Multicast and broadcast services in various radio resource control states

Abstract

Various arrangements disclosed herein relate to multicast and broadcast service (MBS) management in various radio resource control (RRC) states, including receiving, by a wireless communication device, indication information from a network using wireless communication device-specific signaling while the wireless communication device is in a radio resource control (RRC) connected state, and transmitting the indication information to the wireless communication device. The indication information indicates a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration for obtaining each of a plurality of multicast and broadcast services (MBSs) from broadcast signaling. When the wireless communication device is in the RRC connected state, a PTM configuration from broadcast signaling is received from a network by the wireless communication device, the PTM configuration being used to receive a plurality of said MBSs.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application relates to an application filed on May 31, 2022, entitled “MULTICAST AND BROADCAST SERVICE IN VARIOUS RADIO RESOURCE CONTROL STATES” with docket number ZTE-2022-000613-WO, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also relates to an application filed on May 31, 2022, entitled “MULTICAST AND BROADCAST SERVICE INVARIOUS RADIO RESOURCE CONTROL STATES” with docket number ZTE-2022-000895-WO, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present embodiments generally relate to wireless communications, and more particularly to systems, methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media for managing Multicast and Broadcast Services (MBS) in various Radio Resource Control (RRC) states. Background Art

[0004] MBS is one of the most prominent use cases for the New Radio (NR) of fifth-generation mobile networks (5G), providing reliable, low-latency, and resource-efficient transmission for multiple devices receiving the same content. Key use cases for MBS include deployment in crowded areas with a high concentration of devices, such as concerts, stadiums, racetracks, rallies, and densely populated areas, to deliver the same content (e.g., the same video). In some cases, MBS content (e.g., video) is synchronized to devices, and multiple viewpoints of the video are required. Furthermore, a large number of users and devices in the same cell can simultaneously watch live virtual reality (VR) broadcasts. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In some arrangements, when the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the wireless communication device receives a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration for each of a plurality of MBSs from a network using wireless communication device-specific signaling. The wireless communication device transitions from the RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state. In response to the transition to the RRC inactive state, the wireless communication device receives data for at least one of the plurality of MBSs from the network using the PTM configuration received while in the RRC connected state.

[0006] In some arrangements, when the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the network transmits a PTM configuration for each of a plurality of MBSs to the wireless communication device using signaling specific to the wireless communication device. The network releases the wireless communication device to an RRC inactive state. When the wireless communication device is in the RRC inactive state, the network transmits data corresponding to at least one of the plurality of MBSs to the wireless communication device using the PTM configuration transmitted when the UE was in the RRC connected state.

[0007] In some arrangements, when the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the wireless communication device receives indication information from the network, the indication information indicating that a PTM configuration for each of a plurality of MBSs is obtained from broadcast signaling. When the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the wireless communication device receives a PTM configuration from the network from broadcast signaling, the PTM configuration being used to receive the plurality of MBSs.

[0008] In some arrangements, the network sends indication information to the wireless communication device using signaling specific to the wireless communication device, the indication information indicating that a PTM configuration for each of the plurality of MBSs is obtained from broadcast signaling for sending the plurality of MBSs when the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state and from broadcast signaling for sending at least one MBS when the wireless communication device is in an RRC inactive state. The network sends the PTM configuration and an updated PTM configuration to the wireless communication device using broadcast signaling, the PTM configuration for sending the plurality of MBSs when the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state and the updated PTM configuration for sending the at least one MBS when the wireless communication device is in an RRC inactive state.

[0009] In some arrangements, when the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the wireless communication device receives a PTM configuration from the network using first signaling specific to the wireless communication device, where the PTM configuration is used to receive at least one MBS. When the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the wireless communication device receives indication information from the network using second signaling specific to the wireless communication device, where the indication information indicates that the PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS is obtained from broadcast signaling.

[0010] In some arrangements, when the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the network sends a PTM configuration to the wireless communication device using first signaling specific to the wireless communication device, the PTM configuration being used to receive at least one MBS. When the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the network sends indication information to the wireless communication device using second signaling specific to the wireless communication device, the indication information indicating that the PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS is obtained from broadcast signaling.

[0011] The above and other aspects and embodiments thereof are described in more detail in the drawings, the description and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] These and other aspects and features of the present embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following description of specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example wireless communication network according to various arrangements.

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a block diagram of an example wireless communication system for transmitting and receiving downlink and uplink communication signals according to various arrangements.

[0015] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0016] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0017] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0018] Figure 6 is a table illustrating example PTM configurations bearer in UE-specific dedicated RRC reconfiguration according to various arrangements.

[0019] Figure 7 is a table showing example broadcast PTM configurations carried in MCCH according to some arrangements.

[0020] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0021] Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0022] Figure 10 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0023] Figure 11 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0024] Figure 12 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements.

[0025] Figure 13 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for managing an MBS according to various arrangements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided as illustrative examples of the embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice these embodiments and alternatives obvious to those skilled in the art. It is worth noting that the following figures and examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present embodiment to a single embodiment, and other embodiments are possible by exchanging some or all of the elements described or shown. In addition, where certain elements of the present embodiment can be implemented partially or entirely using known components, only those parts of such known components that are necessary for understanding the present embodiment will be described, and detailed descriptions of the remaining parts of such known components will be omitted to avoid obscuring the present embodiment. Unless otherwise provided herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that an embodiment described as being implemented in software should not be limited thereto, but may include embodiments implemented in hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, and vice versa. In this specification, embodiments showing a single component should not be considered restrictive. On the contrary, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the present disclosure is intended to encompass other embodiments including multiple identical components, and vice versa. In addition, unless expressly stated otherwise, the applicant does not intend to assign uncommon or special meanings to any term in the specification or claims. In addition, the present embodiment covers existing and future known equivalents of the known components mentioned herein by way of illustration.

[0027] In MBS deployment scenarios, cell congestion may occur frequently, given that the number of terminals or user equipment (UE) connected to the same cell and the limited amount of services carried by the cell are limited. The resulting cell congestion may result in the denial and / or reduction of transmission of other services and / or UEs, thereby negatively impacting the user experience.

[0028] In 5G NR, the UE has three radio resource control (RRC) states: RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_IDLE, and RRC_INACTIVE. The RRC_INACTIVE state is defined in 5G NR. For example, when the UE enters the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE retains part of the access network context. The core network may not be aware of the UE's transition to the RRC_INACTIVE state. In other words, the RRC_INACTIVE state may be transparent to the core network.

[0029] In the RRC inactive state, the UE transitions from the RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state through a connection recovery procedure to transmit or receive data. The RRC inactive state not only saves energy but also manages control plane latency (for example, a UE in the RRC inactive state can quickly enter the RRC connected state with lower control plane (CP) latency compared to a UE in the RRC idle state).

[0030] In some embodiments involving MBS multicast reception in cell congestion and / or power saving scenarios, some UEs using MBS multicast may be transitioned from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. Such UEs transition from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state to receive or continue receiving the multicast session.

[0031] In some embodiments, a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration delivery method is specified. For multicast services or multicast sessions, dedicated signaling is used. For broadcast services or broadcast sessions, only broadcast signaling (e.g., System Information Block (SIB) and MBS Control Channel (MCCH)) is used. For broadcast reception in other secondary cells (SCells), dedicated signaling for delivering system information may be used. The UE may receive multicast data or information while in the RRC inactive state.

[0032] The present application relates to enabling a UE to receive or continue to receive a multicast service in an RRC inactive state. To receive a multicast service, the UE needs to obtain the correct configuration, referred to herein as a PTM configuration, a multicast configuration, or an MBS configuration, which are used interchangeably. The PTM configuration includes information in at least the access layer that enables the UE to obtain multicast data. Multicast service and multicast session are used interchangeably to identify a multicast service in the context of a radio access network (RAN).

[0033] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network 100 is shown. The wireless communication network 100 corresponds to a group communication or multicast service within a cellular network. In the wireless communication network 100, the network side communication node or base station (BS) may include one or more of a next generation Node B (gNB), an E-Utran Node B (also known as an evolved Node B, eNodeB or eNB), a micro station, a femto station, a transmission / reception point (TRP), an access point (AP), etc. The terminal side node or UE may include a long-range communication system (such as but not limited to a mobile device, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer) or a short-range communication system (such as but not limited to a wearable device, a vehicle with an onboard communication system, etc.). As Figure 1 As shown, the network-side communication node is represented by BS 102, and the terminal-side communication node is represented by UE 104a or 104b. In some arrangements, BS 102 is sometimes referred to as a "wireless communication node," and UE 104a / 104b is sometimes referred to as a "wireless communication device."

