Patent attributes
The present invention relates to a method, signal and devices for facilitating distribution of multimedia broadcast multicast services, i.e. MBMS, in a telecommunications network by receiving an MBSM session start message from a broadcast/multicast service center; sending control traffic on a control network; sending as control traffic to a serving node an MBMS session start request message and including a common tunnel end-point identifier, i.e. common TEID, in the MBMS session start request message; receiving information from the serving node indicating the acceptance of using IP multicast; and sending media content on an IP multicast backbone to hosts that have joined the multicast group using the common TEID. If any part of the communication network does not accept the IP multicast backbone as distribution method tunnels will be used between the gateway and serving node and between the serving node and control node.
