System and method for message redirection between mobile telecommunication networks with different radio access technologies

• US 7,123,910 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2002
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Lucidarme, Thierry, Lescuyer, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US10/477,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20040147262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 455436-442, 455/445, 455450-451, 455/452.1, 455/453, 455/455, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/464, 455/403, 455/434, 455/435.2
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality

Abstract

Communication systems and methods are provided allowing a single mode mobile terminal to support mobile assisted signal strength measurement operations in both a fixed frequency reuse based communication network and an adaptive channel allocation based communication network. Candidate base station signal strength measurements are requested by a fixed frequency reuse type network, measured by the mobile terminal and provided to the fixed frequency reuse type network which is seeking to identify a strongest signal for mobile assisted handover operations. In addition, interference signal strength measurements are requested by an adaptive channel allocation type network, measured by the mobile terminal and provided to the adaptive channel allocation type network by the mobile terminal. No redundant circuitry is required in the mobile terminal. Instead, the mobile terminal executes the same operations using the same hardware regardless of whether the requested measurement is of a candidate signal strength or an interference signal.

Claims

1. A method of operating at least a first and a second mobile telecommunications network connected through at least one common node, the first network comprising a first access network and a core network and the common node being in the core network, a mobile terminal being in radio communication with the first mobile telecommunications network, the method comprising the steps of:

the mobile terminal scanning a frequency spectrum and identifying at least a potential radio access network;

the mobile terminal communicating a report of the results of the scan to the first network,

the mobile terminal sending a message to the first telecommunications network with a request for specific mobile telecommunications service,

the first network deciding in response to the report and the request which of the radio networks detected by the scan of the mobile terminal is suitable for the requested service, and

the first radio network requesting the common node to redirect at least a part of the communication to the second network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second network is uncoordinated with the first network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio access technology of the first network is different from the radio access technology of the second network.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of the first network transmitting a message to the mobile terminal, the message including system parameters of the second network.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the message is broadcast to the mobile terminal.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the message is transmitted depending upon the location of the mobile terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the redirection is via a wireline.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the redirection is via a wide area multimedia IP telecommunications network.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first network is a cellular network.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in the first network determining whether a new Radio Access Bearer (RAB) is required based on the measurement report from the mobile and, if so, requesting a new Radio Access Bearer (RAB) from the common node in the core network.

11. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the common node in the core network requesting a new bearer allocation from an inter working unit (IWU) of the second network and receiving an acknowledgement when the bearer is allocated.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising the common node sending a confirmation to the Radio Network Controller (RNC) when the handover is authorized.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising the Radio Network Controller (RNC), in response to receiving the handover authorization, sending a handover command to the mobile and the mobile beginning a log-on procedure to the second network.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising the common node requesting the first network to release communication.

15. The method according to claim 13 further comprising buffering packets from the mobile during the log-on procedure to the second network.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the common node is a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN).

17. A system having at least a first and a second mobile telecommunications network connected through at least one common node, the first network comprising a first access network and a core network and the common node being in the core network, a mobile terminal being in radio communication with the first mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

means in the mobile terminal for scanning a frequency spectrum and identifying potential radio network sources;

means in the mobile terminal for communicating a report of the results of the scan to the first network,

means in the mobile terminal for sending a message to the first telecommunications network with a request for specific mobile telecommunications service,

means in the first network for deciding in response to the report and the request which of the radio network sources detected by the scan of the mobile terminal is suitable for the requested service, and

means in the first radio network for requesting the common node to redirect at least a part of the communication to the second network.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the second network is uncoordinated with the first network.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the radio access technology of the first network is different from the radio access technology of the second network.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the first network is a cellular network.

21. A network element for use in a first network of a system having at least a first and a second mobile telecommunications network, the first network comprising a first access network and a core network and the common node being in the core network, the network element comprising:

means for receiving from a mobile terminal in radio communication with the first mobile telecommunications network a report of the results of a scan of a frequency spectrum and identification of potential radio network sources, means for receiving from the mobile terminal a request for specific mobile telecommunications service, and means for deciding in response to the report and the request which of the radio networks detected by the scan is suitable for the requested service, and

means for requesting the common node to redirect at least a part of the communication to the second network.