Method and device for providing a mobile station with network identity and timezone (NTZ) information

• US 8,768,348 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2004
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Stuempert, Martin, Ewert, Joerg Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMS, MATTHEW C
• Application Number:
  US11/718,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20090088179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,527 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4567, 4554321-4323, 4554351-4353, 368 1- 13, 368 21- 27
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a device—unit (11)—capable of performing the method for providing a mobile station (18) engaged with a telecommunications network (10) with data that is not identical throughout the whole network (10), where a table (27) is maintained in at least one unit (11) of the network (10) associating location dependent data (29) indicative of a location of the mobile station (18) to data that is valid for the mobile station (18).

Claims

1. A method in a core network node for providing a mobile station engaged with a telecommunications network in a shared environment via an access network of a first provider with Network Identity Information of another provider, the method comprising:

detecting, by the core network node, that Network Identity information shall be sent to the mobile station, the mobile station being associated with the another provider,

determining, by the core network node, a location of the mobile station,

determining, by the core network node, the Network Identity information of the another provider associated to the mobile station depending on the location of the mobile station, where the determined Network Identity information is from among a plurality of Network Identify information used in the shared environment other than Network Identity information of the first provider, and

sending, by the core network node, the determined Network Identity information towards the mobile station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the core network node maintains a table associating information related to a provider to data that is used for determining the Network Identity information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information related to the provider is an identification of a device of an access network that is used to serve the mobile station.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information related to the provider is an identification of a location area.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the information related to provider is an identification of the subscription.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the core network node is a mobile switching center.

7. A method in a core network node for providing a mobile station engaged with a telecommunications network in a shared environment via an access network of a first provider with Network Identity information of another provider, the method comprising:

detecting, by the core network node, that Network Identity information shall be sent to the mobile station, the mobile station being associated with the another provider,

identifying, by the core network node, an identity of the mobile station,

determining, by the core network node, depending on the identity of the mobile station, the Network Identity information of the another provider associated with the mobile station from among a plurality of Network Identify information used in the shared environment other than Network Identity information of the first provider, and

sending, by the core network node, the determined Network Identity information towards the mobile station.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the core network node is a mobile switching center.

9. A method of transmitting information towards a mobile station utilizing Network and Timezone information (NITZ), the method implemented in a control network node comprising:

replacing, by the core network node, information normally sent in the NITZ message with information selected from the group comprising;

name of a telecommunications service provider not being the one actually serving the mobile station, actual branding for the mobile station, or an identification of a subscription to be transferred to the mobile station; and

transmitting, by the core network node, the selected information to the mobile station.

10. A hardware unit in a telecommunications network for providing a mobile station, engaged with the telecommunications network in a shared environment via an access network of a first provider, with a Network Identity information of another provider, wherein the hardware unit comprises:

an input unit, an output unit, a location determining unit, a calculation unit for calculating the Network Identity information, and a control unit, the control unit comprising;

an association unit for associating information related to a telecommunications service provider to data that is used for determining the Network Identify information by the calculation unit, the data being selected from the group comprising;

name of the telecommunications service provider not being the one actually serving the mobile station, actual branding for the mobile station, or an identification of a subscription to be transferred to the mobile station; and

the output unit for sending the Network Identity information to the mobile station.

11. The hardware unit according to claim 10, wherein the information related to a telecommunications service provider is referring to a least one unit of an access network used for serving the mobile station.

12. The hardware unit according to claim 10, wherein the information related to a telecommunications service provider is a location area identity.

13. The hardware unit according to claim 10, wherein said information related to a telecommunications service provider is an international mobile subscriber identity.

14. A method for providing a mobile station engaged with a telecommunications network that comprises a mobile switching center, a core network, a first access network, and a second access network with a Network Identity and Timezone information, the method implemented by the mobile switching center comprising:

detecting, by the mobile switching center, that the Network Identity and Timezone information shall be sent to the mobile station, where the mobile station is engaged with the mobile switching center that extends over more than one time zone, and where the mobile station is engaged with the first access network of the telecommunications network,

determining, by the mobile switching center, a location of the mobile station,

determining, by the mobile switching center, the Network Identity and Timezone information depending on the location of the mobile station and on information related to a telecommunications service provider providing a subscription used by the mobile station, where the telecommunications service provider providing the subscription used by the mobile station is different than a telecommunications service provider associated with the first access network, and

sending, by the mobile switching center, the determined Network Identity and Timezone information towards the mobile station.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the mobile switching center maintains a table associating Network Identities to data that is used for determining the Network Identity information.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the data for determining the Network Identity information and identifying the mobile station is an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) of the mobile station.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the table comprise data suitable for a logical operation to associate a set of International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs) with identical significant elements to a certain network identity, wherein IMSIs are used to identify a mobile station.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the mobile switching center is located in a different time zone than the mobile station.