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, BS 102 can provide wireless communication services to UEs 104a and 104b within cell 101. UE 104a can communicate with BS 102 via communication channel 103a. Similarly, UE 104b can communicate with BS 102 via communication channel 103b. The communication channels (e.g., 103a and 103b) can be through an interface, such as, but not limited to, a Uu interface, also known as a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) air interface. BS 102 is connected to a core network (CN) 108 via an external interface 107 (e.g., an NG interface).

[0035] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example wireless communication system 150 for transmitting and receiving downlink and uplink communication signals according to some arrangements of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 2, system 150 is a part of network 100. In system 150, wireless communication environment, such as Figure 1 Data symbols are transmitted and received in the wireless communication network 100.

[0036] System 150 generally includes a base station (BS) 102 and user equipment (UEs) 104a and 104b. BS 102 includes a BS transceiver module 110, a BS antenna 112, a BS memory module 116, a BS processor module 114, and a network communication module 118. These modules / components are coupled to and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 120. UE 104 includes a UE transceiver module 130a, a UE antenna 132a, a UE memory module 134a, and a UE processor module 136a. These modules / components are coupled to and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 140a. Similarly, UE 104b includes a UE transceiver module 130b, a UE antenna 132b, a UE memory module 134b, and a UE processor module 136b. These modules / components are coupled to and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 140b. BS 102 communicates with UEs 104a and 104b via communication channel 155, which may be any wireless channel or other medium known in the art suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0037] System 150 may further include any number of Figure 2 Modules / elements other than the modules / elements shown in . The various illustrative blocks, modules, elements, circuits, and processing logic described in conjunction with the arrangements disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art who are familiar with the concepts described herein can implement such functionality in an appropriate manner for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0038] Wireless transmissions from the antennas of each of UEs 104a and 104b to the antennas of BS 102 are referred to as uplink transmissions, and wireless transmissions from the antennas of BS 102 to the antennas of each of UEs 104a and 104b are referred to as downlink transmissions. According to some arrangements, each of UE transceiver modules 130a and 130b may be referred to herein as an uplink transceiver or UE transceiver. An uplink transceiver may include transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry, each coupled to a corresponding antenna 132a and 132b. A duplex switch may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-division duplexing manner. Similarly, BS transceiver module 110 may be referred to herein as a downlink transceiver or BS transceiver. A downlink transceiver may include RF transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry, each coupled to antenna 112. A downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to antenna 112 in a time-division duplexing manner. The operation of the transceivers 110, 130a, and 130b is coordinated in time such that the uplink receivers coupled to the antennas 132a and 132b receive transmissions over the wireless communication channel 155 at the same time as the downlink transmitters coupled to the antenna 112. In some arrangements, the UEs 104a and 104b may communicate with the BS 102 using the UE transceivers 130a and 130b through the respective antennas 132a and 132b via the wireless communication channel 155. The wireless communication channel 155 may be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL) data transmission as described herein.

[0039] The UE transceiver 130a / 130b and the BS transceiver 110 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication channel 155 and can cooperate with an appropriately configured antenna arrangement that supports a specific wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some arrangements, the UE transceiver 130a / 130b and the BS transceiver 110 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to specific standards and associated protocols in its application. Instead, the UE transceiver 130a / 130b and the BS transceiver 110 can be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0040] The processor modules 136a and 136b and 114 may be implemented or realized using a general purpose processor designed to perform the functions described herein, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. In this manner, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0041] In addition, the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the arrangements disclosed herein can be directly embodied in hardware, firmware, software modules, or any practical combination thereof, executed by the processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b, respectively. The memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or another suitable storage medium. In this regard, the memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can be coupled to the processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b, respectively, so that the processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b can read information from and write information to the memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b, respectively. The memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can also be integrated into their respective processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b. In some arrangements, the memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions to be executed by the processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b, respectively. The memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b, respectively.

[0042] The network interface 118 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of the BS 102 that enable bidirectional communication between the BS transceiver 110 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the BS 102. For example, the network interface 118 can be configured to support Internet or WiMAX services. In a typical deployment, without limitation, the network interface 118 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface so that the BS transceiver 110 can communicate with a conventional Ethernet-based computer network. In this manner, the network interface 118 can include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC)). As used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, the term "configured for" or "configured to" refers to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function. The network interface 118 can allow the BS 102 to communicate with other BSs or a core network via a wired or wireless connection.

[0043] BS 102 can communicate with multiple UEs (including UEs 104a and 104b) using multicast or broadcast (collectively referred to as MBS). Multiple UEs can each receive MBS services via multicast and / or broadcast. To receive MBS services, multiple UEs must have a common understanding of the configuration of the MBS service, including but not limited to the frequency resource range used for resource allocation, scrambling sequence, etc., referred to herein as PTM configuration, multicast configuration, or MBS configuration. The network (e.g., BS 102 or cell 101) can communicate the PTM configuration for MBS multicast reception to UEs 104a or 104b in different RRC states.

[0044] In some arrangements, UE 104a or 104b receives the PTM configuration or its update from the network (e.g., BS 102 or cell 101) via dedicated signaling specific to the UE. Examples of dedicated signaling include RRC reconfiguration signaling. For example, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the UE initiates an RRC connection recovery procedure to receive a PTM configuration update. When the UE is in an RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered by the network via dedicated signaling.

[0045] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method 300 for managing an MBS according to various arrangements. Figure 1-Figure 3 The method 300 may be performed by a network (eg, BS 102) and one of UEs 104a or 104b. The communication between the UE and the BS is performed by Figure 3 The method is performed on one of the channels 103a, 103b or 155 shown as dashed lines.

[0046] At step 305, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the network (e.g., BS 102) transmits a PTM configuration for each of the plurality of MBSs to the UE using UE-specific signaling (e.g., dedicated signaling). At step 310, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives the PTM configuration for each of the plurality of MBSs using UE-specific signaling. Accordingly, for a UE in an RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0047] In step 315, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the network transmits data corresponding to the multiple MBSs using the PTM configuration received in step 310. In step 320, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the UE receives data corresponding to the multiple MBSs from the network using the PTM configuration.

[0048] At step 325, the network releases the UE to the RRC inactive state. For example, the network sends a signaling or message to the UE indicating the release of the UE to the RRC inactive state. At step 330, the UE transitions from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

[0049] To continue multicast reception for some MBSs (referred to as at least one MBS) that the UE has been receiving since the RRC Connected state (e.g., in step 320), the corresponding PTM configuration, including the MBS Radio Bearer (MRB) and lower layer configuration for the multicast session associated with the at least one MBS, is retained. For example, in step 335, the UE retains the PTM configuration for the at least one MBS. In some examples, the at least one MBS may be some but not all of the multiple MBSs. In other examples, the at least one MBS may be all of the multiple MBSs.

[0050] At step 340, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the network transmits at least one MBS using the reserved PTM configuration. At step 345, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the UE receives at least one MBS using the reserved PTM configuration.

[0051] At step 350, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the UE may determine a triggering event. In some examples, the network may initiate paging to notify the UE of the triggering event, such as modifying the retained PTM configuration (including deactivation, activation, suspension, release, resumption, update, etc. of a multicast session). In some examples, the triggering event includes the UE detecting that the multicast reception quality has degraded beyond a certain threshold, causing the UE to initiate an RRC connection recovery procedure to update the retained PTM configuration through dedicated signaling. In response to the triggering event, the UE modifies the retained PTM configuration based on UE-specific signaling (dedicated signaling). Examples of UE-specific signaling include an RRC reconfiguration message or an RRC release message, which are sent separately to the UE and have UE-specific content.

[0052] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for managing MBS according to various arrangements. Figures 1-4 The method 400 may be performed by one of the UEs 104a or 104b. The method 300 is a specific embodiment of the method 400.

[0053] At step 410, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the UE receives a PTM configuration for each of the plurality of MBSs using UE-specific signaling. Accordingly, for the UE in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0054] At step 420, the UE transitions from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. At step 430, in response to transitioning to the RRC inactive state, the UE receives data for at least one of the plurality of MBSs using the PTM configuration received in the RRC connected state while in the RRC inactive state.

[0055] In some arrangements, the method 400 further comprises determining, by the UE in the RRC inactive state, a triggering event. In response to determining the triggering event, modifying, by the UE, a PTM configuration for the UE.

