Method for managing a foreign mobile subscriber in VLR of a mobile switching center

• US 6,871,069 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2000
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Il-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/664,507
• Time in Patent Office: 1,646 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/432, 455/426, 455/406, 455/445, 455/411, 455/461, 455/422, 455/432.1, 455/432.3, 455/432.2, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455/426.1, 455/410, 455/422.1, 455/436, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for managing a foreign mobile subscriber in a visitor location register (VLR) of a mobile switching center (MSC) to provide a roaming service. The method comprising, upon receipt of a call request from a mobile terminal, checking a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC) of an international mobile subscriber identification (IMSI) number received from the mobile terminal, to determine whether a subscriber of the mobile terminal is a foreign mobile subscriber; checking, when the subscriber is a foreign mobile subscriber, a country code index table of the VLR to determine whether there exists a number of the country for which the roaming service is established; checking, when there exists the number of the country for which the roaming service is established, a service provider index table to determine whether the service provider is a roaming service provider; and providing, when the service provider is a roaming service provider, the service while managing the corresponding number in the order of the country code index table number, the service provider index table number and a mobile station identification number (MIN).

Claims

1. A method for managing a foreign mobile subscriber in a visitor location register (VLR) of a mobile switching center (MSC) to provide a roaming service, comprising the steps of:

(a) upon receipt of a call request from a mobile terminal, determining whether a subscriber of the mobile terminal is a foreign mobile subscriber by checking a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC) of an international mobile subscriber identification (IMSI) number received from the mobile terminal;

(b) determining whether roaming service is established for a country of the foreign mobile subscriber by checking if a number of a country code received from the foreign mobile subscriber exists in a country code index table of the VLR when the subscriber in step (a) is determined to be a foreign mobile subscriber;

(c) determining whether the service provider of the foreign mobile subscriber is a roaming service provider by checking a service provider index table after determining that roaming service for a country of the foreign mobile subscriber is established by checking the country code identified in step (b); and

(d) providing service to the foreign mobile subscriber while managing the corresponding number in the order of the country code index table number, the service provider index table number and a mobile station identification number (MIN) after determining that the service provider of the foreign mobile subscriber is a roaming service provider identified in step (c).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (b) includes not providing service by discarding the call request from the foreign mobile subscriber when the country code of the foreign mobile subscriber does not exist in the country code index table.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the country code index table comprises a table in which a prefix is comprised of the MCC and the MNC of the IMSI, and the table has an index value corresponding to the roaming service country code.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the service provider index table has an index value corresponding to a public land mobile network (PLMN) value of the IMSI number.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the country code index table comprises a table in which a prefix is comprised of the MCC and the MNC of the IMSI, and the table has an index value corresponding to the roaming service country code.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the service provider index table has an index value corresponding to a public land mobile network (PLMN) value of the IMSI number.