MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, NETWORK NODE, AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20160227457A1
• Filed: 09/11/2014
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujishima, Daisuke, Tanaka, Itsuma, Suzuki, Keisuke, Miao, Zhen
• Granted Patent: US 10,172,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/065 involving selection of the user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

The invention provides a mobile communication system, a network node, and a mobile communication method, which can cause user equipment of a particular type to attach to a dedicated network regardless of whether or not the user equipment supports a low access priority indicator (LAPI). An MME (60) acquires subscriber information on UE (10) from an HSS (70) based on an attachment request from the UE (10) forwarded by an eNB (50) the subscriber information including availability for the UE (10) to use the dedicated network, and sends the eNB (50) a selection instruction to select the dedicated network based on the acquired subscriber information. When the eNB (50) receives the selection instruction from the MME (60), the eNB (50) determines a dedicated MME (60D) constituting the dedicated network, and transmits the attachment request from the UE (10) to the determined dedicated MME (60D).

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising:

a first network node;

a second network node; and

a dedicated network node constituting a dedicated network, wherein

the first network includes

a subscriber information acquisition unit configured to acquire subscriber information on user equipment from a subscriber server based on an attachment request from the user equipment forwarded by the second network node, the subscriber information including availability for the user equipment to use the dedicated network, and

a selection instruction transmission unit configured to send the second network node a selection instruction to select the dedicated network based on the subscriber information acquired by the subscriber information acquisition unit, and

the second network includes

a selection instruction reception unit configured to receive the selection instruction from the first network node, and

a network selection control unit configured to determine the dedicated network node constituting the dedicated network based on the selection instruction received by the selection instruction reception unit, and to transmit the attachment request from the user equipment to the determined dedicated network node.

2. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the subscriber information includes a low priority identifier indicating that the user equipment has a lower priority than a priority of other user equipment, and

when the subscriber information includes the low priority identifier, the selection instruction transmission unit determines that use of the dedicated network is permitted and transmits the selection instruction to the second network node.

3. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the subscriber information includes a service identifier indicating a type of a service to be used by the user equipment, and

the selection instruction transmission unit sends the second network node the selection instruction to select the dedicated network linked with the service identifier, based on the service identifier included in the subscriber information.

4. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the dedicated network node includes a handover processing unit configured, when the dedicated network node receives a handover request for the user equipment from the second network node and if the user equipment is permitted to use the dedicated network, to determine a different dedicated network node constituting the dedicated network and linked with a handover target of the user equipment, and to forward the handover request to the determined different dedicated network node.

5. The mobile communication system according to claim 1, wherein the dedicated network node includes:

a change information acquisition unit configured to acquire from the subscriber server change information indicating a change in availability for the user equipment to use the dedicated network; and

an attachment cancellation unit configured to cancel attachment of the user equipment to the dedicated network based on the change information acquired by the change information acquisition unit, and to cause the user equipment to execute a new attachment request.

6. A network node constituting a mobile communication system, comprising:

a subscriber information acquisition unit configured to acquire subscriber information on user equipment from a subscriber server based on an attachment request from the user equipment forwarded by a different network node, the subscriber information including availability for the user equipment to use a dedicated network; and

a selection instruction transmission unit configured to send the different network node a selection instruction to select the dedicated network based on the subscriber information acquired by the subscriber information acquisition unit.

7. A network node constituting a mobile communication system, comprising:

a selection instruction reception unit configured to receive from a different network node a selection instruction to select a dedicated network by user equipment; and

a network selection control unit configured to determine a dedicated network node constituting the dedicated network based on the selection instruction received by the selection instruction reception unit, and to transmit an attachment request from the user equipment to the determined dedicated network node.

8. A mobile communication method to be implemented by a first network node, a second network node, and a dedicated network node constituting a dedicated network, the method comprising the steps of:

causing the first network node to acquire subscriber information on user equipment from a subscriber server based on an attachment request from the user equipment forwarded by the second network node, the subscriber information including availability for the user equipment to use the dedicated network;

causing the first network node to send the second network node a selection instruction to select the dedicated network based on the acquired subscriber information;

causing the second network node to receive the selection instruction from the first network node; and

causing the first network node to determine the dedicated network node constituting the dedicated network based on the received selection instruction, and to transmit an attachment request from the user equipment to the determined dedicated network node.