Mobile radio system with wireline subscriber lines

• US 6,122,508 A
• Filed: 12/12/1996
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Veloso, Artur
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US08/764,790
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/432, 455/560, 455/550, 455/558, 455/557, 455/466, 455/554, 455/462, 455/422, 455/555, 455/74, 455/74.1, 235/380, 370/338, 370/360, 370/384, 370/385, 370/386, 370/537, 370/538, 370/539, 370/540, 370/541
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

Mobile radio systems with mobile switching centers to which at least one private branch exchange for providing wireline subscriber lines is connected, are known. The branch exchanges require an expensive switching technology and are not capable of providing mobile-radio-specific service features at the wireline subscriber terminals. For the purpose of providing a mobile radio system (MRS) of simple construction accessible also to wireline subscribers, a mobile switching center (MSC) is proposed comprising an interface unit (IF) for interfacing to a concentrator (FSU) which combines a plurality of subscriber lines of wireline subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn). Accordingly, each of the wireline subscriber terminals is connected in such a way that it is treated like a mobile radio terminal, and offered the same available service options. The administration of the subscribers of the wireline subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn) is preferably implemented via a home location register (HLR) and the wireline subscriber terminals include card reading devices for reading authorization cards (SIM).

Claims

1. A mobile switching center (MSC) comprising:

a controlled switching network (SWT) for connection to one or more base station subsystems (BSS), said one or more base station subsystems (BSS) serving for communicating by radio with mobile subscriber terminals; and

an interface unit (IF) connected to the controlled switching network (SWT) for interfacing to a concentrator (FSU) which combines a plurality (n) of wireline subscriber lines of wireline subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn),

wherein the interface unit connects the subscriber lines, combined by means of the concentrator, to the controlled switching network (SWT) in such a way that each of the wireline subscriber lines is connected to the switching network with the same available service features as those afforded to a mobile subscriber terminal, and wherein the interface unit comprises a multiplexer and a demultiplexer to permit connection of the concentrator (FSU) via a multichannel link.

2. A mobile switching center (MSC) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the link is an optical-fiber link or a radio link, and wherein the interface unit (IF) comprises electro-optical transducers or a transceiver.

3. A mobile switching center (MSC) as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the purpose of switching connections to the subscriber terminals, the interface unit (IF) is connected to a data base (HLR) which contains information for identifying the wireline subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn) or for identifying subscribers who use the wireline subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn).

4. A mobile switching center (MSC) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the data base is a home location register (HLR) which contains information on mobile subscribers and on the subscribers who use the subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn).

5. A mobile radio system (MRS) comprising

a mobile switching center (MSC) adapted for connection to a plurality of mobile radio base stations (BSS) and which includes an interface unit (IF) and a concentrator (FSU) which combines a plurality of subscriber lines of wireline subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn) and connects them through the interface unit (IF) to a switching network (SWT) within said mobile switching center (MSC), so that said center can make available to said wireline terminals all services available to mobile subscribers via said mobile radio base stations.

6. A mobile radio system (MRS) as claimed in claim 5, wherein for the purpose of switching connections to the subscriber terminals, the interface unit (IF) is connected to a data base (HLR) which contains information for identifying subscribers who use the wireline subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn), each of the subscriber terminals (T1 to Tn) comprising a device for reading data from storage means (SIM) containing the information for identifying the respective subscriber.

7. A mobile radio system (MRS) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the storage means are authorization cards (SIM) which are readable by both mobile terminals and the wireline terminals (T1 to Tn).