The present invention relates to a method for informing a lawful interception system of the serving system serving an intercepted target, as well as to a correspondingly adapted serving system node of a serving system.
The provision of a lawful interception is a requirement of national law, which is usually mandatory. From time to time, a network operator and/or a service provider will be required, according to a lawful authorization, to make results of interception relating to specific identities (i.e. users and their terminals) available to a specific intercepting authority or Law Enforcement Agency (LEA).
There are various aspects of interception. The respective national law describes under what conditions and with what restrictions interception is allowed. If a LEA wishes to use lawful interception as a tool, it will ask a prosecuting judge or other responsible body-for a lawful authorization, such as a warrant. If the lawful authorization is granted, the LEA will present the lawful authorization to an access provider which provides access from a user's terminal to that network, to the network operator, or to the service provider via an administrative interface or procedure. When a lawful interception is authorized, Intercept Related Information (IRI) and/or the content of the corresponding communication (CC) are delivered to the LEA.
The lawful authorization may describe the IRI and the content of the communication (CC) that are allowed to be delivered for this LEA. Typically, the interception period and interception target (e.g., a person's name or MSISDN number(s) related to SIM card(s) or IMEI code of a mobile terminal. For different LEAs and for different investigations, different constraints can apply that further limit the general borders set by the law. The interception target (i.e. the user's SIM card and/or terminal to be intercepted) may also be described in different ways in a lawful authorization, e.g. subscriber address, physical address, location, services etc.
Such a lawful interception functionality is also needed in the packet switched part of new mobile data networks such as the GSM and the UMTS (also known as 2G GPRS and/or 3G GPRS).
Lawful interception is based on an EU Council resolution, which concerns all telecommunications systems, not only mobile ones. Lawful interception has been further subdivided to the lawful interception proper, and to the handover part of the intercepted data to the authorized law enforcement agency's monitoring facility (LEMF). The 3GPP and the European. Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) have defined further technical requirements. These requirements define three interfaces for each part of packet data interception and handover:
X1 (=HI1): administrative tasks (HI1 may be on paper or fax or online or otherwise)
X2 (=HI2): IRI delivery (near real time)
X3 (=HI3): intercepted user data (near real time)
The interface X1 carries interception requests. HI1 carries authorization documents, encryption keys and the like. The interface X2 and HI2 carry IRI (Interception Related Information) like phone numbers, service information, time stamps etc. The interface X3 carries the content of communication (CC), i.e., the intercepted packets containing data sent and/or received etc. The exact definitions of the three interfaces are left to local legislation and authorities. The interfaces X1 to X3 are referred in the 3GPP TS 33.107. The three HI interfaces are defined in 3GPP TS 33.108 and in ETSI ES 201 671 V2.1.1 as HI1/HI2/HI3 interfaces.
With respect to
In this manner, the ADMF 2_1 is used together with the delivery functions to hide from the GSN that there might be multiple activations by different Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) on the same target. Additionally, the packet network complexity is hidden from the LEA(s).
In case of a packet switched services, the IRI and CC data are transmitted in packets to the LEMF 1. The packet flow starts from the packet intercepting node (i.e. GSN 3 in
Thus, lawful interception is a topic, which mainly concerns core networks of communication networks, in particular, of (2G and/or 3G) packet switched communication networks.
According to recent tendencies in communication network evolution, communication networks are adopted to interact with each other in a compatible manner. This means that communication networks operated by different operators interact with each other as well as communication networks in different countries (having a respective different jurisdiction) interact with other. For the purpose of the present invention, a communication network operated by a specific operator is also referred to as a serving system serving an intercepted target MS roaming within the communication network system. The communication network system comprises at least one serving system, and each serving system in turn comprises at least one serving system node serving the intercepted target for communication. In case of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) as an example of packet switched communication network and/or serving system, serving system nodes can be exemplified as SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) or GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node). Interception of a target can take place already at an SGSN or at the GGSN. Also, according to agreed serving system architecture, the SGSNs of a serving system are connected to the GGSN thereof.
Thus, a user traveling with his terminal such as a mobile station MS and/or a user equipment UE within such a communication network system, and being a target for lawful interception, is roaming within different networks and may even move out of the given warrant's (court order) jurisdiction.
Such circumstances have led to a requirement in lawful interception standardization that a home lawful interception LI system should know where the target (intercepted mobile) is roaming. Currently, if Operator A's subscriber (as a target for lawful interception) is moving from operator A's serving system node such as an SGSN (“old SGSN”) to operator B's serving system node such as an SGSN (“new SGSN”), operator A's GPRS network does not have sufficient information about the network/serving system the target terminal is moving to. Currently, only the SGSN's Internet Protocol (IP) address is transferred from the new SGSN to the old SGSN in an SGSN Context Request, but the IP address does not identify the country and the operator network and/or serving system where the new SGSN is located. This information on where the target has moved to resides in the HLR but currently LI system is always connected to the SGSN and/or to the GGSN, never to HLR.
