METHOD, ROAMING PROCESSING DEVICE AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING INTERNATIONAL ROAMING

• US 20110007726A1
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: China Mobile Communications Corporation (Central People's Government of The People's Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: China Mobile Communications Corporation (Central People's Government of The People's Republic of China)
• Inventors: Yin, Yaoyao, Xie, Yanlu, Fan, Hua, He, Ying
• Granted Patent: US 8,750,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

There are disclosed an international roaming method, a roaming processing device and a communication system for international roaming of an international roaming subscriber of a first operator in a third operator network. When the international roaming subscriber of the first operator provided with a first operator IMSI and a second operator IMSI. roams in the third operator network, the roaming processing device of a second operator modifies a first signaling message from a first operator network and carrying the first operator IMSI to a second signaling message carrying the second operator IMSI and transmits the second signaling message to the third operator network. and modifies a third signaling message from the third operator network and carrying the second operator IMSI to a fourth signaling message carrying the first operator IMSI and transmits the fourth signaling message to the first operator network. There is also disclosed a gateway device.

Claims

1. A roaming processing device, comprising:

a signaling transceiver unit adapted to transmit and receive a signaling message;

a storage unit adapted to store a mapping relationship between a first operator International Mobile Subscriber Identifier, IMSI, and a second operator IMSI, both of which are configured for an international roaming subscriber of a first operator; and

a signaling processing unit adapted to receive a first signaling message carrying the first operator IMSI from a network of the first operator through the signaling transceiver unit, change the first operator IMSI carried in the first signaling message to the second operator IMSI according to the mapping relationship to generate a second signaling message, and return the second signaling message to the signaling transceiver unit; and

receive a third signaling message carrying the second operator IMSI from a third operator network where the international roaming subscriber of the first operator roams through the signaling transceiver unit, change the second operator IMSI carried in the third signaling message to the first operator IMSI according to the mapping relationship to generate a fourth signaling message, and return the fourth signaling message to the signaling transceiver unit.

2. The roaming processing device of claim 1, wherein the signaling processing unit is further adapted to modify a source address of the second signaling message as an identifier of a gateway device of a second operator and modify a destination address of the second signaling message as an identifier of a gateway device of a third operator, and modify a source address of the fourth signaling message as the identifier of the gateway device of the second operator and modify a destination address of the fourth signaling message as an identifier of a gateway device of the first operator.

3. A gateway device, comprising:

a signaling transceiver unit adapted to transmit and receive a signaling message;

a storage unit adapted to store an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier, IMSI, number segment of a first operator and an IMSI number segment of a second operator reserved for an international roaming subscriber of the first operator by the second operator; and

a control unit adapted to forward a signaling message received by the signaling transceiver unit to a roaming processing device upon determining that an IMSI carried in the signaling message is included in the IMSI number segment of the first operator or the IMSI number segment of the second operator, and forward, through the signaling transceiver unit, a signaling message returned from the roaming processing device.

4. The gateway device of claim 3, wherein the control unit is further adapted to modify a source address of a signaling message from a first operator network to an identifier of a gateway device of the second operator and modify a destination address of the signaling message from the first operator network to an identifier of a gateway device of a third operator;

and modify a source address of a signaling message from a third operator network, where the international roaming subscriber of the first operator roams, to the identifier of the gateway device of the second operator and modify a destination address of the signaling message from the third operator network to an identifier of a gateway device of the first operator.

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. A method for forwarding a signaling message, comprising:

receiving, by a roaming processing device of a second operator, a first signaling message carrying a first operator International Mobile Subscriber Identifier, IMSI, forwarded from a gateway device of the second operator, changing the first operator IMSI carried in the first signaling message to a second operator IMSI according to a mapping relationship between the first operator IMSI and the second operator IMSI, both of which are configured for an international roaming subscriber of a first operator, to generate a second signaling message, and transmitting, through the gateway device, the second signaling message to a third operator network where the international roaming subscriber of the first operator roams, wherein the first signaling message is from a first operator network; and

receiving, by the roaming processing device, a third signaling message carrying the second operator IMSI forwarded from the gateway device, changing the second operator IMSI carried in the third signaling message to the first operator IMSI according to the mapping relationship to generate a fourth signaling message, and transmitting, through the gateway device, the fourth signaling message to the first operator network, wherein the third signaling message is from the third operator network.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

forwarding, by the gateway device, a received signaling message to the roaming processing device upon determining that an IMSI carried in the signaling message is included in a stored IMSI number segment of the first operator or IMSI number segment of the second operator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first signaling message comprises second location updating signaling, and the third signaling message comprises first location updating signaling.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first location updating signaling transmitted from the third operator network comprises an Update Location Request transmitted from the international roaming subscriber of the first operator to the third operator network through a User Equipment;

the second location updating signaling transmitted from the first operator network in response to the received Update Location Request comprises an Insert Subscriber Data message;

the first location updating signaling transmitted from the third operator network in response to the received Insert Subscriber Data message comprises an Insert Subscriber Data Ack message; and

the second location updating signaling transmitted from the first operator network in response to the received Insert Subscriber Data Ack message comprises an Update Location Ack message.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first signaling message comprises first called signaling, and the third signaling message comprises second called signaling.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first called signaling comprises a Provide Roaming Number Request transmitted from the first operator network;

and

the second called signaling transmitted from the third operator network in response to the received Provide Roaming Number Request comprises a Provide Roaming Number Ack message.

11. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)