Method and apparatus for providing a service to a roaming UE via a packet data network gateway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016262006-A1
Application number	US-201514637061-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 3, 2015
Priority date	Mar 3, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of providing a service to a user equipment (UE) via a packet data network gateway (PDN GW), wherein the UE is served by a visited public land mobile network (V-PLMN) and wherein the UE has a subscription with a home public land mobile network (H-PLMN) comprising the steps of: providing, by a register in the H-PLMN, a H-PLMN-allowed indication, indicating whether a PDN GW in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service, and providing, based on the H-PLMN-allowed indication, an indication to the UE, whether the UE can expect successful execution of the service.

First claim

1 . A method of providing a service to a user equipment (UE) via a packet data network gateway (PDN GW), wherein the UE is served by a visited public land mobile network (V-PLMN), and wherein the UE has a subscription with a home public land mobile network (H-PLMN) comprising the steps of:
providing, by a register in the H-PLMN, a H-PLMN-allowed indication, indicating whether a PDN GW in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service; and providing, based on the H-PLMN-allowed indication, an indication to the UE, whether the UE can expect successful execution of the service.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step of providing, by the register in the H-PLMN of the UE, a V-PLMN-allowed indication, indicating whether a PDN GW in the V-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service and wherein the step of providing the indication to the UE, whether the UE can expect successful execution of the service, is further based on the V-PLMN-allowed indication.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the V-PLMN-allowed indication and the H-PLMN-allowed indication are encapsulated in a PDN subscription context, provided by the register in the H-PLMN for the UE.

4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the indication to the UE indicates that the UE can expect a successful execution of the service if at least one of the V-PLMN-allowed indication or H-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that the PDN GW in the V-PLMN or in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

5 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the selection of the PDN GW for routing the service request to the selected PDN GW is executed based on the H-PLMN-allowed indication and the V-PLMN-allowed indication in a prioritized order.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the selection of the PDN GW for routing the service request to the selected PDN GW is executed by first selecting a PDN GW in the H-PLMN if the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that a PDN GW in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service, and if this indication is negative, selecting a PDN GW in the V-PLMN if the V-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that a PDN GW in the V-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

7 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the selection of the PDN GW for routing the service request to the selected PDN GW is executed by first selecting a PDN GW in the V-PLMN if the V-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that a PDN GW in the V-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service, and if this indication is negative, selecting a PDN GW in the H-PLMN if the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that a PDN GW in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

8 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the indication to the UE indicates that the UE cannot expect a successful execution of the service if the V-PLMN-allowed indication and the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicate that the PDN GWs in the V-PLMN and the H-PLMN are not authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the service is a voice over an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) service and wherein the indication to the UE is a Voice over PS Session Support Indication.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the V-PLMN-allowed indication is a V-PLMN Address Allowed (VPAA) parameter.

11 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein if the V-PLMN-allowed indication and the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicate that a PDN GW in the H-PLMN and a PDN-GW in the V-PLMN are authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service then the selection of the serving PDN GW is based on a preference in the V-PLMN.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the preference in the V-PLMN is based on the Access Point Name (APN) provided by the UE.

13 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein if the V-PLMN-allowed indication and the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicate that a PDN GW in the H-PLMN and a PDN-GW in the V-PLMN are authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service then a PDN-GW in a non-preferred PLMN is selected as a fallback PDN GW if the serving PDN GW in the preferred PLMN is not able to serve the UE.

14 . A control node in a visited public land mobile network (V-PLMN) serving a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE has a subscription with a home public land mobile network (H-PLMN), and wherein the control node is adapted to:
receive a request for a service from the UE; receive a H-PLMN-allowed indication indicating whether a packet data network gateway (PDN GW) in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service; and provide, based on the H-PLMN-allowed indication, an indication to the UE, whether the UE can expect successful execution of the service.

15 . The control node according to claim 14 , wherein the control node is further adapted to receive a V-PLMN-allowed indication indicating whether a PDN GW in the V-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service, and wherein the indication to the UE, whether the UE can expect successful execution of the service, is further based on the V-PLMN-allowed indication.

16 . The control node according to claim 15 , wherein the indication to the UE indicates that the UE can expect a successful execution of the service if at least one of the V-PLMN-allowed indication or H-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that the PDN GW in the V-PLMN or the PDN GW in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

17 . The control node according to claim 15 , wherein the indication to the UE indicates that the UE cannot expect a successful execution of the service if the V-PLMN-allowed indication and the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicate that the PDN GWs in the V-PLMN and in the H-PLMN are not authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

18 . The control node according to claim 15 , wherein the control node is further adapted to route the service request to the PDN GW in the V-PLMN if the V-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that the PDN GW in the V-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service and the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that the PDN GW in the H-PLMN is not authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

19 . The control node according to claim 15 , wherein the control node is further adapted to route the service request to the PDN GW of the H-PLMN if the H-PLMN-allowed indication indicates that the PDN GW in the H-PLMN is authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service and the V-PLMN-allowed indicator indicates that the PDN GW in the V-PLMN is not authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

20 . The control node according to claim 15 , wherein the control node is further adapted to route the service request to a PDN GW in the H-PLMN or to a PDN GW in the V-PLMN in accordance with a preference indication, stored in the control node, if the H-PLMN-allowed indication and the V-PLMN-allowed indication indicate that the PDN GWs in the V-PLMN and in the H-PLMN are both authorized to be selected for the UE for execution of the service.

21 . The control node according to claim 14 , wherein

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Keller Ralf
• Dannebro Patrik

Classifications

• H04W8/12

  between location registers or mobility servers · CPC title

• H04L65/40

  Support for services or applications · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W8/10 Primary

  between location register and external networks · CPC title

• H04W12/088

  using filters or firewalls · CPC title