Identification of ue counting results in embms

Methods (400, 500) and apparatus (16, 24) are disclosed for reporting and processing MBMS counting results. According to one exemplary embodiment, a base station counting request received from a MCE includes an update time, and identifiers for one or more MBMS services (402, 502). The base station includes the update time with its reported counting results (410). The MCE uses the update time to identify the transmitted counting request (506), and ignores counting data for services not identified in the request (516). In the same or another embodiment, if the base station has not received MBMS counting results from its supported UEs for one or more of the identified services within a defined reporting window (406), the base station transmits an empty list of service identifiers to the MCE (408). The MCE correspondingly determines that the base station has not yet received MBMS counting results for one or more of the identified services based on receiving the empty list (508, 510).