Method for roaming between networks

• US 20060003765A1
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Patil, Basavaraj, Sivalingam, Kengatharan
• Granted Patent: US 7,236,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

This invention relates to communication arrangements between communication networks, specifically to arrangements allowing networks of different types to cooperate. The invention provides a method for providing packet data services for a mobile station homed in a second wireless communication network in a first wireless communication network, where the first and second wireless communication networks are based on different standards.

Claims

1. Method for supporting roaming of a mobile station using packet data connections in a cellular telecommunications network, comprising the steps of

receiving a connection initiation message from a mobile station by a serving node,

sending a challenge message to the mobile station,

receiving a response to the challenge from the mobile station by the serving node,

extracting an identifier associated with the mobile station from the received response,

sending an access request to an authentication node of the cellular telecommunications network, the access request including the extracted identifier,

determining whether the extracted identifier is associated with a second telecommunications network, and if it is, forwarding the access request by the authentication node to a second authentication node in the second telecommunications network,

sending an accounting start request from the serving node to the authentication node of the cellular telecommunications network, and

if the extracted identifier was determined to be associated with a second telecommunications network, sending an accounting start request to the second authentication node in the second telecommunications network.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of

converting information in the accounting start request received from the serving node to a second format employed by the second authentication node for transmission to the second authentication node in an accounting start request.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the cellular telecommunications network is a CDMA network and the second telecommunications network is a GPRS network.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identifier associated with the mobile station is a network access identifier.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of converting is performed by the authentication node of the cellular telecommunications network.

6. Method for supporting roaming of a mobile station using packet data connections in a telecommunications network, comprising the steps of

receiving a packet data connection request message from a mobile station,

extracting an access node identifier from the received request message,

determining on the basis of an extracted access node identifier at least the identity of an authentication node in a second telecommunications network,

sending an access request message to the authentication node in the second telecommunications network,

receiving a response message from the authentication node in the second telecommunications network, and

sending an accept message to the mobile station if the response message from the authentication node in the second telecommunications network indicated a successful authentication.

7. Method for providing packet data services in a cellular communications network, the method comprising the steps of

receiving a request for joining the network from a mobile station,

determining whether the mobile station is homed in a second cellular communications network,

if the mobile station is homed in a second cellular communications network, transmitting an authentication request for authenticating the mobile station to an interworking function translating messages between a first protocol used by the cellular communications network and a second protocol used by the second cellular communications network, said first and second protocols being different protocols,

receiving a request for a packet data connection from the mobile station,

transmitting a request for authorization for a packet data connection for the mobile station to an authorization node in the cellular communications network, and

if the mobile station is homed in the second cellular communications network, transmitting an authorization request to an authorization node in the second cellular communications network by the authorization node in the cellular communications network.

8. A method according to claim 7, comprising the steps of

receiving an authorization accept message from the authorization node in the cellular communications network by a network node in the cellular communications network,

transmitting, as a response to reception of the authorization accept message, an accounting start notification related to the requested packet data connection to a first accounting node in the cellular telecommunications network by the network node, and

if the mobile station is homed in the second cellular communications network, transmitting an accounting start notification related to the requested packet data connection to a second accounting node in the second cellular telecommunications network by the first accounting node in the cellular telecommunications network.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein

the second cellular communications network is a 3GPP2 network.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein

the cellular communications network is a GPRS network.

11. A system for providing packet data services for a cellular communications network, comprising

a controller for determining whether a mobile station is homed in a second cellular communications network as a response to receiving a request for joining the network from the mobile station,

a message transmitter for transmitting an authentication request, as a response to determining that the mobile station is homed in a second cellular communications network, to an interworking function for authenticating the mobile station, the interworking function translating messages between a first protocol used by the cellular communications network and a second protocol used by the second cellular communications network, said first and second protocols being different protocols,

a message transmitter for transmitting an authorization request to an authorization node in the second cellular communications network as a response to receiving a request for a packet data connection from the mobile station.

12. A system according to claim 11, comprising

a message transmitter for transmitting, as a response to reception of an authorization accept message, an accounting start notification related to the requested packet data connection a first accounting node in the cellular telecommunications network, and

a message transmitter in the first accounting node for transmitting an accounting start notification to a second accounting node in the second cellular telecommunications network as a response to receiving an accounting start notification related to a mobile station homed in the second cellular communications network.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the second cellular communications network is a 3GPP2 network.

14. A system according to claim 11, wherein the cellular communications network is a GPRS network.