Method and apparatus for establishing intra-network calls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016295393-A1
Application number	US-201315036663-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 13, 2013
Priority date	Nov 13, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for establishing an intra-network call between a first subscriber, which is served by a first call control node in a visited public land mobile network, V-PLMN, and a second subscriber of a home public land mobile network, H-PLMN, which is different to the V-PLMN. The second subscriber is served by a second call control node of the same V-PLMN. The method include sending, by the first call control node, a call setup message to a gateway node in the V-PLMN which is adapted to perform re-routing of calls to another network. The gateway node requests routing information of the second call control node from a proxy location register, PLR, in the V-PLMN. The gateway node routes the call to the second call control node responsive to if routing information towards the second call control node is available from the PLR.

First claim

1 . A method for establishing an intra-network call between a first subscriber, which is served by a first call control node in a visited public land mobile network, V-PLMN, and a second subscriber of a home public land mobile network, H-PLMN, which is different to the V-PLMN, and wherein the second subscriber is served by a second call control node of the same V-PLMN, comprising the steps of:
sending, by the first call control node, a call setup message to a gateway node in the V-PLMN which is adapted to perform re-routing of calls to another network; requesting, by the gateway node, routing information of the second call control node from a proxy location register, PLR, in the V-PLMN; and routing, by the gateway node, the call to the second call control node responsive to if routing information towards the second call control node is available from the PLR.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the call is routed inside the V-PLMN to the second call control node.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step of requesting, by the PLR, a roaming number of the second subscriber from the second call control node.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the PLR receives a request for routing information of the second call control node and checks if the second subscriber has a subscription to the intra-network call service:
if the second subscriber has a subscription to the intra-network call service, providing the gateway node with routing information of the second call control node; and if the second subscriber has no subscription to the intra-network call service, sending a negative reply to the gateway node.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the address of the second call control node is retrieved by the PLR during a location update procedure initiated by the second subscriber when the second subscriber registers at the second call control node.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the PLR further comprises indication of at least one service related to the second subscriber.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein one service of the at least one services is the intra-network call service.

8 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein one service of the at least one services is a call forwarding service for the second subscriber to route the call to another subscriber.

9 . A method of updating a subscriber record of a subscriber in a proxy location register, PLR, of a visited public land mobile network, V-PLMN, wherein the subscriber has a subscription to a home public land mobile network, H-PLMN, which is different to the V-PLMN, comprising:
receiving, from a call control node serving the subscriber in the V-PLMN, an update location message as part of a location update procedure initiated by the subscriber; responsive to if the subscriber record is not available in the PLR, generating a subscriber record in the PLR; and responsive to if the subscriber record is available in the PLR, updating the data in the subscriber record by storing the address of the call control node serving the subscriber;

10 . A method according to claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
sending an update location message to a subscriber register in the H-PLMN of the subscriber to update the subscriber data in the subscriber register; receiving, from the subscriber register, subscriber data of the subscriber; and forwarding the subscriber data to the call control node.

11 . A method according to claim 9 , wherein the subscriber data comprises the Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number, MSISDN, of the subscriber and wherein the subscriber data is stored in the subscriber record of the subscriber.

12 . A method of deleting a subscriber record of a subscriber in a proxy location register, PLR, of a visited public land mobile network, V-PLMN, when the registration of the subscriber at a call control node of the V-PLMN is terminated, wherein the subscriber has a subscription to a home public land mobile network, H-PLMN, which is different to the V-PLMN, comprising:
receiving, by the PLR, from a subscriber register in the H-PLMN, a cancelation message for the subscriber record; marking the address of the call control node serving the subscriber in the subscriber record as invalid; starting a deletion timer, related to the subscriber record; and forwarding, by the PLR, the cancelation message to the call control node in the V-PLMN.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein, if the deletion timer expires, the subscriber record in the PLR is removed.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein if the PLR receives an update location request from a call control node in the V-PLMN, which is related to the subscriber, the method further comprises the steps of:
responsive to if the deletion timer is running, stop the deletion timer and update the address of the call control node serving the subscriber in the subscriber record; and responsive to if the subscriber record is not available at the PLR, generating a new subscriber record in the PLR.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the PLR forwards the update location message to the subscriber register in the H-PLMN to update the record of the subscriber in the subscriber register of the H-PLMN.

16 . A proxy location register, PLR, of a visited public land mobile network, V-PLMN, comprising:
a storing unit for storing a subscriber record of a subscriber, served by a call control node in the V-PLMN, wherein the subscriber has a subscription to a home public land mobile network, H-PLMN, which is different to the V-PLMN, and wherein the subscriber record comprises identification information of the call control node; a first receiving unit for receiving, from a gateway node of the V-PLMN, a request for providing routing information leading towards the call control node serving the called subscriber; and a first sending unit for sending the routing information to the gateway node.

17 . The PLR according to claim 16 , comprising:
a second sending unit for sending a request for a Roaming Number to the call control node; and a second receiving unit for receiving a Roaming Number from the call control node.

18 . The PLR according to claim 16 , comprising an interface for receiving, from an operation and maintenance node, an indication of a service related to the second subscriber and storing this indication in the storage unit.

19 . The PLR according to claim 16 , comprising a processing unit, adapted to check, based on subscriber data stored in the storage unit and identified by information of the second subscriber in the request for providing routing information leading towards the call control node serving the called subscriber, if the second subscriber has a subscription to an intra-network call service:
responsive to if the second subscriber has a subscription to the intra-network call service, sending the routing information to the gateway node via the first sending unit; and responsive to if the second subscriber has no subscription to the intra-network call service, sending a negative reply to the gateway node via the first sending unit.

20 . (canceled)

21 . A gateway node of a visited public land mobile network, V-PLMN, comprising:
a first receiving unit for receiving, from a first call control node in the V-PLMN, a call setup message for setting up a call between a first subscriber, which is served

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Speks Oliver

Classifications

• H04W8/08

  Mobility data transfer · CPC title

• H04W8/04 Primary

  Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server] · CPC title

• H04W76/02

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W8/18

  Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title