Providing services in communications networks

• US 20060058021A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Pudney, Christopher David, Fox, David Andrew, Wong, Gavin
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/422.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/125 involving different types of service backbones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

This disclosure is concerned with systems and methods for network communications. In one example, a cellular telecommunications network includes a radio access network with multiple geographically distributed cells, and further includes a core network for providing cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a cellular telecommunications network bearer. The cellular telecommunications network is adapted to provide core network cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a non-cellular telecommunications network bearer via another access network including a plurality of access points. Further, the core network is configured to receive an identifier of said other access network when a device communicates with the core via an access point and selects a charge for providing telecommunications services in dependence upon the value of that identifier.

Claims

1. A cellular telecommunications network, comprising:

a radio access network comprising a plurality of geographically distributed cells; and

a core network for providing cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a cellular telecommunications network bearer,

wherein the cellular telecommunications network is adapted to provide core network cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a non-cellular telecommunications network bearer via another access network including a plurality of access points, and wherein said core network receives an identifier of said other access network when a device communicates with the core via an access point and selects a charge for providing telecommunications services in dependence upon the value of that identifier.

2. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the radio access network comprises a plurality of base stations, each of which serves one of said cells, and the core network comprises a plurality of switching centers, each of said switching centers controlling a plurality of said base stations.

3. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein said switching centers comprise GSM Mobile Switching Centers.

4. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 2, wherein said switching centers comprise one of:

GSM Serving Gateway Support Nodes;

or, other cellular telecommunications network Serving Gateway Support Nodes.

5. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the non-cellular telecommunications network bearer includes a wireless link between the mobile terminal and the access point.

6. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 5, wherein said wireless link comprises a WLAN link.

7. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 5, wherein said wireless link comprises a link using unlicensed spectrum.

8. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein said non-cellular telecommunications network bearer comprises an IP-based communications link.

9. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 8, wherein said IP-based communications link includes the Internet.

10. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the identifier of the said other access network includes the IP address of the mobile terminal.

11. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 10, wherein when the IP address of the mobile terminal changes, the change in IP address triggers the selection of a charge for providing telecommunications services.

12. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the identifier of said another access network is obtained by determining the domain name corresponding to the IP address of the mobile terminal allocated by the access point.

13. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 12, wherein when the domain name changes, the domain name change triggers the selection of a charge for providing telecommunications services.

14. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 12, wherein said domain name is obtained from a Domain Name Server.

15. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, further comprising means for authenticating said devices with the core network when said devices obtain functions therefrom via said radio access network.

16. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, further comprising means for authenticating said devices with the core network when said devices obtain functions therefrom via said other access network.

17. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 16, wherein said charge is selected in dependence upon whether said authentication means is able to authenticate a device connected to a particular access point.

18. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the charge is selected in dependence upon a commercial relationship between the user of said device and said other access network.

19. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the charge is selected in dependence upon a commercial relationship between said other access network used by said device and the cellular telecommunications network.

20. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the network is a GSM network.

21. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, wherein the network is a 3G (UMTS) network.

22. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 1, further comprising means for indicating the selection of a charge for using telecommunications services to the user of the mobile terminal.

23. The network of claim 22, wherein said indicating means indicates said charge.

24. The network of claim 1, wherein the charge for providing telecommunications services is selected in dependence upon the cell last determined to be occupied by the mobile terminal.

25. A method of operating a cellular telecommunications network, where the cellular telecommunications network includes a radio access network and a core network for providing cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a cellular telecommunications network bearer, wherein the radio access network comprises a plurality of geographically distributed cells, and the cellular telecommunications network being adapted to provide core network cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a non-cellular telecommunications network bearer via another access network including a plurality of access points, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier of said other access network when a device communicates with the core via an access point; and

selecting a charge for providing telecommunications services in dependence upon the value of that identifier.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the radio access network comprises a plurality of base stations, each of which serves one of said cells, and the core network comprises a plurality of switching centers, each of said switching centers controlling a plurality of said base stations.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said switching centers comprise GSM Mobile Switching Centers or other cellular telecommunications network Sensing Gateway Support Nodes.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said switching centers comprise GSM Serving Gateway Support Nodes.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the non-cellular telecommunications network bearer includes a wireless link between the mobile terminal and the access point.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said wireless link comprises a WLAN link such as Bluetooth.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said wireless link comprises a link using unlicensed spectrum, such as WLAN.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein said non-cellular telecommunications network bearer comprises an IP-based communications link.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said IP-based communications link includes the Internet.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein the identifier of said other access network includes the IP address of the mobile terminal.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein, when an IP address of a device changes, the change in IP address triggers the selection of a charge for providing telecommunications services.

36. The method of claim 25, wherein the identifier of said other access network is obtained by determining the domain name corresponding to the IP address of the mobile terminal allocated by the access point.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein, when the domain name changes, the domain name change triggers the selection of a charge for providing telecommunications services.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein said domain name is obtained from a Domain Name Server.

39. The method of claim 25, further comprising authenticating said devices with the core network when said devices obtain functions therefrom via said radio access network.

40. The method of claim 25, further comprising authenticating said devices with the core network when said devices obtain functions therefrom via said other access network.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said charge is selected in dependence upon whether said authentication means is able to authenticate a said device connected to a particular access point.

42. The method of claim 25, wherein the charge is selected in dependence upon the commercial relationship between the user of said device and said other access network used thereby.

43. The method of claim 25, wherein the charge is selected in dependence upon the commercial relationship between said other access network used by said device and the cellular telecommunications network.

44. The method of claim 25, wherein the network is a GSM network.

45. The method of claim 25, wherein the network is a 3G (UMTS) network.

46. The method of claim 25, including indicating the selection of a charge for using telecommunications services to the user of the mobile terminal.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising indicating said charge.

48. The method of claim 25, wherein the charge for providing telecommunications services is selected in dependence upon the cell last determined to be occupied by the mobile terminal.

49. A cellular telecommunications network, comprising:

a radio access network that comprises a plurality of geographically distributed cells; and

a core network for providing cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a cellular telecommunications network bearer,

wherein the cellular telecommunications network is adapted to provide core network cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a non-cellular telecommunications network bearer via another access network including a plurality of access points, and wherein the core network is configured to receive an identifier of a device before or when that device communicates with the core via the access point for rendering a charge for using said other access network in dependence upon the value of that identifier and/or the duration between receiving two identifiers of the same device.

50. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 49, wherein the identifier is allocated by the access point with which said device communicates.

51. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 49, wherein said identifier comprises an identifier allocated by a cellular telecommunications network core network, such as IMSI, TMSI, P-TMSI or TLLI.

52. A cellular telecommunications network including:

a radio access network comprising a plurality of geographically distributed cells;

a core network adapted to provide cellular telecommunications network functions to devices registered therewith over a cellular telecommunications network bearer,

wherein the cellular telecommunications network is adapted to provide access to another telecommunication network via its access network; and

a communication auditor configured to determine the source of communications between said radio access network and said other telecommunications network.

53. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 52, wherein said communication auditor detects the calling line identity (CLI).

54. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 52, including a database of telephone numbers of devices and the telecommunications networks to which they are directly subscribed, coupled to said communication auditor.

55. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 52, wherein said communication auditor detects the IP address or port number of the device.

56. The cellular telecommunications network of claim 55, further comprising a database of IP addresses or port numbers of said devices and the telecommunications networks to which they are directly subscribed, coupled to said communication auditor.