[0056] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 500 for managing MBS according to various arrangements. Figure 1-Figure 5 The method 500 may be performed by a network (eg, BS 102 ). The method 300 is a specific embodiment of the method 500 .

[0057] At step 510, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the network sends the PTM configuration for each of the multiple MBSs to the UE using UE-specific signaling. Accordingly, for the UE in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0058] In step 520, the network releases the UE from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. In step 530, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the network transmits data for at least one MBS among the plurality of MBSs using the PTM configuration transmitted when the UE was in the RRC connected state.

[0059] In some arrangements, the method 500 further includes sending, by the network, the updated PTM configuration for the at least one MBS to the UE using UE-specific signaling or broadcast signaling when the UE is in the RRC inactive state.

[0060] In some arrangements, when a UE is in an RRC inactive state, in order to continue receiving at least one MBS, where the at least one MBS is a subset of multiple MBSs received when the UE is in an RRC connected state, at least one MBS to be received or to continue receiving in the RRC inactive state is identified. That is, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, not all of the multiple MBSs need to be or can be received. The at least one MBS is a subset of the multiple MBSs received when the UE is in the RRC connected state using a PTM configuration.

[0061] For example, compared to a UE in an RRC connected state, when a UE is in an RRC inactive state, the network (e.g., BS 102) cannot adaptively adjust the configuration based on the UE's reception quality. Therefore, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, an MBS with high quality of service (QoS) requirements is not transmitted to the UE. The selection of at least one MBS may be determined by the UE or by BS 102.

[0062] In some examples, the UE determines whether the MBS can be received in the RRC inactive state based on one or more conditions. In this regard, the method 400 also includes selecting, by the UE, at least one MBS from the plurality of MBSs based on a QoS requirement of each of the plurality of MBSs.

[0063] The factors may include whether the PTM configuration of the MBS includes a mechanism for high QoS requirements. In an example where the PTM configuration of the MBS includes a mechanism for high QoS, the MBS is suspended in an RRC inactive state. On the other hand, in an example where the PTM configuration of the MBS does not include any mechanism for high QoS, the MBS continues to be received in an RRC inactive state. The factors for determining the high QoS requirements include at least one of the following: whether a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback configuration is used for each of a plurality of MBSs, whether an Acknowledge Mode (AM) of a Radio Link Control (RLC) is configured for at least one MBS Radio Bearer (MRB) of each of a plurality of MBSs; or whether a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) status report configuration is used for at least one MRB of each of a plurality of MBSs. In other words, the UE considers whether the PTM configuration includes a mechanism for high QoS requirements by considering whether HARQ feedback is configured, whether the configured MRBs have RLC AM mode, whether certain MRBs are configured for PDCP status reporting, etc. In some examples, configuring HARQ feedback for an MBS indicates that the MBS has high QoS requirements. In some examples, enabling RLC AM for an MBS indicates that the MBS has high QoS requirements. In some examples, enabling PDCP status reporting for an MBS indicates that the MBS has high QoS requirements.

[0064] In some examples, in response to determining that each of the at least one PTM configurations satisfies a retention condition (e.g., lack of a high QoS mechanism), in response to step 330, the PTM configuration of the corresponding MBS session (e.g., at least one MBS) is retained (not suspended), and data for the at least one MBS may be received in an RRC inactive state. In some examples, in response to determining that the MRBs of each of the at least one PTM configurations satisfy a retention condition (e.g., lack of a high QoS mechanism), in response to step 330, the corresponding lower layer configuration of the corresponding MBS session (e.g., at least one MBS) is retained (not suspended), and at least one MBS for the corresponding MBS multicast session may be received in an RRC inactive state.

[0065] In some examples, the network (e.g., BS 102) determines whether an MBS can be received in an RRC inactive state based on one or more conditions. For example, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the network may determine to stop transmitting MBSs or their sessions with low QoS requirements, such as no data transmission, intermittent data transmission, or temporary data transmission. To reduce energy consumption of the UE monitoring MBSs with low QoS requirements, the network may indicate to the UE whether to transmit MBSs to the UE when the UE is in the RRC inactive state. In other words, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the indication from the network to the UE may selectively indicate which MBS or MRBs the UE requires in order for the UE to receive MBS data or continue to receive multicast data. Therefore, method 400 also includes receiving, by the UE, an indication identifying at least one MBS from the base station, wherein, in response to receiving the indication, receiving or continuing to receive the at least one MBS in the RRC inactive state. Method 500 also includes determining, by the network, to transmit or continue to transmit at least one MBS to the UE when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, and transmitting, by the network, the indication identifying the at least one MBS to the UE.

[0066] In some arrangements, the network may send such an indication via RRC signaling. In some examples, the RRC signaling includes RRC reconfiguration. The RRC reconfiguration signaling or message includes indication information for indicating that the retained PTM configuration for at least one MBS is retained when the UE is in the RRC inactive state. In other words, after the UE receives an RRC release with a suspension configuration and transitions to the RRC inactive state in step 330, the UE will retain the retained PTM configuration, including all or some multicast MRBs indicated in the RRC reconfiguration, and the lower layer configuration corresponding to the corresponding MBS session. In the RRC inactive state, the UE receives or continues to receive data for the corresponding at least one MBS.

[0067] In some examples, the indication for identifying the retained PTM configuration may be based on MBS or based on MRB. In other words, the indication may identify each of the at least one MBS to be retained (the indication information may include a list of MBS identities, such as a temporary mobile group identity (TMGI)), or may identify each MRB to be used for the at least one MBS. If the indication is based on MRB, then in the RRC inactive state, the UE retains only the indicated MRBs and their lower layer configurations in the at least one identified MBS. That is, upon transitioning to the RRC inactive state, other MRBs of the PTM configuration will be suspended. If the indication is based on MBS, then upon transitioning to the RRC inactive state, all MRBs and their lower layer configurations of the at least one MBS identified by the indication are retained. Upon transitioning to the RRC inactive state, the MRBs associated with the at least one MBS identified by the indication are not suspended.

[0068] In some examples, the RRC signaling includes an RRC release that includes a list of indication information regarding which PTM configurations (referred to as at least one MBS) are retained when the UE is in an RRC inactive state. The indication information may include a list of MBS identifiers, such as temporary mobile group identifiers (TMGIs). In response to the UE receiving an RRC release with a suspension configuration from the network (e.g., in step 325), the UE does not suspend any MRBs associated with at least one MBS in the list, and does not reset the HARQ processes and related timers associated with the at least one MBS. In the RRC inactive state, the UE receives or continues to receive data for the at least one MBS. In some examples, the network provides a list of MRB IDs and a list of multicast services in the RRC release signaling or message. The UE retains only the indicated MRBs and suspends the other MRBs.

[0069] Thus, the UE receives the indication via RRC reconfiguration or RRC release. The indication includes an indication for each of a plurality of MBSs or for each MRB associated with a plurality of MBSs. The indication includes a list of at least one MBS or a list of at least one MRB to be retained when the UE is in an RRC inactive state. In some examples, in response to transitioning to an RRC inactive state, the UE performs at least one of the following: retaining (e.g., not suspending) the indicated at least one MRB, stopping all running timers except a multicast discontinuous reception (DRX) timer for the indicated at least one MBS, refreshing all soft buffers for downlink HARQ processes except a downlink HARQ process for the indicated at least one MBS, or continuing to monitor a group-radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) corresponding to the indicated at least one MBS.

[0070] In some arrangements, the triggering event includes the network (e.g., BS 102) sending a notification to the UE. In response to receiving the notification, the UE modifies the PTM configuration for at least one MBS. In some examples, the notification includes a paging. The network can apply a group paging mechanism to notify multiple UEs via paging. The paging payload of the paging contains a list of MBS session IDs (e.g., a TMGI list) to which the UE has joined. The notification also includes a notification event associated with the MBS session ID.

[0071] For a UE receiving MBS in an RRC inactive state, triggering events or conditions for group paging include MBS suspension, MBS resumption, MBS deactivation, MBS activation, MBS release, or PTM configuration update, to reduce unnecessary monitoring energy consumption and lower the frequency of RRC state transitions.

