Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as, for example, voice, video, packet data, messaging, or broadcast. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Examples of such multiple-access networks include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.
A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations that can support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs), also referred to as mobile devices or mobile entities. A UE may communicate with a base station via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station. As used herein, a “base station” means an eNode B (eNB), a Node B, a Home Node B, or similar network component of a wireless communications system.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) represents a major advance in cellular technology as an evolution of Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The LTE physical layer (PHY) provides a highly efficient way to convey both data and control information between base stations, such as an evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and mobile devices, such as UEs. In prior applications, a method for facilitating high bandwidth communication for multimedia has been single frequency network (SFN) operation. SFNs utilize radio transmitters, such as, for example, eNBs, to communicate with subscriber UEs. In unicast operation, each eNB is controlled so as to transmit signals carrying information directed to one or more particular subscriber UEs. The specificity of unicast signaling enables person-to-person services such as, for example, voice calling, text messaging, or video calling.
In multicast broadcast operation, several eNBs in an area broadcast signals in a synchronized fashion, carrying information that can be received and accessed by any subscriber UE in the broadcast area. The generality of multicast broadcast operation enables greater efficiency in transmitting information of general public interest, for example, event-related multimedia broadcasts. As the demand and system capability for event-related multimedia and other multicast broadcast services has increased, system operators have shown increasing interest in making use of multicast broadcast operation in 3GPP and 3GPP2 networks. In the past, 3GPP LTE technology has been primarily used for unicast service, leaving opportunities for improvements and enhancements related to multicast broadcast signaling. Analogous multicast operations may also be implemented in wireless communications outside of the 3GPP or 3GPP2 context.