMS service on the current frequency; the MBMS service providing frequency list (including cell 2) of the neighboring cells (including cell 2) and corresponding SAI information of the MBMS service are included in the MBMS-SAI-inter freqlist-r 11.

Without introducing MTCH transmission such as with 256QAM, the user equipments UE0 and UE1 in cell 1 allow to know the available MBMS services with the information in SIB13 and SIB15 and are also able to receive MBMS services on the corresponding frequencies. However, if the service in which the UE1 that does not support enhanced configuration is interested is enhanced configuration, for example, an MBMS service using 256QAM on the F1 frequency or an MBMS service using 256QAM on the F2 frequency, the UE1, although being aware of the existence of the MBMS service, cannot receive the MBMS service at all even after cell reselection or cell handover.

To this end, in an embodiment in the present disclosure, a scheme for an MBMS service is provided for solving a problem caused after an enhanced configuration of the MBMS service is introduced.

Next, a communication method for an MBMS service according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to fig. 2. The method may be performed, for example, at base station eNB1 shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 2, first, in step S210, an MBMS service with enhanced configuration is detected and adopted. In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, first at, for example, eNB1, an MBMS service with enhanced configuration is detected. This includes detecting the MBMS with enhanced configuration provided by the cell and/or the MBMS service with enhanced configuration of the neighboring cell. For example, MBMS service using 256 QAM.

It can be understood that the eBN 1 holds the detailed information of various services (including the MBMS service) of the cell (i.e. within the cell 1), so that it is easy to know whether the MBMS service in the cell adopts the normal configuration or the enhanced configuration, and details are not described here. When the eNB1 detects that the MBMS service of the local cell employs the enhanced configuration, the eNB1 may notify the MBMS service related information employing the enhanced configuration to the neighboring cell through an MBMS service indication message via an X2 interface.

According to the prior art, if the eNB is to provide an MBMS service, it will inform the neighboring cells of the MBMS service related information through an X2 interface for communication between base stations so that the neighboring cells can include the information in the system information they broadcast. The X2 signaling that may be used to carry MBMS service related information may be, for example, an X2 establishment request, an X2 establishment response, a base station configuration update message, and the like. The related information of the MBMS service comprises SAI of the MBMS service of all the service cells.

The message, such as the X2 setup request, X2 setup response, etc., contains serving cell information (Served cell information) indicating the configuration information of the serving cell, and two cells indicating MBMS service area identification list information and MBMS service area identification are included in the serving cell. The information about its two cells is shown in table 1 below for illustrative purposes only.

TABLE 1

In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to indicate the MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration to the neighboring cell, another cell for indicating the relevant information of the MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration may be added in the original signaling for indicating the relevant information of the MBMS service (i.e. the MBMS service adopting normal configuration). For example, for a newly introduced 256QAM, the modified cell may be represented as follows:

TABLE 2

Wherein the modified portions are shown in underlined black font.

Thus, by providing a dedicated cell for enhanced configuration of the MBMS service, the base station of the neighboring cell can detect the information of the MBMS service in the dedicated cell in the received X2 signaling, and can know that the MBMS service associated with the acquired information employs the enhanced configuration. In this way, the neighboring cell eNB2 of eNB1 may distinguish MBMS services with a normal configuration from MBMS services with an enhanced configuration.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a flowchart for transmitting MBMS service indication information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 3, first, in step S301, the eNB1 transmits an X2 setup request in which SAI information of an MBMS service employing 256QAM in the cell 1 served by the eNB1 is indicated in dedicated information elements. Thus, the eNB2 can know the related information of the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration in the eNB1, and then modify the related indication information in the system information in step S320. The modification of the system information will be described below with reference to step 220, and will not be described herein again. Finally, at step S330, the eNB2 may return an X2 setup reply to respond to the X2 setup request. In this way, eNB2 can obtain the relevant information of the MBMS service using the enhanced configuration in cell 1.

