Virtual network service provider for mobile virtual network operator activation

• US 8,116,757 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sharaga, Avishay, Moses, Danny, Natan, Eetay
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US12/511,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20110026501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe methods and system configurations to activate a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). A method includes wirelessly broadcasting a virtual Network Service Provider (NSP) to provide wireless activation of one or more Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) associated with a NSP, directing a mobile station (MS) connected to the virtual NSP to a subscription portal that presents to a user of the MS the one or more MVNOs for selection, and provisioning the MS with configuration parameters for a selected MVNO to allow connection of the MS with the selected MVNO. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

wirelessly broadcasting a virtual Network Service Provider (NSP) to provide wireless activation of one or more Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) associated with a NSP;

directing a mobile station (MS) connected to the virtual NSP to a subscription portal that presents to a user of the MS the one or more MVNOs for selection; and

provisioning the MS with configuration parameters for a selected MVNO to allow connection of the MS with the selected MVNO, wherein said provisioning the MS indicates the activation of the selected MVNO, but not the virtual NSP, in order to allow a user of the MS to subsequently activate one or more MVNOs other than the selected MVNO using the virtual NSP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said provisioning the MS comprises:

setting an activation flag to indicate the activation of the selected MVNO.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said wirelessly broadcasting the virtual NSP is performed by a base station of a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said directing the mobile station (MS) comprises directing the mobile station connected to the virtual NSP to a subscription portal, wherein the subscription portal provides subscription services via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said provisioning the MS is performed by logic associated with the NSP or the virtual NSP.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said provisioning the MS further comprises:

configuring the MS, by the logic, to be controlled by logic associated with the selected MVNO when the MS is connected with the selected MVNO.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said provisioning the MS further comprises:

building, by the logic, a bootstrap message including account information of the selected MVNO.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein said provisioning the MS further comprises:

building, by the logic, a configuration tree of the selected MVNO.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disconnecting the MS from the virtual NSP to allow connection of the MS to the selected MVNO.

10. A method comprising:

wirelessly connecting, by a mobile station (MS), to a virtual Network Service Provider (NSP) to activate one or more Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) associated with a NSP; and

wirelessly receiving, by the MS, provisioning service that includes configuration parameters for a selected MVNO of the one or more MVNOs, wherein the configuration parameters allow connection of the MS to the selected MVNO, and wherein the provisioning service includes an indication of activation of the selected MVNO, but not the virtual NSP, in order to allow a user of the MS to subsequently activate one or more MVNOs other than the selected MVNO using the virtual NSP.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

accessing, by the MS, a subscription portal that provides wireless activation of the one or more MVNOs; and

selecting, by the MS, one of the one or more MVNOs presented to a user of the MS.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

creating an account for the selected MVNO.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

accessing, by the MS, a subscription portal that provides wireless activation of the NSP.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

discovering wirelessly, by the MS, the virtual NSP prior to said wirelessly connecting to the virtual NSP.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the MS, that the virtual NSP is not activated for the MS prior to said wirelessly connecting to the virtual NSP.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said wirelessly receiving the provisioning service comprises:

setting an activation flag to indicate the activation of the selected MVNO.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

disconnecting from the virtual NSP after said wirelessly receiving of the provisioning service;

discovering at least in part wirelessly, by the MS, the selected MVNO; and

connecting, by the MS, to the selected MVNO.

18. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors configured to communicate with one or more mobile stations (MS) in a vicinity of a wireless network via a base station of the wireless network, the base station being configured to wirelessly advertise a virtual Network Service Provider (NSP) to the one or more mobile stations (MS), wherein the virtual NSP is configured to provide wireless activation of one or more Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) associated with an NSP; and

a storage medium coupled to the one or more processors, the storage medium having instructions stored thereon, that if executed by the processor, result in

directing an MS connected to the virtual NSP to a subscription portal that presents to a user of the MS the one or more MVNOs for selection, and

provisioning the MS with configuration parameters for a selected MVNO to allow connection of the MS with the selected MVNO, wherein said provisioning the MS indicates the activation of the selected MVNO, but not the virtual NSP, in order to allow a user of the MS to subsequently activate one or more MVNOs other than the selected MVNO using the virtual NSP.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein provisioning the MS further comprises:

setting an activation flag to indicate the activation of the selected MVNO.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is a processor of one or more over-the-air (OTA) servers that provide MS activation services for the NSP.