The disclosure relates to a pre-5th generation (5G) or 5G communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4th generation (4G) communication system such as long term evolution (LTE). A method performed by a network entity for handling a multicast and broadcast service (MBS) in a 5G communication network is provided that includes receiving a request for receiving at least one multicast service from a user equipment (UE), which includes at least one of a session join request or a service request, configuring the at least one multicast service based on the request, and sending the at least one multicast service to the UE over a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message, which includes at least one of a point-to-multipoint (PTM) bearer configuration for a point-to-point (PTM) mode, a PTP bearer configuration for a PTP mode, or a split bearer configuration for a split bearer mode.