MEDIATION SERVER, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, AND CONNECTING METHOD

• US 20130124739A1
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Oda, Toshikane, Murakami, Shingo, Sugimoto, Shinta
• Granted Patent: US 9,705,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0038 System on Chip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A mediation server for mediating subscription information to a communication device from a network operator providing network connectivity is provided. The server includes a management unit for managing context information of a communication device, which includes data relating to service provided by a network operator; an obtaining unit for obtaining device information of the communication device, which includes data needed to obtain subscription information from a network operator; a selecting unit for selecting, using the context information, a network operator that provides the best service to the communication device out of network operators that are able to provide network connectivity to the communication device; and a request unit for sending a request, with the obtained device information to the selected network operator, for subscription information which is to be used for the communication device to connect to the selected network operator as a home network operator.

Claims

1. A mediation server for mediating subscription information to one or more communication devices from a network operator providing network connectivity, the mediation server comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a request for provisioning subscription information to a communication device, along with device information of the communication device, wherein the device information includes data needed to obtain subscription information from a network operator;

a group obtaining unit configured to respond to the request for provisioning subscription information by obtaining a group comprising one or more communication devices including the communication device for which the provisioning is requested; and

a request unit configured to send, to a network operator, a request for each subscription information used for each communication devices in the group to connect to the network operator, with the device information of the communication devices in the group.

2. The mediation server according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive the request for provisioning subscription information from a communication device in the group.

3. The mediation server according to claim 1, wherein the group obtaining unit is further configured to specify a group including the communication device from which the request for provisioning subscription information is received.

4. The mediation server according to claim 1, comprising:

a management unit configured to manage context information of each communication device included in the group, wherein the context information includes data relating to service provided by a network operator to a communication device; and

a selecting unit configured to select, using the context information of the communication devices included in the group, a network operator that provides the best service to the communication devices in the group out of network operators that are able to provide network connectivity to the communication devices,

wherein the request unit is further configured to send the request, for each subscription information used for each communication devices in the group, to the selected network operator.

5. The mediation server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive the subscription information for each communication devices from the selected network operator, and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit each of the received subscription information to each communication device in the group.

6. The mediation server according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive the group from the communication device.

7. The mediation server according to claim 1, further comprising a group storage unit configured to store a group list describing communication devices in a group, wherein

the group obtaining unit is further configured to retrieve a group that includes the communication device whose device information is obtained from the group list.

8. The mediation server according to claim 1, wherein the communication devices are Machine to Machine Equipments and the subscription information includes a Machine Communications Identity Module.

9. The mediation server according to claim 4, wherein the context information includes at least one of radio signal condition measured at the communication device, location information of the communication device, a capability of the communication device, velocity of the communication device, and information about service provided by the network operator.

10. A communication device comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to a mediation server, device information of the communication device and a group list, wherein the device information includes data needed to obtain subscription information from a network operator and the group list describes one or more communication devices including the communication device and specified to be connected to the same network operator;

a receiving unit configured to receive subscription information used for connecting the network operator; and

a network unit configured to connect to the network operator using the received subscription information.

11. The device according to claim 10, further comprising an obtaining unit configured to obtain context information, wherein the context information includes data relating to service provided by a network operator to the communication device;

wherein

the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the obtained context information to the mediation server, and

the network operator is selected by the mediation server based on the context information.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising a user interface configured to inform a user of the communication device which network operator provides the best service and to receive an instruction to connect the network operator from the user, wherein

the network unit is further configured to connect to the network operator in response to the instruction from the user.

13. The device according to claim 10, wherein the communication device is a Machine to Machine Equipment and the subscription information includes a Machine Communications Identity Module.

14. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein the context information includes at least one of radio signal condition measured at the communication device, location information of the communication device, a capability of the communication device, velocity of the communication device, and information about service provided by the network operator.

15. A method for mediating subscription information to one or more communication devices from a network operator providing network connectivity, comprising:

receiving request for provisioning subscription information to a communication device, along with device information of the communication device, wherein the device information includes data needed to obtain subscription information from a network operator;

responsive to the request for provisioning subscription information, obtaining a group comprising one or more communication devices including the communication device for which the provisioning is requested; and

sending a request, to a network operator, for subscription information used for the communication devices in the group to connect to the network operator, with the device information of the communication devices in the group.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising

managing context information of each communication device included in the group, wherein the context information includes data relating to service provided by a network operator to a communication device;

selecting, using the context information of the communication devices included in the group, a network operator that provides the best service to the communication devices in the group out of network operators that are able to provide network connectivity to the communication devices; and

sending the request, for each subscription information used for each communication devices in the group, to the selected network operator.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising

receiving the subscription information for each communication devices from the selected network operator, and

transmitting each of the received subscription information to each communication device in the group.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising

storing a group list describing communication devices in a group;

and

retrieving a group that includes the communication device whose device information is obtained from the group list.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the communication devices are Machine to Machine Equipments and the subscription information includes a Machine Communications Identity Module.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the context information includes at least one of radio signal condition measured at the communication device, location information of the communication device, a capability of the communication device, velocity of the communication device, and information about service provided by the network operator.