[0072] Regarding MBS suspension, the notification indicates that one of the at least one MBSs is suspended. Modifying the PTM configuration includes stopping, by the UE, monitoring the one MBS when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, and suspending the PTM configuration corresponding to the one MBS when the UE is in an RRC inactive state. For example, a radio access network (RAN) node suspends transmission of the MBS. Therefore, the UE does not need to resume the RRC connection to receive the suspension configuration, but can maintain the MBS reception suspension configuration in the RRC inactive state by, for example, suspending the associated MRB and stopping MBS data reception in the MAC and physical layers (e.g., stopping the G-RNTI for MBS monitoring).

[0073] When the UE is in the RRC Inactive state, if there is no data transmission in the RAN, monitoring MBS data will result in unnecessary power consumption. To improve power efficiency, the network can use group paging functionality (e.g., notification) to notify the UE that certain MBSs are suspended or instruct the UE to stop monitoring such MBSs and suspend the associated PTM configuration (i.e., without releasing the configuration). In one example, indication information (e.g., a 1-bit indication) is associated with the MBS session identifier in the group paging payload, indicating that the MBS session has been suspended. Upon receiving such a group paging, the UE stops monitoring MBS data and suspends the associated PTM configuration. In one example, if there is no such indication information, the UE initiates a traditional RRC connection recovery procedure and transitions to the RRC Connected state.

[0074] Regarding MBS resumption, the network resumes transmission of the MBS. Consequently, the UE resumes the associated MRB and resumes G-RNTI monitoring of the resumed MBS while remaining in the RRC inactive state. Therefore, the notification indicates the resumption of one MBS. Modifying the PTM configuration includes, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, resuming, by the UE, the PTM configuration corresponding to the one MBS, and, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, receiving the one MBS using the PTM configuration.

[0075] To improve power efficiency, certain MBSs with low QoS that have no data for the UE and that are temporarily unavailable to the UE may be suspended when the UE is in the RRC inactive state. The network may use a group paging function (e.g., a notification) to resume reception of such MBSs. In one example, an indication (e.g., a 1-bit indication) is associated with an MBS session identifier in the group paging payload, indicating that the MBS session has been resumed. Upon receiving such a group paging, the UE resumes the corresponding MBS MRBs and lower layer configurations for the MBS session and begins multicast data monitoring. In one example, if there is no such indication, the UE initiates a conventional RRC connection recovery procedure and transitions to the RRC connected state.

[0076] Regarding MBS deactivation, in response to receiving MBS deactivation signaling from the core network, the RAN node releases MBS radio resources and ceases MBS transmission. In response to receiving a notification indicating MBS deactivation, the UE releases associated PTM configurations (e.g., lower-layer MRB and PTM configurations) and ceases multicast reception. Thus, the notification indicates the deactivation of one of the at least one MBSs. Modifying the PTM configuration includes, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, ceasing monitoring of the one MBS by the UE and, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, releasing the PTM configuration corresponding to the one MBS.

[0077] If no data for an MBS is being transmitted and the MBS has been deactivated in the network, monitoring MBS data for a UE in an RRC-inactive state results in unnecessary power consumption. While the network can also notify the UE to resume the RRC connection, this may incur additional signaling overhead. To improve power efficiency, the network uses group paging functionality (e.g., notification) to notify the UE that certain MBSs are deactivated. Upon receiving this indication, the UE stops monitoring such MBSs and releases the associated PTM configuration.

[0078] In one example, an indication (e.g., a 1-bit indication) is associated with the MBS session identifier in the group paging payload, indicating that the MBS session has been deactivated. Upon receiving such a group paging, the UE stops monitoring MBS data and releases the associated PTM configuration. In one example, if no such indication is present, the UE initiates a conventional RRC connection recovery procedure, transitioning to the RRC connected state.

[0079] Regarding PTM configuration updates. The network may update the PTM configuration of certain MBSs in at least one MBS. If the network updates the PTM configuration, for example, by reallocating radio resources used for the MBS, the UE may need to frequently transition between the RRC Inactive and RRC Connected states, which results in unnecessary power consumption and signaling overhead. To improve power and air interface resource efficiency, the network uses a group paging function (e.g., notification) to notify the UE that the PTM configuration for a certain multicast has been updated and / or indicates the delivery method of the updated configuration (i.e., RRC dedicated signaling or MCCH).

[0080] In one example, indication information (e.g., a 1-bit indication) is associated with an MBS session identifier in a group paging payload, indicating that the PTM configuration for the MBS session has been updated. Upon receiving such a group paging message, the UE initiates an RRC connection recovery procedure and may add a recovery cause value to indicate that the reason for the recovery is a PTM configuration update. BS 102 may include the PTM configuration in an RRC message (e.g., RRC release). Upon receiving the RRC message, the UE updates the PTM configuration for the associated MBS and continues to receive data for the MBS in an RRC inactive state. In some examples, the notification indicates an update of the PTM configuration for one of the at least one MBSs. Modifying the PTM configuration includes initiating an RRC connection recovery procedure by the UE. In response to initiating the RRC connection recovery procedure, the UE receives indication information for one of the at least one MBSs from the network. In some examples, the UE receives the updated PTM configuration for the one of the at least one MBSs, and the UE receives data corresponding to the updated PTM configuration from the network. In some examples, the indication information is the updated PTM configuration, and the indication information is received by the UE via an RRC release. Accordingly, when the UE initiates an RRC connection recovery procedure, in some examples, the updated PTM configuration is sent to the UE via an RRC release. In other examples, the UE initiates an RRC connection recovery procedure and actually enters the RRC connected state to receive the update. In one example, the indication information is the updated PTM configuration, and the UE indicates the MBS session ID in the RRC recovery message or uses the MBS session ID as the UE contention resolution identifier in the random access procedure. The subsequent RRC release message includes the updated PTM configuration.

[0081] In another example, an indication (e.g., a 1-bit indication) is associated with the MBS session identifier in the group paging payload, indicating that the PTM configuration for the MBS session has been updated. Upon receiving such a group paging, the UE updates the PTM configuration obtained from the broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH) and continues to receive data for the MBS in the RRC inactive state. In some examples, the network sends an indication to the UE via RRC release to instruct the UE to obtain the updated PTM configuration from the broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH). The UE receives the updated PTM configuration from the broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH).

[0082] In another example, if there is no such indication information, the UE initiates a traditional RRC connection recovery procedure and transitions to the RRC connected state.

[0083] The network can use signaling (such as group paging associated with the MBS session ID list in the paging payload) to send a notification indicating that the PTM configuration of at least one MBS has been modified. Depending on the supported functions, the notification can have different lengths. For example, if only suspend and resume are required, one bit is required. If suspend, resume, deactivate, and update functions are required, two bits are required.

[0084] In some arrangements, when the UE is in RRC inactive state, the update of the PTM configuration may be triggered by a MAC CE. When the UE is in RRC inactive state, the network may use a MAC CE to indicate the update of the PTM configuration (including suspension, resumption, deactivation and update for certain MBSs).

[0085] In one example, the network transmits a MAC CE including indication information to the UE (e.g., via multiplexing with multicast data) to indicate one or more of suspension, resumption, deactivation, and update for a certain MBS, where the indication information is identified by a corresponding logical channel ID (LCID).

[0086] Regarding MBS suspension, the RAN node (e.g., BS 102) suspends MBS transmission. Therefore, the UE does not need to resume the RRC connection to receive the suspension configuration. Instead, it remains in the RRC inactive state to suspend the MBS reception configuration, for example, by suspending the associated MRBs and stopping MBS data reception in the MAC and physical layers. For example, the UE may stop monitoring the G-RNTI for the multicast service.

[0087] Regarding MBS resumption, the network resumes MBS transmission. Therefore, the UE resumes the associated MRB and resumes G-RNTI monitoring while remaining in the RRC inactive state.

[0088] Regarding MBS deactivation, in response to receiving MBS deactivation signaling from the core network, the RAN node (e.g., BS 102) releases MBS radio resources and stops MBS transmission. In response to receiving such an indication, the UE releases the associated PTM configuration (e.g., MRB and PTM configuration in lower layers) and stops MBS reception.

[0089] Regarding PTM configuration update, the network may update the PTM configuration of certain MBSs. In response to receiving a MACCE indicating an update, the UE initiates an RRC connection resumption procedure and adds a resumption-causing value to indicate that the reason for resuming RRC is an update of the PTM configuration of the MBS.

[0090] In some examples, the network may transmit a MAC CE to the UE via PTM, the MAC CE being identified by the corresponding G-RNTI associated with the MBS.

