Roaming support for software defined networking architecture in mobile network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9614978-B2
Application number	US-201414530507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2014
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

A software defined networking controller can be provided to manage sharing of information relating to roaming requests for mobile devices that are roaming on visited networks. The software defined networking controller can be a sub-instance of a main software defined networking controller that manages traffic within the home network, and the software defined networking controller can sit at the edge of the home network and control edge routing elements. The edge software defined networking controller may communicate with roaming partner's edge software defined networking controller and/or with the roaming interconnect operator's software defined networking controller to exchange roaming related information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A first software defined networking controller, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a service profile request from a policy and rules charging function network element of a visited mobile network, wherein the service profile request is associated with a mobile device that is roaming on the visited mobile network, and wherein a first protocol associated with the policy and rules charging function network element is different from a second protocol associated with a second software defined networking controller of a home mobile network;
translating the first protocol based on the second protocol resulting in an updated service profile request;
forwarding the updated service profile request to the second software defined networking controller of the home mobile network;
retrieving service profile data representative of a service profile of the mobile device from the second software defined networking controller that received the service profile data from a policy data store of the home mobile network of the mobile device; and
initiating transmission of the service profile data about the mobile device to the policy and rules charging function network element.

2. The first software defined networking controller of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the service profile request comprises receiving the service profile request via an interconnect software defined networking controller associated with a roaming operator identity distinct from the home mobile network and the visited mobile network.

3. The first software defined networking controller of claim 1 , wherein a third software defined networking controller is a sub-controller of the second software defined networking controller associated with the home mobile network, and wherein the second software defined networking controller is located at an edge of the home mobile network.

4. The first software defined networking controller of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
facilitating routing data from the mobile device on the visited mobile network to a packet data gateway network device on the visited mobile network.

5. The first software defined networking controller of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving a second service profile request from the policy charging and rules function network element of the visited mobile network, wherein the second service profile request adheres to a non-software defined networking compatible protocol; and
translating the second service profile request to a software defined networking compatible protocol resulting in a translated second service profile request.

6. The first software defined networking controller of claim 5 , wherein the service profile data is first service profile data, and wherein the operations further comprise:
retrieving second service profile data based on the translated second service profile request; and
transmitting the second service profile data to the policy charging and rules function network element of the visited mobile network.

7. The first software defined networking controller of claim 1 , wherein the service profile data is first service profile data, and wherein the operations further comprise:
determining second service profile data based on a mobile device identifier associated with the service profile request.

8. The first software defined networking controller of claim 1 , wherein the service profile data comprises subscription data associated with the mobile device, quality of service data associated with the mobile device, and routing data associated with the mobile device.

9. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a first software defined networking controller comprising a processor, a service profile request from a policy and rules charging function network element of a visited mobile network, wherein the service profile request is associated with a mobile device that is determined to be roaming on the visited mobile network and wherein a first protocol of the policy and rules charging function network element is different from a second protocol of a second software defined networking controller of a home mobile network;
in response to the receiving, translating the first protocol to conform to the second protocol, resulting in an updated service profile request;
forwarding the updated service profile request to the second software defined networking controller of the home mobile network;
collecting, by the first software defined networking controller, service profile data representative of a service profile associated with the mobile device from the second software defined networking controller which received the service profile data from a policy data store of the home mobile network; and
sending, by the first software defined networking controller, the service profile data to the policy and rules charging function network element of the visited mobile network.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving, by the first software defined networking controller, the service profile request from a network device, of a roaming operator identity, that has an interconnect software defined networking controller.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
initiating, by the first software defined networking controller, transfer of the service profile request to a third software defined controller associated with the home mobile network.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
routing, by the first software defined networking controller, data from the mobile device that is roaming on the visited mobile network to a packet data gateway network device of the visited mobile network.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the service profile request is a first service profile request, and further comprising:
receiving, by the first software defined networking controller, a second service profile request in a format conforming to a non-software defined networking protocol applied by the policy charging and rules function network element on the visited mobile network; and
translating, by the first software defined networking controller, a protocol of the non-software defined networking protocol, to which the second service profile request conforms, to a software defined networking protocol.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
collecting, by the first software defined networking controller, second service profile data based on the translated second service profile request; and
sending, by the first software defined networking controller, the second service profile data according to the non-software defined networking protocol to the policy charging and rules function network element of the visited mobile network.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
based on a mobile device identifier associated with the service profile request, determining, by the first software defined networking controller, service profile data associated with the mobile device.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a service profile request of a mobile device from a policy and rules charging function network element of a roaming network on which the mobile device is roaming, wherein a first protocol is associated with the policy and rules charging function network element;
translating the first protocol

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Hu Qingmin
• Bari Farooq

Classifications

• H04W8/12

  between location registers or mobility servers · CPC title

• H04W8/082 Primary

  for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents · CPC title

• H04M15/8044

  Least cost routing · CPC title

• H04M15/8038

  Roaming or handoff · CPC title

• H04M15/8016

  based on quality of service [QoS] · CPC title