SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VALIDATING A USER EQUIPMENT LOCATION IN A TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20130090086A1
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonica SA
• Original Assignee: Telefonica SA
• Inventors: Lopez Lopez, Jose Manuel
• Application Number:
  US13/703,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20130090086A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

In a method for validating a location provided by a user equipment requesting a service to a telecommunication network, the network receives (202) an information relating to the location of the user equipment and detects (203-205) the network access point to which the user equipment is connected. The method then provides for retrieving in a database historical information relative to locations of user equipments during connections to the detected network access point. A validation index is automatically generated based on the received location and on the retrieved historical information. The location provided by the user equipment is validated based on the validation index. A telecommunication network suitable to implement the method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. Method for validating a user equipment location in a telecommunication network (100), comprising the steps of

receiving (202) an information relating to said location from said user equipment,

detecting (203-205) the network access point to which said user equipment is connected,

the method being characterized by

retrieving in a database historical information relative to locations of all user equipments during connections to the detected network access point,

automatically generating a validation index based on the received location and on the retrieved historical information,

validating (211) the location of said user equipment (10) based on said validation index, positively validating the location if said user equipment is likely to connect to said network access point, differently negatively validating the location.

2. Method according to claim 1,

wherein said database comprises statistical information, in particular a probability density function or a statistical histogram relative to locations of user equipments during connections to the detected network access point,

wherein said validation index is a probability that said user equipment (10) is connected to said network access point from the received location, and

wherein the location provided by said user equipment is positively validated if said probability is higher than a predetermined threshold.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said location is provided by said user equipment (10), in particular it is automatically generated by said user equipment (10).

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein said user equipment requests an emergency service and wherein said request is served by the network based on the validation of the location provided by the user equipment (10).

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein if said location is negatively validated, user equipment'"'"'s actual location is automatically estimated by the network (100) based on data from the access subsystem (110).

6. Method according to claim 4 wherein if said location is negatively validated, said request is served based on a priority lower than the priority assigned to emergency requests wherein location is positively validated.

7. Method according to claim 4, wherein said user equipment (10) comprises an identification card, and wherein said request is rejected and/or the identification card is blacklisted if said location is negatively validated.

8. Method according to claim 4, wherein said user equipment (10) comprises an identification code of said user equipment, and wherein said user equipment identification code is blacklisted if said location is negatively validated.

9. Method according to claim 3, wherein the user equipment comprises an identification card, wherein the user equipment requests a regular service and wherein the method further comprises the step of authenticating said identification card in order to start a SIP session, said SIP session being started only if the location provided by said user equipment is positively validated.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the result of the validation is returned in a SIP response message, in particular a 300 SIP response message, said message having a header, in particular a private header, acting as a validation field which can be set to at least two different values associated to positive and negative validation.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein if said location is positively validated said response message comprises a contact header and wherein said response message carries routing information for reaching a public safety answering point (126) in the contact header.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the result of the validation is returned in messages of different type depending on whether the location is positively validated or negatively validated, preferably the response message being a 300 SIP response message if the location is positively validated, and a 424 SIP response message if the location is negatively validated.

13. Method according to claim 2, wherein said statistical information comprises a statistical histogram approximating a probability density function, said probability density function representing the spatial distribution of the events corresponding to connections of user equipments to the detected network access point.

14. Method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of updating said statistical data information based on the location provided by user equipments at each connection wherein a user equipment requests a regular service and provides its location.

15. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of updating said statistical data based on the location provided by said user equipment, when said user equipment requests a service that needs location validation, only if said location has been positively validated.

16. Telecommunication network comprising:

an access subsystem (110) comprising a plurality of access points for connection to user equipments,

a core network (120) suitable for providing IP services to a user accessing the network (100) via a user equipment (10), and

detection means (110) for detecting the access point to which the user equipment is connected,

characterized in that said network comprises means for implementing the method according to claim 1.

17. Telecommunication network comprising:

an access subsystem (110) comprising a plurality of access points for connection to user equipments,

a core network (120) suitable for providing IP services to users accessing the network (100) via a user equipment (10), and

detection means (110) for detecting the access point to which the user equipment is connected,

characterized in that said network comprises;

memory means (129) for storing statistical information representing the spatial distribution of the events corresponding to connections of all user equipments to a network access point,

location retrieval means (124) for retrieving a location provided by said user equipment in a service request message,

probability calculation means (127) operatively connected to said memory means (129) and to said location retrieval means (124) for calculating a probability that the user equipment is connected to said access point based on the retrieved location and on the statistical information,

validation means (125) operatively connected to said probability calculation means (127) for positively validating the location provided by said user equipment if said probability is higher than a predetermined threshold, otherwise negatively validating the location.