[0091] Therefore, in some arrangements, determining the triggering event includes, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, receiving, by the UE from the network, a MAC CE indicating modification of a PTM configuration for one of the at least one MBSs. The MAC CE includes a service ID or service index of the MBS. Modifying the PTM configuration includes one of MBS suspension, MBS resumption, MBS deactivation, or updating the PTM configuration.

[0092] In some arrangements, the RRC connection recovery process is triggered when the UE is in an RRC inactive state and the MBS reception quality drops to a certain threshold. The MBS reception quality can be determined by BS102 or the UE. For example, the UE can measure at least one of the reference signal received power (RSRP) or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) of the configured measurement resources, the packet loss rate (e.g., in the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), or the block error rate (BLER) in layer 1), etc. The network (e.g., BS102) can indicate the relevant threshold to the UE in dedicated signaling, or alternatively, the UE can determine the relevant threshold. Accordingly, in other words, the reception quality is determined based on at least one of the measured signal strength or packet loss rate.

[0093] When the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the UE continuously monitors these indicators (e.g., measured signal strength or packet loss rate) while receiving at least one MBS. In response to determining that the reception quality of the MBS has degraded to a threshold, the UE initiates the RRC connection recovery procedure. The UE sets the recovery cause value to indicate that the reason for initiating the RRC connection recovery procedure is the deterioration of reception quality.

[0094] In some examples, the network (e.g., BS 102) can restore the UE's RRC connection to update the PTM configuration or add the PTM configuration in dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC release). Upon receiving such an RRC message, the UE updates the PTM configuration of the MBS and continues to receive data for the MBS in the RRC connected or RRC inactive state.

[0095] Accordingly, in some examples, determining a triggering event includes determining, by a UE in an RRC inactive state, that reception quality of one of the at least one MBSs is below a threshold. Modifying a PTM configuration includes updating the PTM configuration for the one MBS by the UE initiating an RRC connection recovery procedure and adding a recovery-initiating value to indicate initiation of the RRC connection recovery procedure. Furthermore, the UE receives an updated PTM configuration for the one MBS from the network. The UE receives the one MBS from the network using the updated PTM configuration.

[0096] In some arrangements, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, in order to reduce the state transition frequency caused by the PTM configuration update, the PTM configuration can be transmitted in the RRC. Therefore, modifying the PTM configuration of at least one MBS includes receiving an updated PTM configuration in RRC release signaling, wherein the updated PTM configuration includes at least one of a multicast configuration and a broadcast configuration. The form of the PTM configuration in the RRC release includes, but is not limited to, a multicast configuration carried in a dedicated RRC reconfiguration specific to the UE or a broadcast PTM configuration carried in the MCCH for multiple UEs. For example, Figure 6 is a table illustrating example PTM configurations bearer in a UE-specific dedicated RRC reconfiguration according to some arrangements. Figure 7 is a table showing example broadcast PTM configurations carried in MCCH according to some arrangements.

[0097] In some arrangements, when the UE 104a or 104b is in an RRC connected or RRC inactive state, the UE receives a PTM configuration or an update thereof from the network (e.g., BS 102 or cell 101) via broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH). For example, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE monitors the broadcast signaling or MCCH to receive a PTM configuration or an update thereof for multicast. When the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the UE monitors the broadcast signaling or MCCH to receive a PTM configuration or an update thereof for multicast, so that the UE can receive the PTM configuration or an update thereof without resuming the RRC connection.

[0098] In some arrangements, to minimize protocol modifications, the multicast PTM configuration carried in the MCCH may be the same as the broadcast PTM configuration, an example of which is shown in Figure 7 Shown in.

[0099] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 800 for managing MBS according to various arrangements. Figures 1-8 The method 800 may be performed by a network (eg, BS 102) and one of UEs 104a or 104b. The communication between the UE and the BS is performed by Figure 8The method is performed on one of the channels 103a, 103b or 155 shown as dashed lines.

[0100] In step 802, the network (e.g., BS 102) sends indication information indicating that a PTM configuration for each of a plurality of MBSs is to be obtained from broadcast signaling when the UE is in an RRC connected state. In step 804, the UE receives indication information indicating that a PTM configuration for each of a plurality of MBSs is to be obtained from broadcast signaling, wherein the broadcast signaling is received when the UE is in an RRC connected state.

[0101] At step 805, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the network (e.g., BS 102) transmits a PTM configuration for each of the plurality of MBSs to the UE using broadcast signaling. At step 810, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives the PTM configuration for each of the plurality of MBSs using broadcast signaling. Accordingly, for the UE in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered to the UE via broadcast signaling.

[0102] In step 815, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the network transmits data corresponding to multiple MBSs using the PTM configuration received in step 810. In step 820, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the UE receives data corresponding to multiple MBSs from the network using the PTM configuration.

[0103] At step 825, the network releases the UE to the RRC inactive state. For example, the network sends appropriate signaling, a message, or a notification to the UE indicating that the UE is to be released to the RRC inactive state. At step 830, the UE transitions from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

[0104] In step 835, the UE monitors broadcast signaling for PTM configuration updates. In step 840, the network transmits the updated PTM configuration via broadcast signaling. In step 845, the UE receives the updated PTM configuration via broadcast signaling. In step 850, the network transmits at least one MBS using the updated PTM configuration. In step 855, the UE receives at least one MBS using the updated PTM configuration.

[0105] Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 900 for managing MBS according to various arrangements. Figures 1-9 The method 900 may be performed by one of the UEs 104a or 104b. The method 800 is a specific embodiment of the method 900.

[0106] At step 910, while the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives indication information indicating that a PTM configuration for each of a plurality of MBSs is obtained from broadcast signaling. At step 920, while the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives a PTM configuration for each of the plurality of MBSs using broadcast signaling for receiving the plurality of MBSs. The PTM configuration is used to receive the plurality of MBSs while the UE is in the RRC connected state.

[0107] In some arrangements, method 900 further includes receiving, by the UE, a plurality of MBSs from a network based on a PTM configuration while the UE is in an RRC connected state. The UE transitions from the RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state. While in the RRC inactive state, the UE monitors broadcast signaling for PTM configuration. The UE receives the PTM configuration from the network using the broadcast signaling. The PTM configuration is for receiving at least one MBS while the UE is in the RRC connected state. The UE receives the at least one MBS from the network based on the PTM configuration.

[0108] Figure 10 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 1000 for managing an MBS according to various arrangements. Figures 1-10 The method 1000 may be performed by a network (eg, BS 102). The method 800 is a specific implementation of the method 1000.

[0109] In step 1010, the network (e.g., BS 102) sends indication information to the UE using UE-specific signaling, where the indication information indicates that the PTM configuration for each of the multiple MBSs is obtained from broadcast signaling for transmitting multiple MBSs when the UE is in an RRC connected state and for transmitting at least one MBS when the UE is in an RRC connected state.

[0110] At step 1020, the network sends, to the UE using broadcast signaling, a PTM configuration for sending a plurality of MBSs when the UE is in an RRC connected state and a PTM configuration for sending at least one MBS when the UE is in an RRC inactive state.

[0111] In some arrangements, method 1000 further includes, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, transmitting, by the network, a plurality of MBSs to the UE based on a PTM configuration. The network releases the UE from the RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state. When the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the UE transmits, based on the PTM configuration, at least one MBS to the UE.

[0112] In some examples, there are multicast services with both high and low QoS requirements. Multicast PTM configuration via broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH) lacks the flexibility of UE-level configuration, which may not provide high QoS requirements. For high-QoS multicast services, dedicated signaling can be used to transmit the PTM configuration to ensure reliability. For low-QoS multicast services, the UE can obtain the PTM configuration by monitoring MCCH signaling based on the gNB's scalability indication, even if the UE is in the RRC Connected state.

[0113] In some arrangements, a method can be used to indicate a method for distributing a PTM configuration to UEs via broadcast signaling. This method uses the MCCH that carries the PTM configuration for UEs that need to receive MBS and other auxiliary information, such as the service availability of an MBS service in a neighboring cell. The MCCH also uses modification cycles, where modifications to the MCCH content are only allowed at the boundaries of each modification cycle. A notification mechanism is used to announce changes in the MCCH content due to the start, modification, or termination of a broadcast session and modifications to neighboring cell information.

[0114] When the UE is in the RRC connected state, the UE obtains the PTM configuration by receiving the MCCH, which can be used when the UE is in the RRC inactive state. In this case, it would be beneficial to use some dedicated signaling to assist the UE in obtaining the broadcast (e.g., MCCH) information to reduce power consumption and overall signaling overhead. The auxiliary information or indication information through dedicated signaling (e.g., UE-specific signaling) includes: (1) information indicating that the PTM configuration is through broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH); (2) associated system information blocks (SIBs) required for receiving the broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH); and (3) related broadcast (e.g., MCCH) information, including information required for receiving the PTM configuration.

