Radio network access mechanism

• US 8,032,137 B1
• Filed: 01/28/1999
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Virtanen, Kari
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iqbal; Khawar
• Application Number:
  US09/381,334
• Time in Patent Office: 4,632 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/426, 455/433, 455/414, 455/422, 455/435, 455/432, 4554321-4323, 4554351-4353, 455/411, 455/444, 455/560, 370/328, 370/338, 370/432, 370/329, 370/326, 370/352, 370/379, 370/331
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method of registration in a telecommunications system by a mobile station, which system includes a home location register for maintaining subscriber data and supports a first network, such as GSM, and a second network, such as GPRS. The home location register maintains the mobile subscriber data and a message is sent to the home location register for requesting the mobile subscriber data. The home location register maintains an access parameter which indicates whether the mobile subscriber is entitled to use the first network, the second network or both networks. In response to said message for requesting the subscriber data, the home location register sends the mobile subscriber data and also the access parameter. The network element that requested the mobile subscriber data uses said access parameter for restricting the access of the mobile subscriber only to a circuit-switched network and/or to a packet-switched network.

Claims

1. A method of registering a multimode mobile station in a telecommunications system, wherein the telecommunications system comprises a home location register for maintaining mobile subscriber data and supports a first network and a second network of a different type, the method comprising:

in the home location register, maintaining the mobile subscriber data and receiving, from another network element, a message for requesting the mobile subscriber data, the mobile subscriber data comprising address information for accessing the mobile subscriber via the first and the second network of the different type;

the home location register maintaining a subscriber-specific access parameter which indicates, independently of the address information, whether the mobile subscriber has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of the different type;

wherein the first network and second network are provided by a common operator; and

in response to said message for requesting the mobile subscriber data, the home location register sends the mobile subscriber data and also said subscriber-specific access parameter;

wherein the network element that requested the mobile subscriber data is operable to use said subscriber-specific access parameter for restricting the location updating of the mobile station only to the first network or to the second network of the different type.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile subscriber'"'"'s access can be restricted only to one network even though a short message service had been defined for the mobile subscriber.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the telecommunications system comprises a visitor location register;

and

when the mobile station is in the area of the visitor location register and receives a call or a short message and the visitor location register does not have data of the mobile subscriber, said subscriber-specific access parameter is used for restricting paging of the mobile station only to a network which the mobile subscriber has access rights to.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first network is a circuit-switched network and the second network is a packet-switched network and wherein one mode of the multimode mobile station supports the circuit-switched network and another mode supports the packet-switched network.

5. A method of registering a multimode mobile station in a telecommunications system, wherein the telecommunications system comprises a home location register for maintaining mobile subscriber data and supports a first network and a second network of a different type, wherein the first network and second network are provided by a common operator, the mobile subscriber data comprising address information for accessing the mobile subscriber via the first and the second network and a subscriber-specific access parameter indicating, independently of the address information, whether the mobile subscriber has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of the different type, the method comprising:

sending from another network element to the home location register a message for requesting the mobile subscriber data, the mobile subscriber data comprising said subscriber-specific access parameter indicating, independently of the address information, whether the mobile subscriber has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of the different type;

the network element that requested the mobile subscriber data using said subscriber-specific access parameter to restrict a location update of the mobile station only to the first and/or the second network of the different type.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the first network is a circuit-switched network and the second network is a packet-switched network and wherein one mode of the multimode mobile station supports the circuit-switched network and another mode supports the packet-switched network.

7. A home location register configured to operate in a telecommunications system that supports multimode mobile stations and which comprises a first network and a second network of a different type, the first and second networks being provided by a common operator, the home location register comprising:

a processor; and

a memory operatively connected to the processor and configured to store mobile subscriber data for registering a multimode mobile station, the mobile subscriber data comprising address information for accessing the mobile station via the first and the second network; and

a subscriber-specific access parameter which indicates, independently of the address information, whether a mobile subscriber to whom the mobile station has been registered has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of the different type;

wherein the processor is configured to receive, from another network element, a location update message for the mobile station and to send the mobile subscriber data and said subscriber-specific access parameter as a response to said location update message.

