Model aspects of open access to multimedia broadcast services in the evolved packet system

Abstract

Multimedia broadcast is the most efficient method to distribute identical content to multiple users in the Evolved Packet System (EPS). EPS enables efficient usage of network resources and provisioning of quality of service for every user. Third-party control allows applications in an enterprise domain to invoke network functions like multimedia broadcast. In this paper, an approach to modeling the behavior of Service Capability Server (SCS) for multimedia broadcast in EPS is presented. Third-party applications can access multimedia broadcasting capabilities by using Parlay X Web Service interfaces. The SCS for multimedia broadcast exposes Parlay X interfaces toward 3rd-party applications and control protocols toward the network. The SCS functional behavior has to be synchronized with the application view on message broadcast and the state of the network resources intended for the broadcast session. Models of multicast session, IP connectivity session, and bearers' and charging session are proposed and formally described using the notation of Label Transition Systems. The concept of weak bisimilarity is used to prove that models expose equivalent behavior; that is, they are synchronized.