To　secure　the　group　communication　in　wireless　ad　hoc　networks,　a　group　key　shared　between　participants　is　required.　The　special　nature　and　the　constraints　posed　by　wireless　ad　hoc　networks　make　the　establishment　of　a　group　key　a　challenging　task.　The　execution　of　a　group　key　distribution　scheme　must　be　very　carefully　designed　having　in　mind　both　the　computation　and　communication　efficiency.　In　this　paper,　we　propose　a　communication　efficient　group　key　distribution　scheme　which　adopts　the　Identity　Based　Broadcast　Encryption　(IBBE)　methodology.　No　message　exchange　is　required　for　the　suggested　scheme　to　establish　a　group　key　when　the　group　members＇　identities　are　known　to　the　broadcaster.　A　highlight　of　the　scheme　is　that　communication　overhead　remains　unchanged　as　group　size　grows.　In　order　for　the　group　member　to　obtain　his/her　session　key,　only　one　bilinear　pairing　computation　is　required.　Moreover,　we　show　that　the　new　scheme　is　proved　secure　in　standard　model　under　the　truncated　q-ABDHE　assumption.　Thus,　the　scheme　can　not　only　meet　security　demands　but　also　efficient　in　terms　of　computational　and　communication.　Our　scheme　is　tested　on　a　modern　station　and　the　experimental　results　demonstrate　its　suitability　for　large　scale　MANETs.　©　2012　Springer-Verlag.