8. A home location register according to claim 7, wherein the first and second networks share a common home location register.

9. A home location register according to claim 7, wherein the first network is a circuit-switched network and the second network is a packet-switched network and wherein one mode of the multimode mobile station supports the circuit-switched network and another mode supports the packet-switched network.

10. A network element configured to operate in a telecommunications system which supports a first network and a second network of a different type, and multimode mobile stations, wherein the telecommunications system comprises a home location register for maintaining mobile subscriber data for registering a multimode mobile station in the telecommunications system, the mobile subscriber data comprising address information for accessing the mobile subscriber via the first and the second network and a subscriber-specific access parameter indicating, independently of the address information, whether the mobile subscriber has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of the different type, the network element comprising:

a processor configured to;

send, to the home location register, a message for location updating of the mobile subscriber station;

receive the mobile subscriber data and said subscriber-specific access parameter as a response to said message;

use said subscriber-specific access parameter to restrict location updating of the mobile station only to the first and/or the second network;

wherein the first network and second network are provided by a common operator.

11. A network element according to claim 10, wherein the first and second networks share a common home location register.

12. A network element according to claim 10, wherein the first network is a circuit-switched network and the second network is a packet-switched network and wherein one mode of the multimode mobile station supports the circuit-switched network and another mode supports the packet-switched network.

13. A method of registering a multimode mobile station in a telecommunications system, wherein the telecommunications system comprises home location register for maintaining mobile subscriber data and supports a first network and a second network of different type, the method comprising:

at the home location register, maintaining the mobile subscriber data and receiving, from another network element, a message for requesting the mobile subscriber data, the mobile subscriber data comprising address information for accessing the mobile subscriber via the first and the second network of different type;

the home location register maintaining a subscriber-specific access parameter which indicates, independently of the address information, whether the mobile subscriber has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of different type;

wherein the first network and second network are provided by a common operator; and

in response to said message for requesting the mobile subscriber data, the home location register sending the mobile subscriber data and also said subscriber specific access parameter;

wherein the network element that requested the mobile subscriber data is operable to use said subscriber-specific access parameter for restricting paging of the mobile station only to the first network or to the second network of different type.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first network is a circuit-switched network and the second network of the different type is a packet-switched network.

15. A method of registering a multimode mobile station in a telecommunications system, wherein the telecommunications system comprises a home location register that maintains mobile subscriber data and supports a first network and a second network of a different type, wherein the first network and the second network are provided by a common operator, the mobile subscriber data comprising address information for accessing the mobile subscriber via the first and the second network and a subscriber-specific access parameter indicating, independently of the address information whether the mobile subscriber has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of different type, the method comprising:

sending from another network element to the home location register a message for requesting the mobile subscriber data, the mobile subscriber data comprising said subscriber-specific access parameter indicating, independently of the address information whether the mobile subscriber has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of the different type;

the network element that requested the mobile subscriber data using said subscriber-specific access parameter to restrict paging of the mobile station only to the first and/or the second network of different type.

16. A home location register configured to operate in a telecommunications system which supports multimode mobile stations and which comprises a first network and a second network of a different type, the first network and second network provided by a common operator, the home location register comprising:

a processor; and

a memory structured to store mobile subscriber data for registering a multimode mobile station, the mobile subscriber data comprising address information for accessing the mobile station via the first and second network, and a subscriber-specific access parameter which indicates, independently of the address information, whether a mobile subscriber to whom the mobile station has been registered has access rights to the first network and/or the second network of different type;

the processor being configured to receive, from another network element, a message for restoration of the mobile subscriber data and to send the mobile subscriber data and said subscriber-specific access parameter to the network element in response to said message.