Method of global roaming services using gateway location register in third generation mobile telecommunication networks

• US 20020061746A1
• Filed: 12/13/2000
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Telecommunication Authority
• Original Assignee: Korea Telecommunication Authority
• Inventors: Woo, Sang Woo, Kwon, Eun Hee, Jo, Jin Mahn
• Granted Patent: US 6,810,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

The invention provides a method of roaming services for global roaming subscribers in the third generation mobile telecommunication networks in which a visitor network GLR(Gateway Location Register) is connected to a home network GLR so that the home network GLR can download subscriber information from HLR(Home network Location Register) to the visitor network GLR. In this manner, the visitor network GLR is blocked from direct contact to the home network HLR in the roaming service about the terminal moved to other network and downloaded with the subscriber information stored in the home network HLR in which the terminal is registered via the GLR so that the subscriber information stored in the home network HLR can be prevented from being exposed by the visitor network GLR. The visitor network GLR is associated with the home network GLR only in contrast to conventional association with all HLR of the home network so that a signal track can be remarkably reduced. Furthermore, the visitor network GLR can be downloaded with programs for various application or intelligent network services provided in the home network so that the terminal can be provided with the same services in the visitor network as in the home network.

Claims

1. A method of roaming services for global roaming subscribers in third generation mobile telecommunication networks having a GLR(Gateway Location Register), HLR(Home network Location Register) and VLR(Visitor Location Register) in which the GLR and VLR are stored with subscriber information about a terminal, which is roamed from the home network to a visitor network, to provide the roamed terminal with same services in the visitor network as in the home network, wherein upon transmitting in the roamed terminal a location register message, the GLR of the visitor network requests location register and the subscriber information download to the HLR of the home network via the GLR of the home network;

and is downloaded with the subscriber information stored in the home network HLR to manage the roamed terminal.

2. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the location register information includes parameters such as IMSI value, ID of the terminal, terminal ability, final RAI, final LAI and attach type.

3. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the home network GLR detects the HLR where the terminal is registered based upon an IMSI value included in the location register message, and then requests the HLR to transmit a subscriber information.

4. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, the visitor network GLR and home network GLR have a local subscriber data area (i.e., H area) for storing subscriber information about a local terminal which is visiting other network and a roaming subscriber data area (i.e., A area, . . . ) for storing subscriber information about a roaming terminal moved from other network, wherein the home network GLR stores the subscriber information transmitted from the HLR to the local subscriber data area, and the visitor network GLR stores the subscriber information transmitted from the home network GLR to the roaming subscriber data area.

5. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the home network GLR stores ID and address about the visitor network GLR to manage the terminal provided with the roaming service in other network.

6. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the subscriber information is packet subscriber information or line subscriber information about the roamed terminal.

7. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the visitor network GLR detects the home network GLR for managing the roamed terminal based upon telephone number given to the terminal.

8. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the visitor network GLR is downloaded with packet subscriber information stored in the home network HLR when the attach type included in the location register message is packet type, said downloading having the steps of:

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a routing area update message to the home network GLR;

transmitting in the home network GLR the routing area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored packet subscriber information to the home network GLR as packet subscriber information; and

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded packet subscriber information to the visitor network GLR.

9. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 2, wherein the visitor network GLR is downloaded with packet subscriber information stored in the home network HLR when the attach type included in the location register message is packet type, said downloading having the steps of:

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a routing area update message to the home network GLR;

transmitting in the home network GLR the routing area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored packet subscriber information to the home network GLR as packet subscriber information; and

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded packet subscriber information to the visitor network GLR.

10. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the visitor network GLR is downloaded with line subscriber information stored in the home network HLR when the attach type included in the location register message is line type, said downloading having the steps of:

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a location area update message to the home network GLR;

transmitting in the home network GLR the location area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored line subscriber information to the home network GLR; and

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded line subscriber information to the visitor network GLR.

11. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 2, wherein the visitor network GLR is downloaded with line subscriber information stored in the home network HLR when the attach type included in the location register message is line type, said downloading having the steps of:

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a location area update message to the home network GLR;

transmitting in the home network GLR the location area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored line subscriber information to the home network GLR; and

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded line subscriber information to the visitor network GLR.

12. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 1, wherein the visitor network GLR is downloaded with packet subscriber information stored in the home network HLR and then downloaded with line subscriber information stored in the home network HLR, when the attach type included in the location register message is packet/line combined type, said downloading having the steps of:

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a routing area update message to the home network GLR;

transmitting in the home network GLR the routing area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored packet subscriber information to the home network GLR as packet subscriber information;

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded packet subscriber information to the visitor network GLR;

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a location area update message to the home network GLR upon completing the packet subscriber information downloading;

transmitting in the home network GLR the location area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored line subscriber information to the home network GLR; and

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded line subscriber information to the visitor network GLR.

13. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 2, wherein the visitor network GLR is downloaded with packet subscriber information stored in the home network HLR and then downloaded with line subscriber information stored in the home network HLR, when the attach type included in the location register message is packet/line combined type, said downloading having the steps of:

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a routing area update message to the home network GLR;

transmitting in the home network GLR the routing area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored packet subscriber information to the home network GLR as packet subscriber information;

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded packet subscriber information to the visitor network GLR;

transmitting in the visitor network GLR a location area update message to the home network GLR upon completing the packet subscriber information downloading;

transmitting in the home network GLR the location area update message to the HLR;

downloading in the HLR the stored line subscriber information to the home network GLR; and

storing in the home network GLR and downloading the downloaded line subscriber information to the visitor network GLR.

15. A method of a roaming service in accordance with claim 14, wherein the visitor network GLR and home network GLR have a local subscriber service area (i.e., H area) for storing additional service information about a local terminal which is visiting other network and a roaming subscriber service area (i.e., A area, . . . ) for storing subscriber information about a roaming terminal moved from other network, wherein the home network GLR stores the additional service information transmitted from the HLR to the local subscriber data area, and the visitor network GLR stores the additional service information transmitted from the home network GLR to the roaming subscriber data area.

14. A method of roaming services for global roaming subscribers in third generation mobile telecommunication networks having a GLR, HLR and VLR in which the GLR and VLR are stored with subscriber information about a terminal, which is roamed from the home network to a visitor network, to provide the roamed terminal with same services in the visitor network as in the home network, said method comprising the steps of:

inputting in the roaming completed terminal an MMI command according to additional service changes to transmit the command via the GLR of the visitor network to the GLR of the home network;

changing in the home network GLR additional service information stored in the HLR of the home network in response to the MMI command;

transmitting in the HLR the changed additional service information to the home network GLR;

storing in the home network GLR and transmitting the additional service information to the visitor network GLR; and

storing in the visitor network GLR and transmitting the additional service information to the VLR where the roamed terminal is currently registered, whereby the roamed terminal can change the additional service information stored in the home network HLR.

16. A method of roaming services for global roaming subscribers in third generation mobile telecommunication networks having a GLR, HLR and VLR in which the GLR and VLR are stored with subscriber information about a terminal, which is roamed from the home network to a visitor network, to provide the roamed terminal with same services in the visitor network as in the home network, wherein programs for supporting application services or intelligent network services provided in the home network are downloaded to the GLR of the visitor network via the GLR of the home network, whereby the roaming completed terminal can be provided with application services or intelligent network services according to the operation of the downloaded programs in the visitor network also.