Mobile network system

• US 7,493,116 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya; Sam
• Application Number:
  US10/871,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20040229609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 455/411, 455/410, 455/461, 455/557, 455/558, 455/432.1, 455/432.2, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/550.1, 455/517, 455/445, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• 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 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

In order to provide a configuration that allows system building with a relatively simple configuration when building a 3G mobile network system, a RAN part (11, 12, 13, 111, 112, 113, 114, 121, 122), a MSC (131), and a SGSN (132) are shared by a plurality of carriers, and subscriber information is consistently exchanged between a VLR of the shared MSC and HLRs of MSCs (211, 221, 231) for respective carriers, thereby maintaining the consistency with each other.

Claims

1. A mobile communication system comprising:

a common radio base station capable of carrying out radio communication with both a first terminal joining a first provider and a second terminal joining a second provider;

a common radio network controller configured to control the common radio base station for providing the first terminal and the second terminal with radio communications through the common radio base station;

a common switching apparatus configured to carry out switching of a communication route for communications received from the first terminal and the second terminal via the common radio network controller wherein the common switching apparatus is able to turn back the communication route to a common radio network controller not connected to a public network side;

a first management apparatus configured to manage subscriber information for the first terminal; and

a second management apparatus configured to manage subscriber information for the second terminal, wherein;

said common switching apparatus comprises a subscriber information obtaining part configured to obtain the subscriber information of a calling terminal by accessing any one of the first and the second management apparatuses, according to the provider which the calling terminal joins.

2. The mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of carriers includes the first provider and the second provider;

the system is configured to share, by the plurality of carriers, the common switching apparatus that connects terminals subscribing to different carriers; and

the mobile communication system is used in a 3G mobile communication network control system.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the common switching apparatus includes:

a function of storing and managing information of a terminal relating to interconnection between mobile communication networks of different carriers; and

a mask function for preventing leakage and falsification of the information.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein information transmitted by connecting the terminals subscribing to the different carriers is formed by voice information.

6. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein information transmitted by connecting the terminals subscribing to the different carriers is formed by packet data.

7. The system as claimed in claim 2, further including a further common switching apparatus for an individual carrier, the further apparatus changing subscriber service and performing accounting process within a service area of a shared mobile communication network.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a switching function of the common switching apparatus for the individual carrier is eliminated.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein consistency between subscriber information of the shared common switching apparatus and subscriber information of the common switching apparatus for the individual carrier is maintained as needed.

10. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein a terminal subscribing to a carrier of a 3G mobile communication network is directly connected to a 2/2.5G mobile communication network subscribing to a different carrier, without using a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

11. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein a terminal subscribing to a carrier of a 3G mobile communication network is directly connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) without using the common switching apparatus and a communication network for the carrier.

12. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein a terminal subscribing to a carrier of a 3G mobile communication network is directly connected to a public packet network (PDN) without using the common switching apparatus and a communication network for the carrier.

13. The system as claimed in claim 2, further including a network management apparatus that entirely manages:

the shared common switching apparatus; and

a shared radio communication network in which a signal is exchanged by said shared mobile communication network.

14. A method of controlling mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the common switching apparatus that connects terminals subscribing to different carriers is shared by a plurality of carriers.

15. The mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the common switching apparatus that connects terminals subscribing to different carriers is configured to be shared by a plurality of carriers.

16. The mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the common switching apparatus performs, by each carrier, change of subscriber service and an accounting process within a service area of a shared mobile communication network in a 3G mobile communication network that allows interconnection between terminals subscribing to different carriers by sharing, by a plurality of carriers, the common switching apparatus.

17. The mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a common radio network control apparatus between the common radio base station and the common switching apparatus.

18. The mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first terminal, the second terminal, and the calling terminal are radio communication terminals, and the first provider and the second provider are radio communication providers.

19. The mobile communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscriber information used by the communication switching apparatus is deleted when it is not accessed for a predetermined time period.

4. The system as claimed in 3, wherein a packet communication apparatus (SGSN) can be shared by the plurality of carriers by applying the function of the shared common switching apparatus, the function storing and managing the information of the terminal relating to interconnection between the mobile communication networks of the different carriers.