Method and devices for providing network identification to a UE

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9699644-B2
Application number	US-201314914842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2013
Priority date	Aug 30, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A UE has a subscription to a Home Public Land Mobile Network (H-PLMN) and has a subscription to an Alternative Roaming Provider (ARP) stored in a subscription database. The ARP is adapted to provide a communication service to the subscriber if the subscriber roams into a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (V-PLMN) which is different from the H-PLMN. The method includes registering the UE at a control node of the V-PLMN and sending, by the control node, a request for subscription data to the subscription database. The method further includes: sending, by the subscription database, an indication of the ARP to the control node; generating, by the control node, network identification information, based on the indication of the ARP and the indication of the V-PLMN; and sending, by the control node, the network identification information to the UE.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of providing network identification information to a user equipment, UE, wherein the UE has a subscription to a Home Public Land Mobile Network, H-PLMN, and a subscription to an alternative roaming provider, ARP, wherein the subscription to the ARP is stored in a subscription database, and wherein the ARP is configured to provide a communication service to the subscriber if the subscriber roams into a Visited Public Land Mobile Network, V-PLMN, which is different to the H-PLMN, comprising:
registering the UE at a control node of the V-PLMN;
sending, by the control node, a request for subscription data to the subscription database;
sending, by the subscription database, an identification of the ARP to the control node;
generating, by the control node, network identification information, based on the identification of the ARP and an identification of the V-PLMN; and
sending, by the control node, the network identification information to the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the ARP subscription is a subscription to a mobile data service in the V-PLMN, a subscription to a voice service in the V-PLMN or a subscription to both.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the network identification information is sent to the UE by the control node if a Packet Data Protocol context (PDPc) is established.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein sending the identification of the ARP to the control node is performed by the subscription database as an answer to the received request for subscription data.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the identification of the ARP comprises a name of the ARP.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises providing, by the ARP, a communication service to the subscriber.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the communication service is provided by the ARP to the subscriber after the network identification is sent to the UE.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the network identification information is a name generated by arranging the name of the V-PLMN and the name of the ARP into a single description field or string.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the network identification information is sent by the control node to the UE using the Network Identity and Time Zone (NITZ) mechanism by complying with the specified character set.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the network identification information comprises a control signal which is configured to control the display of the network identification information at the UE.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
notifying, by the ARP, the subscription database that the ARP subscription is changed; and
updating, by the subscription database, the control node about the changed ARP subscription.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the change of ARP subscription is a cancelation of the ARP subscription.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the network identification information is sent repeatedly to the UE.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the request for subscription data is an Update Location message.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the request for subscription data comprises a Register message and a Server assignment request, whereby a Serving Call Session Control Function, S-CSCF, will trigger the sending of the Server assignment request upon reception of the Register message.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control node is a Mobile Switching Center, MSC, or a Serving GPRS Support Node, SGSN and the subscription database is a Home Location Register, HLR.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the control node is a Proxy Call Session Control Function, P-CSCF or a Mobility Management Entity, MME, and the subscription database is a Home Subscriber Server, HSS.

18. A control node in a Visited Public Land Mobile Network, V-PLMN, wherein a user equipment, UE, is registered at the control node and has a subscription to a home public land mobile network, H-PLMN, which is different to the V-PLMN and a subscription to an alternative roaming provider, ARP, wherein the subscription to the ARP is stored in a subscription database, and wherein the ARP is configured to provide a communication service to the subscriber if the subscriber roams into a V-PLMN, comprising:
a first sending unit, configured to send a request for subscription data towards the subscription database;
a receiving unit, configured to receive an identification of the ARP from the subscriber database;
at least one processor configured to generate network identification information based on the identification of the ARP and an identification of the V-PLMN; and
a second sending unit, configured to send the network identification information to the UE.

19. The control node according to claim 18 , wherein the ARP subscription is a subscription to a mobile data service in the V-PLMN, a subscription to a voice service in the V-PLMN, or a subscription to both.

20. A subscription database in a home public land mobile network, H-PLMN, of a subscriber, comprising a storing unit which is configured to store subscription data, related to the subscriber with a subscription to a provider of the H-PLMN and a further subscription to an alternative roaming provider, ARP, wherein the ARP is configured to provide a communication service to the subscriber if the subscriber roams into a visited public land mobile network, V-PLMN, which is different to the H-PLMN, and wherein the subscription database further comprises:
a receiving unit, configured to receive a request for subscription data of the subscriber from a control node of the V-PLMN; and
a sending unit, configured to send an identification of the ARP towards the control node for generation of network identification information, based on the identification of the ARP and an identification of the V-PLMN.

21. The subscription database according to claim 20 , wherein the subscription database comprises at least one processor configured to send the identification of the ARP to the control node as an answer to the received request for subscription data.

22. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Noldus Rogier August Caspar Joseph
• Olsson Magnus

Classifications

• H04W8/12 Primary

  between location registers or mobility servers · CPC title

• H04W8/04

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

• H04W8/205 Primary

  Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title