Procedure and system for setting up a telecommunication connection

• US 6,850,762 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sonera Oyj
• Original Assignee: Sonera Oyj
• Inventors: Ala-Luukko, Sami, Huostila, Tero
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US09/599,385
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/458, 455/425, 455/432.1, 455/445, 455/440, 455/512, 455/554.2, 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/414.2, 455/432.3, 455/415, 379/114, 379/115, 379/221
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents

Abstract

In the inventive system, a telecommunication network includes a calling subscriber'"'"'s terminal equipment, a called subscriber'"'"'s terminal equipment, a home location register of the calling subscriber'"'"'s subscription, a home location register of the called subscriber'"'"'s subscription, a calling subscriber'"'"'s visited mobile switching center, a communication server for route optimization of the connection to be set up, and a mobile switching center under which the called subscriber is located. A telecommunication connection is set up from the visited mobile switching center to the mobile switching center on the basis of call pricing data and/or network configuration data. The call pricing data and/or network configuration data for a variety of different possible routes are identified or determined by means of the communication server and used to identify the optimum route for the telecommunication connection.

Claims

1. A procedure for setting up a telecommunication connection between a calling subscriber and a called subscriber in a telecommunication network that includes terminal equipment of the calling subscriber, terminal equipment of the called subscriber, a home location register of the calling subscriber, a home location register of the called subscriber, a visited mobile switching center serving the calling subscriber, a communication server operative for route optimization of the telecommunication connection to be set up, and a mobile switching center, comprising the steps of:

setting up a call pricing data base containing call pricing data which accounts for costs of calls that are set up and routed in an area of a mobile switching center of another telecommunication network;

transmitting a call set-up request from the terminal equipment of the calling subscriber to the visited mobile switching center;

determining a current location in the telecommunication network of the calling subscriber terminal equipment from which the call set-up request has been transmitted;

determining in the communication server a location in the telecommunication network of the terminal equipment of the called subscriber;

determining in the communication server an optimized route for the telecommunication connection to be set up from the prices of a multiplicity of alternative routes using call pricing data in the call pricing data base and the location of the terminal equipment of the called and calling subscribers;

returning from the communication server to the visited mobile switching center information identifying the determined optimized route; and

setting up the telecommunication connection from the visited mobile switching center to the mobile switching center utilizing the returned optimized route.

2. The procedure of claim 1, wherein said step of determining the location of the called subscriber terminal equipment comprises requesting location information for the called subscriber from the home location register of the called subscriber.

3. The procedure of claim 1, wherein said step of determining the current location of the calling subscriber terminal equipment comprises one of:

requesting location information relating to the calling subscriber from the home location register of the calling subscriber; and

sending location information relating to the calling subscriber from the visited mobile switching center to the communication server.

4. The procedure of claim 1, wherein said step of determining an optimized route comprises:

identifying, in the communication server using one of an MSISDN number and a tracing number of the called subscriber, a plurality of routing alternatives for the telecommunication connection to be set up;

determining, at the communication server, call pricing data for each of the plural identified routing alternatives; and

identifying from among the plural identified routing alternatives, based on the determined call pricing data, an optimal route for the telecommunication connection to be set up to define the optimized route.

5. The procedure of claim 1, further comprising the step of updating a database in the communication server storing the one of the call pricing data and network configuration data to maintain current data in the database.