Method and system for implementing communications between multiple subnets and MSC

• US 8,340,662 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shu, Xuzu
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, ALEXANDER J.
• Application Number:
  US11/595,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20070117561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 455/428, 455/560, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/445, 370/352, 370/439
• US Class Current: 455/428
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and a system for implementing communications between multiple subnets covered by one physical Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and an MSC. The method includes the steps of: mapping one physical MSC to multiple logical MSCs, i.e. multiple virtual MSCs, and assigning a virtual MSC number to each virtual MSC, and setting relationship(s) between location area(s) covered by the virtual MSC and the virtual MSC number of each virtual MSC; transmitting location information of a terminal with the virtual MSC number during communications to implement communications among multiple subnets. During communication, since the terminal location is transmitted according to the virtual MSC number, it is possible to differentiate the terminals located in different subnets covered by a physical MSC, therefore the roaming and handover of the terminal between the subnets can be implemented; and the roaming limitation also can be implemented through the MSC List and VLR List.

Claims

1. A method for implementing communications among multiple subnets that are covered by a physical Mobile Switching Center (MSC), comprising:

mapping a physical MSC having a physical MSC number to multiple virtual MSCs that are logical MSCs within the physical MSC, wherein each virtual MSC corresponds to one of the subnets representing a specified location within the physical MSC;

assigning, to each of the virtual MSCs, a virtual MSC number;

setting relationships between the subnets corresponding to the virtual MSCs and the virtual MSC numbers assigned to the virtual MSCs;

transmitting a virtual MSC number of one of the virtual MSCs that is currently visited by a mobile wireless terminal when the mobile wireless terminal implements communications;

identifying a subnet that the mobile wireless terminal currently belongs to according to the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC and the set relationship between the subnet that the mobile wireless terminal currently belongs to and the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC; and

implementing communications for the mobile wireless terminal over the identified subnet.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each subnet covers one or more location areas;

and

wherein the method further comprising;

setting a relationship between the location areas covered by each of the virtual MSCs and the virtual MSC number assigned to the virtual MSC.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the virtual MSC number comprises:

transmiting the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC to a Home Location Register (HLR) during a location update procedure.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting of the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC to the HLR comprises:

receiving a location update request sent by the mobile wireless terminal, the location update request indicative of a current location area;

determining the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC according to the current location area and the set relationship;

sending the location update request to the HLR, wherein the location update request sent to the HLR carries the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC; and

registering, by the HLR, the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

sending, by the HLR, a delete location request to an original virtual MSC that the mobile wireless terminal visited;

sending, by the original virtual MSC, a delete location response to the HLR in response to the delete location request;

sending, by the HLR, an insert mobile wireless terminal data request to the visited virtual MSC after receiving the delete location response;

inserting, by the visited virtual MSC, mobile wireless terminal data in response to the insert mobile wireless terminal data request, and sending an insert mobile wireless terminal data response to the HLR; and

sending, by the HLR, a location update response to the visited virtual MSC.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, after the visited virtual MSC sends the location update request to the HLR, the method further comprises:

initiating, by the visited virtual MSC, a visiting conflict timer for the mobile wireless terminal; and

after the original virtual MSC receives the delete location request, determining whether the visiting conflict timer is expired;

if the visiting conflict timer is expired, deleting user data corresponding to the mobile wireless terminal, and sending the delete location response to the HLR; and

if the visiting conflict timer is not expired, sending the delete location response to the HLR without deleting the user data corresponding to the mobile wireless terminal.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the location update request that is sent to the HLR of the mobile wireless terminal comprises a Super-Charge Supported in Serving Network Entity;

the method further comprising sending, by the HLR, the location update response after receiving the location update request.

8. The method according to claim 3, when the mobile wireless terminal roams, the transmitting of the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC further comprising:

sending, by the HLR, a provide roaming number request carrying the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC to a physical Visited Location Register (VLR); and

assigning, by the physical VLR, a roaming number to the mobile wireless terminal according to the virtual MSC number.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the identifying of the subnet that the mobile wireless terminal currently belongs to according to the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC and the set relationship, and the implementing of communications for the mobile wireless terminal over the identified subnet, comprises:

obtaining, by a bill center, the roaming number;

detecting, by the bill center, location information of the mobile wireless terminal according to the roaming number and the set relationship; and

implementing, by the bill center, billing for the mobile wireless terminal based on a distance within the physical MSC.

10. The method according to claim 3, when the mobile wireless terminal is a calling party in intelligent services, the transmitting of the virtual MSC number further comprising:

initiating, by the calling party, a call; and

reporting, by the Service Switching Point (SSP), the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC to a Service Control Point (SCP).

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the identifying of the subnet that the mobile wireless terminal currently belongs to according to the virtual MSC number and the set relationship, and the implementing of communications for the mobile wireless terminal over the identified subnet, comprises:

obtaining, by the SCP, a roaming situation of the calling party according to the roaming number and the set relationship; and

implementing, by the SCP, billing for the calling party.

12. The method according to claim 3, when the mobile wireless terminal is a called party in intelligent services, the transmitting of the virtual MSC number further comprising:

obtaining, by the HLR, the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC after receiving a routing information request;

sending, by the HLR, a routing information response carrying the visited virtual MSC number to the mobile wireless terminal; and

reporting, by the visited virtual MSC the corresponding virtual MSC number of the called party to the SCP.

13. The method according to claim 12, the identifying of the subnet that the mobile wireless terminal currently belongs to according to the virtual MSC number and the set relationship, and the implementing of the communications for the mobile wireless terminal over the identified subnet, comprising:

obtaining, by the SCP, a roaming situation of the called party according to a roaming number and the set relationship; and

implementing, by the SCP, billing for the called party.

14. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

setting a list of MSC numbers for the mobile wireless terminal that are permitted to be visited by the mobile wireless terminal;

wherein when the mobile wireless terminal roams, identifying the subnet that the mobile wireless terminal currently belongs to according to the virtual MSC number and the set relationship, and implementing communications for the mobile wireless terminal over the identified subnet, comprises;

determining whether the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC is in the list of the virtual MSC numbers of the mobile wireless terminal; and

restricting services of the mobile wireless terminal if the virtual MSC number of the visited virtual MSC is not in the list.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

mapping a physical Visited Location Register (VLR) into multiple virtual VLRs;

assigning a virtual VLR number to each virtual VLR; and

setting a one-to-one relationship between the virtual MSC numbers and the virtual VLR numbers.