[0115] Accordingly, indication information is received using UE-specific signaling (e.g., dedicated signaling). The indication information instructs the UE to obtain PTM information from broadcast signaling. The indication information includes at least one of the following: whether the PTM configuration of at least one MBS is provided by broadcast signaling, a SIB for receiving the configuration of the broadcast signaling, and broadcast signaling containing multiple MBSs and / or the PTM configuration of at least one MBS.

[0116] In some arrangements, dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration) carries indication information that instructs the UE to obtain multicast PTM configuration or an update of the multicast PTM configuration by monitoring the MCCH when in an RRC connected state. In other words, the indication information includes an indication for receiving at least one of the PTM configuration or the PTM configuration update via broadcast signaling. After receiving the indication information, the UE starts an MCCH process to receive multicast data, for example, receives a SIB to obtain configuration information of the MCCH, and then obtains relevant multicast PTM configuration information by monitoring the MCCH. The method further includes monitoring, by the UE, an SIB message containing a configuration for receiving broadcast signaling. The UE receives broadcast signaling containing the PTM configuration or the PTM configuration update from the network. The UE receives data corresponding to at least one MBS from the network based on the updated PTM configuration.

[0117] In some arrangements, dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration) carries an associated system information block message, which contains the information required to receive the MCCH. The UE performs MCCH monitoring based on this information. In some examples, the SIB message explicitly indicates that for such MBS, the UE obtains the PTM configuration by monitoring the MCCH rather than dedicated signaling. In the absence of such an indication, the UE assumes that the PTM configuration is delivered by a traditional configuration method (e.g., by dedicated signaling). Accordingly, the indication information includes the SIB message. The SIB message contains a configuration for receiving broadcast signaling. The indication information indicates that the PTM configuration or PTM configuration update is obtained from the broadcast signaling. The SIB message is used to obtain the configuration for receiving the broadcast signaling. Data corresponding to the MBS is received based on the PTM configuration. This mechanism reduces the delay in acquiring the associated SIB.

[0118] In some configurations, dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration) carries the MCCH content or the entire MCCH content for the MBS that the UE is interested in, which indicates that for such MBS, the corresponding PTM configuration is delivered through a method similar to MCCH. After receiving the MCCH content, the UE then applies the multicast PTM configuration in the MCCH content and performs multicast data reception based on the information. The UE can obtain the MCCH by monitoring the MCCH and MCCH change notification on its own after the MCCH monitoring process, or obtain the MCCH through another dedicated signaling containing the MCCH content. The indication information includes broadcast signaling information, which contains the PTM configuration for at least one MBS. In some arrangements, broadcast signaling information containing the PTM configuration for at least one MBS is received. Data corresponding to at least one MBS is received based on the PTM configuration. This mechanism reduces the delay caused by monitoring the MCCH.

[0119] In some arrangements, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the UE regularly monitors the MCCH during a modification period to obtain the multicast PTM configuration. Compared to a dedicated signaling configuration, scalability is improved and the air interface overhead caused by the configuration update is reduced if there are a large number of UEs in the cell that consume the same MBS. However, continuously monitoring the MCCH also introduces additional power consumption, especially in the current MCCH modification notification mechanism, in which the UE must monitor the MCCH change notification in each modification period. This is also true for modifications to other MBSs in the cell (broadcast services and multicast services, if the MCCH is also used for multicast services for UEs in the RRC inactive state). Therefore, it is very likely that the UE monitors the MCCH but the PTM configuration it is interested in is not updated.

[0120] In some examples, to reduce power consumption and notify the UE of a PTM update for a multicast service, the network sends a short message with a group paging message to the UE. In response to receiving the short message indicating a PTM update for an MBS, the UE applies the MCCH acquisition procedure in the next modification. If no short message is received, the UE does not perform the MCCH acquisition procedure. Therefore, in some arrangements, the UE receives a short message from the network indicating a PTM configuration update. In response to receiving the short message, the UE performs an acquisition procedure (e.g., an MCCH acquisition procedure) to acquire broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

[0121] In some examples, to reduce power consumption in monitoring MCCH and multicast service changes, the network sends an indication in downlink control information (DCI) to indicate whether there is a PTM configuration update or modification for the MBS. For UEs interested only in multicast services, if there is no such indication, the UE can ignore MCCH reception during the modification period. Therefore, in some arrangements, the UE receives DCI broadcast signaling from the network indicating a PTM configuration update. In response to receiving the DCI, the UE performs an acquisition procedure to obtain the broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

[0122] In some examples, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the network can notify the UE via dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC CE) to indicate that the PTM configuration of the multicast service of interest to the UE is about to be updated. In the current or next modification period, the UE monitors the MCCH transmission to receive the latest PTM configuration of the multicast service of interest to it. Therefore, in some arrangements, the UE receives a MAC CE from the network indicating a PTM configuration update. In response to receiving the MAC CE, the UE performs an acquisition procedure to obtain broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

[0123] In some arrangements, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives UE-specific update signaling from the network indicating a PTM configuration update. In response to receiving the update signaling, the UE monitors broadcast signaling in a current or next modification period to obtain a PTM configuration update.

[0124] In some arrangements, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, if indication information indicating a multicast PTM configuration is obtained from the MCCH and is added for the UE in the RRC connected state, a method similar to the MCCH is performed by the UE in the RRC inactive state. For example, the UE receives indication information from the network, indicating that the PTM configuration and the PTM configuration update are received via broadcast signaling in both the RRC connected state and the RRC inactive state.

[0125] In some arrangements, the UE 104a or 104b receives the PTM configuration or its update from the network (e.g., BS 102 or cell 101) via dedicated signaling and broadcast signaling. For example, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the UE monitors broadcast signaling (e.g., MCCH) to receive the PTM configuration or its update for multicast. When the UE is in the RRC connected state, the UE receives the PTM configuration from the network via dedicated signaling.

[0126] In some arrangements, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration of the MBS is obtained from dedicated signaling. When the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the PTM configuration of the MBS is obtained from broadcast signaling (eg, MCCH).

[0127] Figure 11 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 1100 for managing MBS according to various arrangements. Figures 1-11 The method 1100 may be performed by a network (eg, BS 102) and one of UEs 104a or 104b. The communication between the UE and the BS is performed by Figure 11 The method is performed on one of the channels 103a, 103b or 155 shown as dashed lines.

[0128] At step 1105, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the network (e.g., BS 102) transmits a PTM configuration for each of the at least one MBS to the UE using first UE-specific signaling (e.g., dedicated signaling). At step 1110, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives a PTM configuration for one of the at least one MBS using first UE-specific signaling. Accordingly, for the UE in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0129] In step 1115, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the network transmits data corresponding to at least one MBS using the PTM configuration received in step 1110. In step 1120, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the UE receives data corresponding to at least one MBS from the network using the PTM configuration.

[0130] At step 1125, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the network sends indication information to the UE using second signaling, indicating that the PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS is obtained from broadcast signaling when the UE is in an RRC inactive state. At step 1130, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives indication information from the network using second UE-specific signaling, indicating that the PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS is obtained from broadcast signaling when the UE is in an RRC inactive state. In some examples, the first signaling and the second signaling are the same signaling. In other examples, the first signaling and the second signaling are different.

[0131] At step 1135, the network releases the UE to the RRC inactive state. For example, the network sends appropriate signaling, a message, or a notification to the UE indicating the release of the UE to the RRC inactive state. At step 1140, the UE transitions from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

[0132] At step 1145, the UE monitors broadcast signaling for a PTM configuration for any one of the at least one MBS or a PTM configuration update for any one of the at least one MBS. At step 1150, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the network sends a PTM configuration update or a PTM configuration via broadcast signaling. At step 1155, when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, the UE receives a PTM configuration update or a PTM configuration from the network via broadcast signaling.

[0133] At step 1160, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the network transmits at least one MBS using the updated PTM configuration. At step 1165, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the UE receives at least one MBS using the updated PTM configuration.

[0134] Figure 12 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 1200 for managing MBS according to various arrangements. Figures 1-12 , method 1200 may be performed by one of UEs 104a or 104b. Method 1100 is a specific implementation of method 1200.

