METHOD OF AUTOMATICALLY INDICATING SERVICES TO A MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20090291682A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Muller, Pierre-Jean
• Granted Patent: US 8,811,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of indicating available services to a mobile telecommunications terminal roaming between a first geographic area and a second geographic area. When the terminal is authenticated in the second geographic area, a list which comprises the services physically available in the said second geographic area is determined and is transmitted to the terminal.

Claims

1. A method of automatically indicating available services to a mobile telecommunications terminal roaming between a first geographic area and a second geographic area, the method comprising the following steps of:

authenticating (10) the terminal in the second geographic area,

determining (12) a list comprising the services that are physically available in said second geographic area,

transmitting (14) said list to the terminal.

2. A method set forth in claim 1 in which, the first area and the second area are covered by a cellular network.

3. A method set forth in claim 1 in which, the first area is covered by a first cellular network and the second area is covered by a second cellular network different from the first network.

4. A method set forth in claim 1, in which the said list of services comprises the services that are both physically available in said second area and also accessible to the terminal because of a roaming agreement between the first network and the second network,

5. A method set forth in claim 4 in which said first network is the home network of a user of the Home PLMN (HPLMN) terminal, and said second network is a Visited network (VPLMN) in which the terminal registers after an intersystem and/or intercellular handover.

6. A method set forth in claim 5 in which the first network is a UMTS network (or a GSM network), and said second network is a GSM network (or a UMTS network).

7. A telecommunications system in which a mobile terminal is roaming between a first geographic area and a second geographic area, characterised in that it comprises:

means for authenticating the terminal in the second geographic area,

means for determining a list comprising the services that are physically available in said second geographic area,

means for transmitting said list to the terminal.

8. A system set forth in claim 7, in which the first area and the second area are covered by a common cellular network.

9. A system set forth in claim 7, in which the first area is covered by a first cellular network and the second area is covered by a second cellular network different from the first network.

10. A system set forth in claim 7, in which said list of services comprises the services that are both physically available in said second area and also accessible to the terminal because of a roaming agreement between the first network and the second network.