Method and apparatus for providing dual protocol MBMS for facilitating IPV4 to IPV6 migration in E-UTRAN

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9622049-B2
Application number	US-201414328249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2014
Priority date	Jul 10, 2014
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A method of facilitating multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS) in a communications network including one or more first evolved node Bs (eNBs) having backhaul interfaces for a first internet protocol (IP) version and one or more second eNBs having backhaul interfaces for a second IP version includes receiving, at a first network element, an initial MBMS content stream; generating, at the first network element, based on the initial MBMS content stream, a first MBMS content stream and a second MBMS content stream; transmitting the first MBMS content stream from the first network element to the one or more first eNBs using a first IP multicast address of the first IP version; and transmitting the second MBMS content stream from the first network element to the one or more second eNBs using a second IP multicast address of the second IP version.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of facilitating multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS) in a communications network including one or more first evolved node Bs (eNBs) and one or more second eNBs, the one or more first eNBs each having backhaul interfaces for a first internet protocol (IP) version, the one or more second eNBs each having backhaul interfaces for a second IP version, the method comprising:
receiving, at the first network element, a first temporary mobile group identity (TMGI) and a first flow ID;
selecting, at the first network element, a second flow ID different from the first flow ID;
receiving, at a first network element, an initial MBMS content stream;
generating, at the first network element, based on the initial MBMS content stream, a first MBMS content stream and a second MBMS content stream;
transmitting the first MBMS content stream from the first network element to the one or more first eNBs using a first IP multicast address of the first IP version, the first TMGI, and the first flow ID; and
transmitting the second MBMS content stream from the first network element to the one or more second eNBs using a second IP multicast address of the second IP version, the first TMGI, and the second flow ID.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more first eNBs and the one or more second eNBs are included in a same multicast-broadcast single-frequency network (MBSFN),
wherein the generating a first MBMS content stream and a second MBMS content stream includes,
generating a synchronization protocol (SYNC) layer of a protocol stack of the first MBMS content stream based on a SYNC layer of a protocol stack of the initial MBMS content stream, and
generating a SYNC layer of a protocol stack of the second MBMS content stream based on the SYNC layer of the protocol stack of the initial MBMS content stream,

wherein the transmitting the first MBMS content stream includes transmitting the first MBMS content stream from the network element to the one or more first eNBs via a first GTP tunnel using the first IP multicast address, and
wherein the transmitting the second MBMS content stream includes transmitting the second MBMS content stream from the network element to the one or more second eNBs via a second GTP tunnel using the second IP multicast address,
the first and second MBMS content streams being transmitted from the first network element simultaneously.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending a first MBMS session start message, the first MBMS session start message including,
the first IP multicast address, and
a first service area identifier identifying a first service area that has been assigned to only the one or more first eNBs; and

sending a second MBMS session start message, the second MBMS session start message including,
the second IP multicast address, and
a second service area identifier identifying a second service area that has been assigned to only the one or more second eNBs,

the one or more first eNBs each having M1 backhaul interfaces for the first internet protocol (IP) version, the one or more second eNBs each having M1 backhaul interfaces for the second IP version.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first network element is an MBMS gateway (MBMS-GW), and the method further comprises:
receiving, at the MBMS-GW, a first session start message, the first session start message identifying both the first service area and the second service area, the first session start message being received from a broadband/multicast-service center (BM-SC).

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein,
the sending a first MBMS session start message includes sending the first MBMS session start message from the MBMS-GW to one or more mobility management entities (MMEs) associated with the one or more first eNBs upon receiving the first session start message from the BM-SC, and
the sending a second MBMS session start message includes sending the second MBMS session start message from the MBMS-GW to one or more MMEs associated with the one or more second eNBs upon receiving the first session start message from the BM-SC.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving or being configured with, at the MBMS-GW, IP version correspondence information indicating that the first service area corresponds to eNBs having M1 backhaul interfaces of the first IP version and the second service area corresponds to eNBs having M1 backhaul interfaces of the second IP version;
generating, at the MBMS-GW, the first MBMS session start message and the second MBMS session start message by,
inserting the first service area identifier, the first IP multicast address, the first flow ID and a first common tunnel endpoint ID identifying a first general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP) tunnel into the first MBMS session start message, based on the IP version correspondence information, and
inserting the second service area identifier, the second multicast IP address, the second flow ID and a second common tunnel endpoint ID identifying a second GTP tunnel in the second MBMS session start message, based on the IP version correspondence information.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein,
the receiving a first session start message includes receiving, at the MBMS-GW, the first flow ID in the first session start message,
the first flow ID being one of a plurality of flow IDs included in a first pool of flow IDs assigned to the BM-SC,
the second flow ID being one of a plurality of flow IDs included in a second pool of flow IDs assigned to the MBMS-GW,
no flow IDs included in the first pool being included in the second pool, and
no flow IDs included in the second pool being included in the first pool.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
upon receiving a first session update or stop request from the BM-SC at the MBMS-GW,
sending a first MBMS session update or stop request to the one or more MMEs associated with the one or more first eNBs, the first MBMS session update including the first flow ID; and
sending a second MBMS session update or stop request to the one or more MMEs associated with the one or more second eNBs, the second MBMS session update including the second flow ID.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending a MBMS session start message, the MBMS session start message including the first IP multicast address, the second IP multicast address, a first common tunnel endpoint ID identifying a first general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP) tunnel, and the second common tunnel endpoint ID identifying a second GTP tunnel.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first network element is an MBMS gate way (MBMS-GW), and the method further comprises:
receiving, at the MBMS-GW, a first session start message,
the first session start message being received from a broadband/multicast-service center (BM-SC),
the first session start message identifying at least one of,
a first service area to which at least one of the one or more first eNBs and at least one of the one or more second eNBs are assigned, and
a plurality of service areas including a service area to which at least one of the one or more first eNBs have been assigned and a service area to which at least one of the one or more second eNBs have been assigned,
the one or more first eNBs each having M1 backhaul interfaces for the first internet protocol (IP) version, the one or more second eNBs each having M1 backhaul interfaces for the second IP version.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein,
the sending a MBMS session start message includes sending the MBMS session start message from the MBMS-GW to one or more mobility

Assignees

• Vetter Richard
• Young Tomas S
• Landais Bruno
• Jacob Claude
• Alcatel Lucent

Inventors

• Vetter Richard
• Young Tomas S
• Landais Bruno
• Jacob Claude

Classifications

• H04L69/167 Primary

  Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 (translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503) · CPC title

• H04W4/06 Primary

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · CPC title

• H04L12/189

  in combination with wireless systems (selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06) · CPC title

• H04W80/045

  involving different protocol versions, e.g. MIPv4 and MIPv6 · CPC title