[0135] At step 1210, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives a PTM configuration for each of the at least one MBS using a first UE-specific signaling. Accordingly, for the UE in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0136] At step 1220, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the UE receives indication information from the network using a second UE-specific signaling, where the indication information indicates that a PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS is obtained from broadcast signaling when the UE is in an RRC inactive state. In some examples, the first signaling and the second signaling are the same signaling. In other examples, the first signaling and the second signaling are different.

[0137] In some arrangements, method 1200 further includes: receiving, by the UE, a PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS from the network using broadcast signaling when the UE is in an RRC inactive state; and receiving, by the UE, the PTM configuration from the broadcast signaling from the network when the UE is in an RRC inactive state.

[0138] The indication information includes at least one of information indicating: a PTM configuration of at least one MBS provided by broadcast signaling, a SIB for receiving broadcast signaling, and broadcast signaling information including the PTM configuration of at least one MBS used in an RRC inactive state.

[0139] Figure 13 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 1300 for managing MBS according to various arrangements. Figures 1-13 , method 1300 may be performed by a network (eg, BS 102 ). Method 1100 is a specific implementation of method 1300 .

[0140] At step 1310, when the UE is in an RRC connected state, the network (e.g., BS 102) sends a PTM configuration for each of the at least one MBS to the UE using a first signaling specific to the UE (e.g., dedicated signaling). Accordingly, for the UE in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration is delivered to the UE via dedicated signaling.

[0141] At step 1320, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the network sends indication information to the UE using second signaling, where the indication information indicates that the PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS is obtained from broadcast signaling when the UE is in the RRC inactive state. In some examples, the first signaling and the second signaling are the same signaling. In other examples, the first signaling and the second signaling are different.

[0142] In some examples, method 1300 further includes: when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, sending a PTM configuration for receiving at least one MBS to the UE using broadcast signaling through the network; and when the UE is in an RRC inactive state, sending a PTM configuration update to the network through the UE.

[0143] Accordingly, when the UE is in the RRC connected state, the PTM configuration of the MBS is delivered via dedicated signaling. In response to the network releasing the UE to the RRC inactive state, in order to continue MBS reception, the PTM configuration is re-acquired from the broadcast (eg, MCCH).

[0144] When the UE is in the RRC inactive state, it is beneficial to utilize some dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC reconfiguration, RRC release, etc.) to assist the UE in obtaining MCCH information. This is to reduce power consumption and overall signaling overhead. The dedicated signaling indication information includes at least one of the following information: whether the MBS configuration is broadcast (e.g., MCCH), the associated SIBs required for receiving the MCCH, and related MCCH information, including information required for receiving the MBS configuration.

[0145] In some examples, an RRC reconfiguration carries indication information that instructs the UE to obtain a multicast PTM configuration or a multicast PTM configuration update by monitoring the MCCH while in an RRC inactive state. Accordingly, in some examples, the indication information includes an indication that at least one of the PTM configuration or the PTM configuration update for at least one MBS is received via broadcast signaling. When the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the broadcast signaling is received and monitored by the UE in response to receiving the indication. The indication information is carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0146] In one example, in response to receiving an indication and in response to the UE being released by the network into an RRC inactive state, the corresponding PTM configuration, e.g., associated MRBs and lower layer configurations of the multicast session, is temporarily retained to continue MBS reception. The UE initiates an MCCH-like process to receive MBS data in the RRC inactive state, e.g., receiving a SIB to obtain MCCH configuration information, and then obtains relevant PTM configuration information by monitoring the MCCH. Before obtaining an updated PTM configuration, the UE continues to apply the current PTM configuration to receive one or more of the at least one MBS, where the current PTM configuration may have been received while the UE was in an RRC connected state. Accordingly, in response to receiving the indication, the UE retains the PTM configuration corresponding to one of the at least one MBSs to continue receiving the one MBS in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. After the UE receives the PTM configuration via broadcast signaling in the RRC inactive state, the UE releases the PTM configuration received in the RRC connected state.

[0147] In another example, in response to receiving the indication information and in response to the network releasing the UE into the RRC inactive state, the UE initiates an MCCH-like procedure to receive multicast data in the RRC inactive state, for example, receiving the SIB to obtain MCCH configuration information, and then obtaining relevant multicast PTM configuration information by monitoring the MCCH. Thus, in response to receiving the indication and in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state, the UE releases the PTM configuration corresponding to the MBS in the at least one MBS, and receives broadcast signaling for a PTM configuration update in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

[0148] In some arrangements, the RRC release bearer indication information instructs the UE to obtain the multicast PTM configuration or an update of the multicast PTM configuration by monitoring the MCCH in the RRC inactive state.

[0149] In response to transitioning from an RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state, the UE monitors a SIB message including a configuration for receiving broadcast signaling while the UE is in the RRC inactive state. While in the RRC inactive state, the UE receives broadcast signaling from the network for obtaining a PTM configuration or a PTM configuration update for at least one MBS. The UE receives data corresponding to the at least one MBS based on the updated PTM configuration.

[0150] In one example, in response to the network releasing the UE into an RRC inactive state, the corresponding PTM configuration, e.g., associated MRBs and lower layer configurations of the multicast session, is temporarily retained to continue MBS reception. The UE initiates an MCCH-like process to receive MBS data in the RRC inactive state, e.g., receives a SIB to obtain MCCH configuration information, and then obtains relevant multicast PTM configuration information by monitoring the MCCH. Thus, in response to receiving the indication information, the UE retains the PTM configuration corresponding to one of the at least one MBSs to continue receiving the one MBS in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. After the UE receives the PTM configuration via broadcast signaling in the RRC inactive state, the UE releases the PTM configuration received by the UE in the RRC connected state. Before acquiring an updated PTM configuration, the UE continues to apply the current PTM configuration to receive one or more of the at least one MBS, where the current PTM configuration may have been received while the UE was in the RRC connected state.

[0151] In another example, in response to the network releasing the UE into an RRC inactive state, the UE initiates an MCCH-like process to receive MBS data in the RRC inactive state, for example, receiving a SIB to obtain MCCH configuration information, and then obtaining relevant multicast PTM configuration information by monitoring the MCCH. In other words, in response to receiving the indication information, the UE releases the PTM configuration corresponding to one of the at least one MBSs in response to the wireless communication device transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. In response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state, the UE receives broadcast signaling for a PTM configuration update.

[0152] In some arrangements, the RRC release carries an associated SIB message, which contains the information required to receive the MCCH. The UE is released to the RRC inactive state, and the UE performs MCCH monitoring based on this information. The SIB indicating the information is carried in the RRC release message. This mechanism reduces the delay in obtaining the associated SIB.

[0153] In some arrangements, in response to transitioning from an RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state, while the UE is in the RRC inactive state, the UE receives broadcast signaling from the network based on the SIB to obtain a PTM configuration or a PTM configuration update for at least one MBS. The UE receives data corresponding to the at least one MBS from the network based on the PTM configuration update.

[0154] In some instances, the SIB explicitly indicates that, for the selected MBS, in order to continue MBS reception, in response to the UE being released into the RRC inactive state, the corresponding PTM configuration, such as the associated MRB and lower layer configuration of the MBS session, is temporarily retained. The UE initiates a procedure similar to the MCCH to receive MBS data in the RRC inactive state, for example, by monitoring the MCCH to obtain relevant multicast PTM configuration information. Thus, in response to receiving the SIB, the UE retains the PTM configuration corresponding to one of the at least one MBSs to continue receiving the one MBS in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. After the UE receives the PTM configuration via broadcast signaling in the RRC inactive state, the UE releases the PTM configuration received by the UE in the RRC connected state.

[0155] In the absence of receiving such indication information, the UE initiates a conventional RRC connection release procedure and transitions to an RRC inactive state. Before acquiring an updated PTM configuration, the UE continues to apply the current PTM configuration to receive one or more of the at least one MBS, wherein the current PTM configuration may be received when the UE is in the RRC connected state.

[0156] In some examples, the SIB explicitly indicates that, for the selected MBS, in response to the UE being released into the RRC inactive state, the UE initiates a MCCH-like procedure to receive MBS data in the RRC inactive state, for example, by monitoring the MCCH to obtain relevant multicast PTM configuration information. Thus, in response to receiving the SIB, the UE releases the PTM configuration corresponding to one of the at least one MBSs in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state, and in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state, the UE receives broadcast signaling from the network for a PTM configuration update. In the absence of receiving such indication information, the UE initiates a conventional RRC connection release procedure and transitions to the RRC inactive state.

