COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY MEDIUM

• US 20180054855A1
• Filed: 03/17/2016
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: NAKANO, Shintaro, HASEGAWA, Hideo, ISHII, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 10,897,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/005 Multiple registrations, e.g. multihoming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• 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 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A first data center includes a first virtual network that provides a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of a communication facility of a first communication operator and a first communication unit that is operable to communicate with a second data center. The second data center includes a second virtual network that provides a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of a communication facility of a second communication operator and a second communication unit that is operable to communicate with the first data center. The first communication unit is operable to transmit to the second communication unit, communication data to be transmitted from a first terminal connecting to the first virtual network via a communication facility of the first communication operator to a second terminal connecting via a communication facility of the second communication operator to the second virtual network.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

at least a first data center providing a cloud service to a user, wherein the first data center comprises;

a first virtual network that provides a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of a communication facility of at least a first communication operator; and

a first communication unit that is operable to communicate with a second communication unit in a second data center,

wherein first communication unit is operable to transmit to the second communication unit, communication data to be transmitted from a first terminal connecting to the first virtual network via the communication facility of the first communication operator to a second terminal connecting via a communication facility of a second communication operator to a second virtual network in the second data center, the second virtual network providing a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of the communication facility of the second communication operator.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first virtual network and the second virtual network are provided by the same virtual communication operator.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first data center and the second data center are provided by the same virtual communication operator.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein a terminal contracting with the virtual communication operator and connecting at a first location to the first virtual network in the first data center,

connects, at a second location different from the first location, to the second virtual network in the second data center.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the first data center comprises:

a storage unit that shares, at least one of user information and terminal information of the terminal that uses the first virtual network and the second virtual network stored therein, with the second data center.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein in the first data center, the first communication unit in response to a connection request from the terminal to connect to the second virtual network in the second data center, receives an inquiry issued from the second virtual network,

the first communication unit checks whether the terminal is registered in the storage unit, and

if the terminal is registered in the storage unit, the first communication unit allows the terminal to connect to the second virtual network and start communication by roaming of the terminal.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first virtual network in the first data center includes a virtualized core network.

24. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

the first terminal contracting with a virtual communication operator connects, via the communication facility that the virtual communication operator borrows from the first communication operator or a communication facility owned by the virtual communication operator, to the first virtual network in the first data center, and from the first virtual network, via the second virtual network provided by the virtual communication operator in the second data center, to a second terminal connecting via the communication facility that the virtual communication operator borrows from the second communication operator or a communication facility owned by the virtual communication operator to the second virtual network.

8. A communication apparatus constituting a network of a first data center that provides a cloud service to a user, the apparatus comprising

a first unit configured to connect to a first virtual network that is included in the first data center and provides a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of a communication facility of a first communication operator, the first unit being operable to communicate with a second data center including a second virtual network providing a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of the communication facility of a second communication operator;

and

a second unit configured to control a transmission destination of communication data transmitted by the first unit, the second unit controlling the first unit to transmit to the second data center, communication data that is to be transmitted from a first terminal connecting via a communication facility of the first communication operator to the first virtual network to a second terminal connecting via a communication facility of a second communication operator to the second virtual network.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first virtual network and the second virtual network are provided by the same virtual communication operator.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first data center and the second data center are provided by the same virtual communication operator.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first virtual network or the second virtual network includes a virtualized core network.

12. A communication method comprising:

a first data center that provides a cloud service, by using a first virtual network that provides a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of a communication facility of a first communication operator, and a first communication unit, being operable to communicate with a second communication unit in a second data center that provides a cloud service and a second virtual network that provides a communication service in cooperation with at least a part of communication facility of a second communication operator; and

communication data from a first terminal connecting via the communication facility of the first communication operator to the first virtual network in the first data center, being capable to be transmitted via the first communication unit of the first data center and via the second communication unit of the second data center, to a second terminal connecting via the communication facility of the second communication operator to the second virtual network in the second data center.

13. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein the first virtual network and the second virtual network are provided by the same virtual communication operator.

14. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein the first data center and the second data center are provided by the same virtual communication operator.

15. The communication method according to claim 13, comprising:

a terminal of a user contracting with the virtual communication operator, at a first location, connecting to the first virtual network in the first data center; and

the terminal, at a second location different from the first location, accessing to a second data center provided apart from the first data center and including a second virtual network of the virtual communication operator, and connecting to the second virtual network.

16. The communication method according to claim 15, comprising

the first data center sharing with the second data center, at least one of user information and terminal information of the terminal using the first virtual network and the second virtual network.

17. The communication method according to claim 16, comprising:

the first data center, in response to a connection request from the terminal to connect to the second virtual network in the second data center, receiving an inquiry issued from the second virtual network;

checking whether the terminal is registered in a storage unit of the first data center; and

if the terminal is registered in the storage unit, allowing the terminal to connect to the second virtual network, to start communication by roaming of the terminal.

18. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein the first virtual network in the first data center includes a virtualized core network.

25. The communication method according to claim 12, comprising:

the first terminal that contracts with a virtual communication operator, connecting via the communication facility that the virtual communication operator borrows from the first communication operator or a communication facility owned by the virtual communication operator to the first virtual network in the first data center, and from the first virtual network, via the second virtual network provided by the virtual communication operator in the second data center, to the second terminal connecting via the communication facility that the virtual communication operator borrows from the second communication operator or a communication facility owned by the virtual communication operator to the second virtual network.

19-23. -23. (canceled)