ROAMING SELECTION SERVICES

• US 20100291924A1
• Filed: 07/16/2007
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cingular Wireless II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Antrim, Todd W., Faulkner, Max G., Hudgens, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Management of native subscriber registrations on a foreign network is accomplished via an approach that advantageously offers dynamic roaming, that is, the capability to send data over-the-air to populate a customer subscriber identity module (SIM) card with specific networks, in a specific order of preference, according to the characteristics and capabilities of the subscriber mobile station, the subscriber'"'"'s home network, the foreign territory roamed, and the like. The approach also provides an SS7 service-based solution including the capability of the home network to control the roaming mobile station from registering on a non-preferred visited network, based on configurable rules. The approach provides the ability to segment subscribers, increased/assured quality of service, no limits on designation of carrier preferences, the ability to apportion roaming traffic across numerous operators in a given foreign territory, capability for real-time changes of preferred network, and preservation of manual network selection capabilities.

Claims

1-41. -41. (canceled)

42. A method for managing access to wireless services, the method comprising:

receiving, at a routing component, a service request associated with registration of a mobile terminal to a foreign network, the registration based upon access information stored in the mobile terminal;

retrieving, by a service component, the access information;

the service component modifying the access information according to at least one goal of a home carrier of the mobile terminal; and

the service component sending the modified access information to the mobile terminal to remotely manage registration of the mobile terminal to the foreign network or to a different foreign network based upon the modified access information.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising the service component denying registration based upon the modified access information.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the service component modifying the access information comprises the service component modifying the access information based upon disparity of the access information from the goal.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the service component modifying the access information comprises the service component modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being related to an objective selected from one of the following:

a quality of service goal;

an apportioning goal;

a profitability goal; and

a coverage goal.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein the service component modifying the access information comprises the service component modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being to prevent the mobile terminal from registering to a cross-border foreign network.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein the service component modifying the access information comprises the service component modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being to prevent the mobile terminal from registering to the foreign network or to the different foreign network when the mobile terminal is in a coverage area of the home carrier.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein the service component modifying the access information comprises the service component modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being to adhere to subscriber preferences if a subscriber is associated with the terminal.

49. The method of claim 42, wherein the service component retrieving access information associated with the mobile terminal comprises the service component retrieving the access information from the mobile terminal.

50. The method of claim 42, wherein the service component retrieving access information associated with the roaming mobile terminal comprises the service component retrieving the access information from a network database.

51. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the following:

receiving a service request associated with registration of a mobile terminal to a foreign network, the registration based upon access information stored in the mobile terminal;

retrieving the access information;

modifying the access information according to at least one goal of a home carrier of the mobile terminal; and

sending the modified access information to the mobile terminal to remotely manage registration of the mobile terminal to the foreign network or to a different foreign network based upon the modified access information.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the step of denying registration based upon the modified access information.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein modifying the access information comprises modifying the access information based upon disparity of the access information from the goal.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein modifying the access information comprises modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being related to an objective selected from one of the following:

a quality of service goal;

an apportioning goal;

a profitability goal; and

a coverage goal.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein modifying the access information comprises modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being to prevent the mobile terminal from registering to a cross-border foreign network.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein modifying the access information comprises modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being to prevent the mobile terminal from registering to the foreign network or to the different foreign network when the mobile terminal is in a coverage area of the home carrier.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein modifying the access information comprises modifying the access information according to the goal, the goal being to adhere to subscriber preferences if a subscriber is associated with the terminal.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein retrieving access information associated with the mobile terminal comprises retrieving the access information from the mobile terminal.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 51, wherein retrieving access information associated with the roaming mobile terminal comprises retrieving the access information from a network database.

60. A wireless communications system, comprising:

a routing component of a home network configured for intercepting a registration message from one of a plurality of foreign networks, the registration message associated with a mobile terminal roaming on the one of the plurality of foreign networks;

a service component of the home network configured for;

retrieving access information associated with the mobile terminal;

modifying the access information according to at least one goal of a home carrier of the mobile terminal; and

sending the modified access information to the mobile terminal to remotely manage registration of the mobile terminal to the plurality of foreign networks based upon the modified access information.

61. The wireless system of claim 60, further comprising a rules component for processing rules to determine how to modify the access information according to the at least one goal of the home carrier.

62. The wireless system of claim 61, wherein the rules component performs a rules matching process based upon at least one of the following parameters:

thresholds, or time conditions.

63. The wireless system of claim 60, wherein the access information is modified based upon changing conditions associated with at least one of the following parameters:

a geographic location of the mobile terminal, loading in the foreign network;

a service type requested by the mobile terminal in the registration message, or network usage of the foreign network.

64. The wireless system of claim 60, further comprising a caching system configured for caching and synchronizing data associated with at least one roaming mobile terminal.

65. The wireless system of claim 60, further comprising an administrative interface for adjusting roamer selection parameters and groups of subscribers having a common segment identifier, zone, or country location.

66. The wireless system of claim 65, wherein the administrative interface facilitates rules management of blacklist rules and balance rules.