The next generation mobile networks, in particular Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the evolution thereof, are expected to be deployed with multiple carriers in the same area and across multiple spectrum bands. The mobile devices or user equipment (UE) are also expected to be deployed with some devices having a single radio-frequency (RF) transceiver and other devices having multiple RF transceivers. Based on their capabilities, the devices may receive unicast traffic on a single carrier, or traffic that is aggregated across multiple carriers. Furthermore, such third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) systems may also provide for the delivery of Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast services (MBMS) concurrently with unicast services. Since MBMS services typically consume a significant amount of radio resources, MBMS services may be delivered from only one or a small subset of deployed carriers. In such scenarios, the MBMS bearing cells may not be the primary serving cell for some of the devices since the primary serving cell is typically determined by link quality and loading considerations. As a result, if MBMS services are desired for a device not being served by the MBMS bearing cell, handoff of the device from the primary serving cell to the MBMS cell should be accommodated.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds