Mobile communication network distribution system and mobile communication network distribution method

• US 9,641,698 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Tamura, Motoshi, Iwashina, Shigeru, Yamazaki, Takahiro, Yatsu, Bunpei, Nakamura, Tetsuya, Shimizu, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Navar, Erica
• Application Number:
  US14/406,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 455453, 4554352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8038 Roaming or handoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a communication service with high utilization efficiency. A mobile communication network distribution system includes: an acquisition unit that acquires condition information; a determination unit that determines a degenerate mobile communication network which provides a function satisfying a functional requirement based on the condition information acquired by the acquisition unit among a plurality of mobile communication networks to be a connection destination mobile communication network which is a connection destination of the UE; and a distribution unit that distributes the connection destination of the mobile communication terminal to the connection destination mobile communication network determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. A mobile communication network distribution system provided in a mobile communication system that includes a plurality of mobile communication networks including a mobile communication network providing a function satisfying functional requirements that differs from another mobile communication network and a mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication network distribution system comprising:

circuitry configured to;

acquire condition information including at least one of information indicating a type of the mobile communication terminal, information indicating the content of a contract of the mobile communication terminal in the mobile communication system, information indicating a moving state of the mobile communication terminal, information indicating the content of a service which the mobile communication terminal requests from the mobile communication system, and information indicating a communication quality of the mobile communication network included in the mobile communication system;

determine a mobile communication network that provides a function satisfying functional requirements based on the acquired condition information among the plurality of mobile communication networks to be a connection destination mobile communication network which is a connection destination of the mobile communication terminal;

distribute the connection destination of the mobile communication terminal to the determined connection destination mobile communication network, wherein

the plurality of mobile communication networks further includes a degenerate mobile communication network which is a mobile communication network that provides limited functions,

each mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks comprises a network gateway apparatus,

the each mobile communication network is constructed by a server virtualization technique that is applied to operate an application for processing a communication service on servers and to construct an individual mobile communication network for at least one of each service type and a size of the each service type, and

the individual mobile communication network for the at least one of each service type and the size is selected among the plurality of mobile communication networks; and

determine the degenerate mobile communication network that provides the function based on the acquired condition information among the plurality of mobile communication networks to be the connection destination mobile communication network.

2. The mobile communication network distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of mobile communication networks include a degenerate mobile communication network without a mobility management function, and

when it is determined that mobility management of the mobile communication terminal is not required on the basis of the acquired condition information, the circuitry is further configured to determine the degenerate mobile communication network without the mobility management function to be the connection destination mobile communication network.

3. The mobile communication network distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of mobile communication networks include a degenerate mobile communication network without a position management function, and

when it is determined that position management of the mobile communication terminal is not required on the basis of the acquired condition information, the circuitry is further configured to determine the degenerate mobile communication network without the position management function to be the connection destination mobile communication network.

4. The mobile communication network distribution system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of mobile communication networks include a degenerate mobile communication network without a charging management function, and

when it is determined that charging management of the mobile communication terminal is not required on the basis of the acquired condition information, the circuitry IS further configured to determine the degenerate mobile communication network without the charging management function to be the connection destination mobile communication network.

5. The mobile communication network distribution system according to claim 2, the circuitry further configured to:

store a history of location information related to a location area of the mobile communication terminal, and

determine whether the mobility management of the mobile communication terminal is not required on the basis of the history of the stored location information.

6. A mobile communication network distribution method that is performed by a mobile communication network distribution system provided in a mobile communication system that includes a plurality of mobile communication networks including a mobile communication network providing a function satisfying functional requirements that differs from another mobile communication network and a mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication network distribution method comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring condition information including at least one of information indicating a type of the mobile communication terminal, information indicating the content of a contract of the mobile communication terminal in the mobile communication system, information indicating a moving state of the mobile communication terminal, information indicating the content of a service which the mobile communication terminal requests from the mobile communication system, and information indicating a communication quality of the mobile communication network included in the mobile communication system;

a determination step of determining a mobile communication network that provides a function satisfying functional requirements based on the condition information acquired in the acquisition step among the plurality of mobile communication networks to be a connection destination mobile communication network which is a connection destination of the mobile communication terminal;

a distribution step of distributing the connection destination of the mobile communication terminal to the connection destination mobile communication network determined in the determination step, wherein

the plurality of mobile communication networks further includes a degenerate mobile communication network which is a mobile communication network that provides limited functions,

each mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks comprises a network gateway apparatus,

the each mobile communication network is constructed by a server virtualization technique that is applied to operate an application for processing a communication service on servers and to construct an individual mobile communication network for at least one of each service type and a size of the each service type, and

the individual mobile communication network for the at least one of each service type and the size is selected among the plurality of mobile communication networks; and

determine the degenerate mobile communication network that provides the function based on the acquired condition information among the plurality of mobile communication networks to be the connection destination mobile communication network.

7. A mobile communication network distribution method that is performed by a mobile communication network distribution system provided in a mobile communication system that includes a plurality of mobile communication networks including a mobile communication network providing a function satisfying functional requirements that differs from another mobile communication network and a mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication network distribution method comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring condition information including at least one of information indicating a type of the mobile communication terminal, information indicating the content of a contract of the mobile communication terminal in the mobile communication system, information indicating a moving state of the mobile communication terminal, information indicating the content of a service which the mobile communication terminal requests from the mobile communication system, and information indicating a communication quality of the mobile communication network included in the mobile communication system;

a determination step of determining a mobile communication network that provides a function satisfying functional requirements based on the condition information acquired in the acquisition step among the plurality of mobile communication networks to be a connection destination mobile communication network which is a connection destination of the mobile communication terminal;

a distribution step of distributing the connection destination of the mobile communication terminal to the connection destination mobile communication network determined in the determination step, wherein

the plurality of mobile communication networks further includes a degenerate mobile communication network which is a mobile communication network that provides limited functions,

each mobile communication network of the plurality of mobile communication networks comprises a network gateway apparatus,

the each mobile communication network is constructed by a server virtualization technique that is applied to operate an application for processing a communication service on servers and to construct an individual mobile communication network for at least one of each mobile communication terminal type and a size of the each mobile communication terminal type, and

the individual mobile communication network for the at least one of each mobile communication terminal type and the size is selected among the plurality of mobile communication networks; and

determine the degenerate mobile communication network that provides the function based on the acquired condition information among the plurality of mobile communication networks to be the connection destination mobile communication network.