On the other hand, the MBMS service using the enhanced configuration may also be an MBMS service of an adjacent cell. If the neighboring cell eNB2 is to provide an MBMS service indication as described above, the eNB2 is to send an MBMS service indication message over the X2 interface, e.g., over an X2 setup request, an X2 setup reply, or an eNB configuration update message. As such, the eNB1 may also learn the related information of the MBMS service with enhanced configuration in cell 2 from the MBMS service indication information from the eNB2 in a similar manner. Therefore, eNB1 will also receive the MBMS service indication message from eNB2, where the MBMS service indication includes an information element for indicating related information of the MBMS service in the normal configuration and also includes an information element for indicating related information of the MBMS service in the enhanced configuration, and the two information elements are different information elements. The eNB1 may obtain the related information of the MBMS service with enhanced configuration in the cell dedicated to the MBMS service with enhanced configuration from the eNB2 in the MBMS service indication information.

Continuing with fig. 2, then in step S202, the related information of the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration is indicated in system information by using an enhanced configuration information element, wherein the enhanced configuration information element is a different information element from a normal configuration information element used for indicating the related information of the MBMS service adopting the normal configuration.

As described above, in the related art, the SIB15 includes Service Area Identifier (SAI) information for indicating the MBMS service, such as MBMS-SAI-IntraFreq-r11 and MBMS-SAI-interfrqlist-r 11, which respectively indicate MBMS service information of the same frequency and MBMS service information of different frequencies by a user. An example of an example SIB15 information is given below for illustrative purposes only.

Information content of SIB15

Wherein the black font shows the existing cells indicating MBMS service related information.

In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to be able to distinguish the MBMS service employing enhanced configuration, an enhanced configuration cell may be employed, which is a separate, different cell from a general configuration cell indicating related information of a general configured MBMS service.

For example, for a newly introduced enhanced configuration, MTCH transmission with 256QAM, example updated SIB15 information may be given as follows:

information content of modified SIB15

With the modified portions shown in underlined black font.

From the information content of the SIB15 shown above in an exemplary manner, the following information elements are added:

1): "MBMS-SAI-IntraFreq-256 QAM" for indicating the same frequency MBMS service employing 256QAM, and

2): "MBMS-SAI-inter freqlist-256 QAM" is used to indicate to adopt the inter-frequency MBMS service of 256 QAM.

It should be noted here that the modification of SIB15 given above is for illustrative purposes only, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In fact, it is also possible to indicate MBMS services with normal configuration and MBMS services with enhanced configuration in different system information blocks.

By using dedicated cells dedicated to enhanced configuration, eNB1 can use different cells in its broadcasted system information to indicate the information of MBMS service using original configuration and the information of MBMS service using enhanced configuration, respectively. Thus, for a user equipment that does not support enhanced configuration such as 256QAM, such as UE1 of Release 11, it will not be able to interpret the information in the newly added cells, and will not include information of the MBMS service in the enhanced configuration in the cell originally used to indicate the MBMS service. This means that the UE1 can only know the relevant information of the MBMS service with the normal configuration without any attempt to the MBMS service with the enhanced configuration that it does not support itself. And for the UE0 supporting enhanced configuration, it will be able to acquire the relevant information of the MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration from the dedicated information element indicating the MBMS service of enhanced configuration. Thus, the UE0 can also successfully receive the MBMS service indicating the enhanced configuration without any adverse effect.

Furthermore, at eNB1, cell handover control may be further performed to allow only UEs supporting enhanced configuration to switch to frequencies using enhanced configuration. For example, for a UE in RRC connection, when it is interested in MBMS service on a certain frequency, it will send a request for MBMS service of Interest (MBMS Interest Indication) to indicate that it is interested in MBMS service on, for example, a neighboring cell (F2). The request includes frequency information associated with the service. In the RRC connected state, the eNB1 may be aware of the UE device's support capabilities for enhanced configuration. The eNB1 may therefore control cell switching based on the UE device's support capability for enhanced configuration. If the UE does not support enhanced configuration, the UE may not be handed over or an indication of rejection may be sent to the UE, so that the UE remains camped in cell 1; or if a certain neighboring cell on the frequency broadcasts the MBMS service in the normal configuration, the eNB1 may also handover the UE to the neighboring cell so as to enable the UE to receive the MBMS service in the normal configuration, which the UE is interested in. Thus, the cell switching can be ensured to be executed only for the UE supporting the enhanced configuration, so that the UE is switched to the cell adopting the MBMS service of the common configuration or the enhanced configuration; and for the UE which does not support the enhanced configuration, the UE is not switched to the cell adopting the MBMS service of the enhanced configuration.