[0157] In some configurations, RRC releases the MCCH content or the entire MCCH content carrying the MBS of interest to the UE, indicating that for such MBS, the corresponding PTM configuration is delivered by a similar MCCH method in the RRC inactive state. This mechanism reduces the delay caused by monitoring the MCCH. The indication message includes broadcast signaling information containing the PTM configuration of at least one MBS used when the UE is in the RRC inactive state.

[0158] In one example, to continue MBS reception, the UE temporarily retains the corresponding PTM configuration, such as the associated MRB and lower layer configuration of the multicast session, in response to the UE being released into the RRC inactive state. The UE applies the PTM configuration to the MCCH content and performs MBS data reception according to the configuration. The UE then obtains the MCCH by monitoring the MCCH and receiving MCCH change notifications, following a conventional MCCH monitoring procedure. Prior to acquiring an updated PTM configuration, the UE continues to apply the current PTM configuration to receive one or more of the at least one MBS, where the current PTM configuration may be received while the UE is in the RRC connected state.

[0159] In another example, in response to the UE being released into the RRC inactive state, the UE applies the PTM configuration in the MCCH content and performs multicast data reception according to the configuration. Then, after the traditional MCCH monitoring process, the UE obtains the MCCH by monitoring the MCCH and receiving the MCCH change notification.

[0160] In some examples, in response to a transition from an RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state, the UE receives data corresponding to at least one MBS from the network based on the PTM configuration in the indication information. In response to receiving the indication information, the UE retains the PTM configuration corresponding to one of the at least one MBSs to continue receiving the one MBS in response to the UE transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state. In response to receiving the indication information, the UE monitors for PTM configuration updates in response to the wireless communication device transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

[0161] The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates different components that are contained within or connected to other different components. It should be understood that the architecture depicted in this manner is illustrative, and in fact many other architectures that implement the same functionality can be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that implement the same functionality is effectively "associated," thereby achieving the desired functionality. Therefore, any two components that are combined herein to achieve a specific functionality can be considered to be "associated" with each other, thereby achieving the desired functionality, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components that are so associated can also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be so associated can also be considered to be "operably couplable" to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operable coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matchable and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interacting components.

[0162] Regarding the use of plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art can convert the plural to the singular and / or the singular to the plural according to the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural arrangements may be explicitly set forth herein.

[0163] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein and especially in the appended claims (e.g., the main bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended to be “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc.).

[0164] Although the drawings and description may illustrate a particular order of method steps, the order of such steps may vary from that depicted and described, unless otherwise noted above. Two or more steps may also be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously, unless otherwise noted above. Such variations may depend, for example, on the software and hardware systems selected and the designer's preferences. All such variations are within the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, software implementations of the described methods may be implemented using standard programming techniques as well as rule-based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps, and decision steps.

[0165] It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that if a specific number of introduced claim recitations is intended, such intent is expressly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent exists. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as implying that a claim recitation introduced by the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to a disclosure containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should generally be understood to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Furthermore, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is expressly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should generally be understood to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the mere recitation of "two recitations" without other modifications generally means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).

[0166] Furthermore, where expressions similar to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” are used, such construction is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but is not limited to systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or all three of A, B, and C, etc.). Where expressions similar to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” are used, such construction is generally intended in the sense that one skilled in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but is not limited to systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or all three of A, B, and C, etc.). One skilled in the art would further understand that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase (whether in the specification, claims, or drawings) that proposes two or more alternative terms should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one, any, or both of the terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0167] Furthermore, use of the words "approximately," "about," "approximately," "substantially," etc., means ±10% unless otherwise indicated.

[0168] The foregoing description of illustrative embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise forms disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: When the wireless communication device is in a radio resource control (RRC) connected state, receiving, by the wireless communication device, indication information from a network using signaling specific to the wireless communication device, the indication information indicating that a point-to-multipoint (PTM) configuration of each of a plurality of multicast and broadcast services (MBSs) is obtained from broadcast signaling; as well as When the wireless communication device is in an RRC connected state, the wireless communication device receives the PTM configuration from the broadcast signaling from the network, where the PTM configuration is used to receive a plurality of the MBSs.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transitioning, by the wireless communication device, from an RRC connected state to an RRC inactive state; When the wireless communication device is in an RRC inactive state, receiving, by the wireless communication device, an updated PTM configuration from the network using the broadcast signaling, wherein the updated PTM configuration is used to receive at least one MBS; as well as The at least one MBS is received, by the wireless communication device, from the network based on the updated PTM configuration.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The indication information includes an indication for instructing to receive at least one of the PTM configuration or the PTM configuration update via the broadcast signaling.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: monitoring, by the wireless communication device, a system information block (SIB) message, wherein the SIB message includes a configuration for receiving the broadcast signaling; receiving, by the wireless communication device, the broadcast signaling including the PTM configuration or the PTM configuration update from the network; as well as Data corresponding to the at least one MBS is received from the network based on the updated PTM configuration by the wireless communication device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The indication information includes a system information block (SIB) message, wherein the SIB message includes a configuration for receiving the broadcast signaling.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The SIB message is used to obtain a configuration for receiving the broadcast signaling; and The method further includes receiving data corresponding to the at least one MBS based on the PTM configuration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: The indication information includes broadcast signaling information, and the broadcast signaling information includes a PTM configuration for the at least one MBS.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein: The method further includes receiving data corresponding to the at least one MBS based on the PTM configuration.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, via the wireless communication device, a short message indicating a PTM configuration update from the network; as well as In response to receiving the message, an acquisition process is performed, by the wireless communication device, to acquire broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication device, downlink control information (DCI) from the network via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); as well as In response to receiving the DCI, an acquisition process is performed, by the wireless communication device, to acquire broadcast signaling for receiving a PTM configuration update.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: Receiving, by the wireless communication device, a media access control (MAC) element (CE) from the network, the MAC CE indicating a PTM configuration update; as well as In response to receiving the MAC CE, an acquisition process is performed, by the wireless communication device, to acquire broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: When the wireless communication device is in the RRC connected state, update signaling specific to the wireless communication device is received from the network via the wireless communication device, where the update signaling is used to indicate a PTM configuration update. In response to receiving the update signaling, the broadcast signaling is monitored for a first PTM configuration update in a current modification period or a next modification period.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: In an RRC connected state and an RRC inactive state, indication information is received from the network through the wireless communication device, where the indication information indicates receiving the PTM configuration and the PTM configuration update via the broadcast signaling.

14. A wireless communication device comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement the method of claim 1.

15. A computer program product comprising computer-readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to implement the method of claim 1.

16. A wireless communication method, comprising: Sending, via a network, indication information to the wireless communication device using signaling specific to the wireless communication device, the indication information indicating that a point-to-multipoint PTM configuration for each of a plurality of multicast and broadcast service MBSs is to be obtained from broadcast signaling used to transmit the plurality of MBSs; as well as The PTM configuration for transmitting the plurality of MBSs is transmitted to the wireless communication device through the network using the broadcast signaling.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein: The indication information is sent using signaling specific to the wireless communication device, wherein the indication information instructs the wireless communication device to obtain the PTM information from the broadcast signaling.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein: The indication information includes an indication for instructing to receive at least one of the PTM configuration or the PTM configuration update via the broadcast signaling.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein: The indication information includes a system information block (SIB) message, wherein the SIB message includes a configuration for receiving the broadcast signaling.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein: The indication information includes broadcast signaling information, and the broadcast signaling information includes a PTM configuration for the at least one MBS.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising: A short message indicating a PTM configuration update is sent to the wireless communication device via the network, wherein, in response to receiving the message, the wireless communication device performs an acquisition process to acquire broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising: Downlink control information (DCI) indicating a PTM configuration update is transmitted to the wireless communication device via the PDCCH through the network, wherein, in response to receiving the DCI, the wireless communication device performs an acquisition process to acquire broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising: A media access control (MAC) element (CE) indicating a PTM configuration update is sent to the wireless communication device via the network, wherein, in response to receiving the MAC CE, the wireless communication device performs an acquisition process to acquire broadcast signaling for receiving the PTM configuration update.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising: When the wireless communication device is in the RRC connected state, update signaling specific to the wireless communication device is sent to the wireless communication device through the network, where the update signaling indicates a PTM configuration update.

25. A wireless communication apparatus comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement the method of claim 16.

26. A computer program product comprising computer readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to implement the method of claim 16.

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