In addition, in order to enable the eNB to know more information about the requested MBMS service, the user equipment may include more information in the MBMS service request, for example, a service area identity SAI of the MBMS service in addition to a frequency at which the MBMS service of interest is located. In this way, the eNB can know which service the user is interested in. Since the eNB can know which frequencies are providing these services and whether the frequencies use the 256QAM modulation scheme, it can perform more effective cell handover for the devices, so as to meet the requirements of users for the corresponding MBMS services.

In the above, the enhanced configuration of the MBMS service was mainly described with reference to MTCH transmission using 256QAM, however, the present invention is not limited thereto. Indeed, in addition to MTCH transmission with 256QAM, the disclosed embodiments may also be applied to any other enhanced configuration, such as a new Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) format, a new Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) configuration, a new broadcast/multicast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration, etc.

In addition, the invention also provides a method for receiving the MBMS service. An exemplary description will be made hereinafter with reference to fig. 4. As shown in fig. 4, first, in step S410, the mobile device receives system information including an enhanced configuration cell and a normal configuration cell. The enhanced configuration information element and the normal configuration information element are different information elements. The enhanced configuration cell is, for example, a cell newly added in the SIB15 described above and used for indicating the relevant information of the MBMS service using 256 QAM; the generic configuration information element is for example the information element originally used to indicate the MBMS service in SIB 15.

Next, in step S420, the related information of the MBMS service using enhanced configuration is obtained from the enhanced configuration cell. By acquiring MBMS services using normal configuration and enhanced configuration from different cells, the mobile device UE0 supporting enhanced configuration can successfully distinguish which MBMS services use normal configuration and which MBMS services use enhanced configuration. For a mobile UE1 that does not support enhanced configuration, for example, a UE of Release 11, it cannot obtain the corresponding information from the information element dedicated to enhanced configuration at all; for the UE of Release 12 which does not support 256QAM, it can read the cell of the enhanced configuration, but can not receive the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration.

In step S430, it may be determined whether the mobile device receives the MBMS service employing the enhanced configuration based on a support capability of the mobile device for the enhanced configuration. For example, after the mobile device knows that there is an MBMS service using enhanced configuration, it may determine whether to receive the MBMS service according to whether the mobile device supports the enhanced configuration. For example, if the user equipment of rel.12 supports the enhanced configuration, such as 256QAM, in the idle state, the user equipment will consider that the frequency of the MBMS service of interest adopting the enhanced configuration has the highest priority, and perform cell reselection; if in the RRC connected state, the frequency information of the service of interest will be included in the service request to the base station eNB 1. If the UE does not support enhanced configuration, the UE may decide not to receive the MBMS service, and therefore does not perform cell reselection or does not send an MBMS service request.

An apparatus for an MBMS service according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 500 includes: a traffic detection unit 510 and a traffic indication unit 520. The service detection unit 510 may be configured to detect an MBMS service with enhanced configuration. The service indication unit 520 may be configured to indicate related information of the MBMS service in the enhanced configuration by using an enhanced configuration information element in system information, wherein the enhanced configuration information element is a different information element from a general configuration information element for indicating related information of the MBMS service in the general configuration.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the MBMS service may include an MBMS service in the local cell. In the case of detecting that the MBMS service in the current cell adopts the enhanced configuration, the apparatus 500 may further send an indication to other neighboring cells through the indication sending unit 530. The indication transmitting unit 530 may be configured to transmit MBMS service indication information indicating information related to the MBMS service in enhanced configuration in another information element different from an information element indicating information related to an MBMS service in normal configuration to a neighboring cell.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the MBMS service may include an MBMS service in a neighboring cell. In this case, as shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 500 further includes an indication receiving unit 540. The indication receiving unit 540 may be configured to receive MBMS service indication information from the neighboring cell. And the service detecting unit 510 may be configured to detect the MBMS service in the enhanced configuration from another information element different from the information element indicating the related information of the MBMS service in the normal configuration in the received MBMS service indication information. The MBMS service indication information may be included in an X2 setup request message, an X2 setup response message, a base station configuration update message, or any other suitable X2 signaling.

As shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 500 further includes a handover determining unit 550 configured to determine whether to perform cell handover for the user equipment according to the support capability of the user equipment for the enhanced configuration in response to a request of the user equipment for the MBMS service of interest.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the normal configuration information element may be located in the same system information block as the enhanced configuration information element. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the enhanced configuration related to MBMS service may include a new Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) format, a new Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) configuration, a new broadcast/multicast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration, or other enhanced configurations that may enter in the future, in addition to Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission using 256 QAM.

Fig. 6 illustrates an apparatus for receiving an MBMS service according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6, the apparatus 600 includes: an information receiving unit 610, an information obtaining unit 620, and a service determining unit 630. The information receiving unit 610 may be configured to receive system information including an enhanced configuration information element and a general configuration information element. The enhanced configuration cell indicates the related information of the MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration, and the normal configuration cell indicates the related information of the MBMS service adopting normal configuration, wherein the enhanced configuration cell and the normal configuration cell are different cells. The information obtaining unit 620 may be configured to obtain the relevant information of the MBMS service employing enhanced configuration from the enhanced configuration information element. The service determination unit 630 may be configured to determine whether the mobile device receives the MBMS service in the enhanced configuration based on a support capability of the mobile device for the enhanced configuration.

It should be noted that the operations performed by the corresponding units or modules in the apparatuses 500 and 600 in fig. 5 and 6 substantially correspond to the operations of the method described above with reference to fig. 1 to 4, and therefore, with regard to the specific operations of the respective units or modules in the apparatuses 500 and 600, reference may be made to the description above in connection with fig. 1 to 4.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a base station is provided, which may include the apparatus described above with reference to fig. 5. In addition, the present disclosure also provides a mobile device comprising the device described with reference to fig. 5.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in light of the disclosure and teachings herein, various modifications, alterations, substitutions or equivalents can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Such modifications, variations, substitutions or equivalents are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure, which is limited only by the claims.

It should be noted that the present disclosure may be implemented in software and/or a combination of software and hardware, for example, may be implemented using Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), general purpose computers or any other similar hardware devices. In one embodiment, the software programs of the present disclosure may be executed by a processor to implement the steps or functions described above. Likewise, the software programs (including associated data structures) of the present disclosure may be stored in a computer readable recording medium, such as RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive or diskette and the like. Additionally, some of the steps or functions of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware, for example, as circuitry that cooperates with the processor to perform various steps or functions.

In addition, some of the present disclosure may be applied as a computer program product, such as computer program instructions, which when executed by a computer, may invoke or provide methods and/or aspects in accordance with the present disclosure through the operation of the computer. Program instructions that invoke the methods of the present disclosure may be stored on a fixed or removable recording medium and/or transmitted via a data stream on a broadcast or other signal-bearing medium and/or stored in a working memory of a computer device operating in accordance with the program instructions. An embodiment according to the present disclosure herein comprises an apparatus comprising a memory for storing computer program instructions and a processor for executing the program instructions, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed by the processor, trigger the apparatus to perform a method and/or solution according to the aforementioned embodiments of the present disclosure.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the disclosure is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, and that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the disclosure being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim concerned. Furthermore, it is obvious that the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the singular does not exclude the plural. A plurality of units or means recited in the apparatus claims may also be implemented by one unit or means in software or hardware. The terms first, second, etc. are used to denote names, but not any particular order.

Claims

1. A method for a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service, comprising:

detecting the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration; and

in the system information, the related information of the MBMS adopting the enhanced configuration is indicated by an enhanced configuration cell, wherein the enhanced configuration cell is a cell different from a normal configuration cell for indicating the related information of the MBMS adopting the normal configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the MBMS service comprises an MBMS service in a local cell.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

and transmitting MBMS service indication information to an adjacent cell, wherein the MBMS service indication information comprises an information element used for indicating the related information of the MBMS service adopting the common configuration and another information element used for indicating the related information of the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the MBMS service comprises an MBMS service in a neighboring cell,

wherein the method further comprises receiving MBMS service indication information from the neighboring cell; and

wherein the detecting the MBMS service adopting the enhanced configuration comprises: and detecting the MBMS adopting the enhanced configuration from another cell which is different from the cell of the related information used for indicating the MBMS adopting the common configuration in the received MBMS indication information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the MBMS service indication information may be included in any one of the following messages:

x2 setup request message;

x2 builds a reply message; and

the base station configures the update message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the MBMS service indication information may be included in any one of the following messages:

x2 setup request message;

x2 builds a reply message; and

the base station configures the update message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and responding to a request of the user equipment for the interested MBMS service, and determining whether to execute cell switching aiming at the user equipment according to the support capability of the user equipment aiming at the enhanced configuration.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the normal configuration information element and the enhanced configuration information element are located in the same system information block.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the enhanced configuration related to MBMS services comprises at least one of:

multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission using 256 QAM;

a new Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) format;

a new Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) configuration; and

a new broadcast/multicast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

10. An apparatus for a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service, the apparatus comprising:

a service detection unit configured to detect an MBMS service employing enhanced configuration; and

a service indication unit configured to indicate, in system information, related information of an MBMS service employing the enhanced configuration by using an enhanced configuration cell, wherein the enhanced configuration cell is a different cell from a normal configuration cell for indicating related information of an MBMS service employing a normal configuration.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the MBMS service comprises an MBMS service in a local cell.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

an indication transmitting unit configured to transmit MBMS service indication information to a neighboring cell, the MBMS service indication information including an information element for indicating related information of an MBMS service adopting a normal configuration and another information element for indicating related information of the MBMS service adopting an enhanced configuration.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the MBMS service comprises an MBMS service in a neighboring cell,

wherein the apparatus further comprises an indication receiving unit configured to receive MBMS service indication information from the neighboring cell; and

wherein the traffic detection unit is configured to: and detecting the MBMS adopting the enhanced configuration from another cell which is different from the cell of the related information used for indicating the MBMS adopting the common configuration in the received MBMS indication information.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the MBMS service indication information may be included in any one of the following messages:

x2 setup request message;

x2 builds a reply message; and

the base station configures the update message.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the MBMS service indication information may be included in any one of the following messages:

x2 setup request message;

x2 builds a reply message; and

the base station configures the update message.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a handover determining unit configured to determine whether to perform cell handover for a user equipment according to a support capability of the user equipment for the enhanced configuration in response to a request of the user equipment for an interested MBMS service.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 10 to 16, wherein the normal configuration information element and the enhanced configuration information element are located in the same system information block.

18. The apparatus of any of claims 10 to 16, wherein the enhanced configuration related to MBMS services comprises at least one of:

multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) transmission using 256 QAM;

a new Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) format;

a new Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) configuration; and

19. A method for receiving a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service, comprising:

receiving system information including an enhanced configuration cell and a normal configuration cell, wherein the enhanced configuration cell indicates related information of an MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration, and the normal configuration cell indicates related information of the MBMS service adopting normal configuration, and the enhanced configuration cell and the normal configuration cell are different cells;

acquiring the related information of the MBMS adopting the enhanced configuration from the enhanced configuration cell; and

and determining whether the mobile equipment receives the MBMS adopting the enhanced configuration or not based on the supporting capability of the mobile equipment for the enhanced configuration.

20. An apparatus for receiving a multimedia broadcast/multicast (MBMS) service, comprising:

an information receiving unit configured to receive system information including an enhanced configuration cell indicating related information of an MBMS service employing enhanced configuration and a general configuration cell indicating related information of an MBMS service employing general configuration, wherein the enhanced configuration cell and the general configuration cell are different cells;

an information acquisition unit configured to acquire the relevant information of the MBMS service adopting enhanced configuration from the enhanced configuration cell; and

a service determination unit configured to determine whether the mobile device receives the MBMS service in the enhanced configuration based on a support capability of the mobile device for the enhanced configuration.

21. A base station comprising an apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

22. A mobile device comprising the apparatus of claim 20.