In order to solve these difficulties, solutions for future networks (Re15 UMTS) have been agreed upon in communication networks standardization by 3GPP (3rd Generation partnership Project). These solutions are for example described in 3GPP TS 33.108 V5.0.0 (2002-06) and 3GPP TS 33.107 V5.3.0 (2002-06).
With these solutions, a requirement for the HLR (Home Location Register, as used in 2G) and/or HSS (Home Subscriber Server, as used in 3G) was introduced in that the HLR has to report to the DF/MF (Delivery Function/Mediation Function) the whereabouts of the new serving system serving node (SGSN) once an interception target is trying to attach thereto, or when the target is trying to change the serving operator's serving node to the new operator's serving node (for example in a inter SGSN inter PLNM RAU—Routing Area Update). This is relevant once the target moves to an area and/or a serving system, which is out of the given LEA's or warrant's jurisdiction. However, this reporting by the HLR requires from the HLR certain actions even if the target stays under the LEA's or warrant's jurisdiction. Therefore, this current solution imposes a rather heavy overload on a HLR in terms of processing required as well as communication traffic over interfaces within the core network. While, without such additional efforts, the lawful interception system does not know where the target is if the subscriber moves/changes to another PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network).
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for informing a lawful interception system of the serving system serving an intercepted target, as well as to a correspondingly adapted serving system node of a serving system.
According to the present invention, the above object is for example achieved by a method for informing a lawful interception system of the serving system serving an intercepted target roaming within a communication network system, the communication network system comprising at least one serving system each serving system comprising at least one serving system node serving the intercepted target for communication, the method comprising the steps of: first detecting a serving system node change request from the intercepted target towards a new serving system node which is currently not serving the target, first processing said serving system node change request at said new serving system node currently not serving the target, wherein said processing comprises the inclusion, to the request, of a serving system address of the new serving system node currently not serving the target, and first forwarding said processed request to an old serving system node currently serving the target.
According to favorable further developments
Also, according to the present invention, the above object is for example achieved by a serving system node of a serving system, the serving system node being adapted to serve an intercepted target for communication, and being connectable to a lawful interception system, the serving system node comprising: first detection means adapted for first detecting a serving system node change request from the intercepted target, first processing means adapted for first processing said serving system node change request, wherein said processing is adapted to include, to the request, a serving system address of the serving system node, and first forwarding means adapted for first forwarding said processed request to another serving system node currently serving the target.
According to favorable further developments
By virtue of the present invention, which, briefly stated, proposes that the old serving system node (SGSN and/or GGSN) report the address of the new serving system (and/or whereabouts of the new serving system) to the lawful interception system, basically the following advantages can be achieved:
In the following, the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
For better understanding of the preset invention, it should be noted that the GSN as an example of a serving system node may be a SGSN or a GGSN in case of GPRS. Thus, the lawful interception system is connected to SGSN or GGSN as a serving system node, dependent on where the interception is performed. SGSN and GGSN are connected to each other and mutually exchange information, as required, via a connection element generally known as Gn interface. The lawful interception system “beyond” the serving system node SGSN/GGSN shown in
Subsequently, the present invention will be set out in greater detail.
As is commonly agreed, the blocks in
MS denotes a mobile station and/or user equipment (UE) as a target to bee intercepted. The target accesses a serving system such as the GPRS network via a base station subsystem BSS representing an access network. The serving system comprises at least one serving system node such as a SGSN and/or GGSN. As shown in
The present invention conceives a method for informing a lawful interception system (not shown in
With reference to
When roaming to an area in which a new serving system node is determined to be in charge for serving the target, the target issues a serving system node change request (step 1.). In case of GPRS being the basis of a serving system, such a serving system node change request is referred to as Routing Area Update RAU request. This request is communicated to the new serving system node. The serving system node then performs a first detecting of this serving system node change request received from the intercepted target MS and communicated to the new serving system node which is currently not serving the target. The thus detected serving system node change request is subjected, at the new serving system node currently not serving the target, to a first processing (not shown in
Furthermore, the new serving system node, to which the target roams, performs a second detecting of whether there is at least one active communication context for said target (such as for example a PDP context active). If so, the node generates a communication context update request (e.g. an Update PDP Context Request) to which request is included the serving system address of the new serving system node currently not serving the target. Subsequently, a second forwarding of said generated request (step 6.) to a gateway serving system node (e.g. GGSN) of the serving system currently serving the intercepted target is performed.
Then, said gateway serving system node (e.g. GGSN) informs the interception system (and/or in the end the LEA) of the serving system address of the new serving system node. That is, in case of the lawful interception system being connected to the GGSN, the GGSN informs the LEA directly. In case the lawful interception system is connected to the SGSN, the GGSN transfers the information to the old SGSN which in turn transmits it to the LEA.
The serving system address of the new serving system node represents information indicative of the serving system to which said new serving node belongs. Any such information can be used for this purpose as long as it is sufficient to distinguish the serving system nodes as well as the location/serving system to which they belong from each other. Hence, the information about the serving system to which said new serving node belongs comprises, for example in case of GPRS serving systems, at least one of the following information items: serving node MSISDN number, serving node Routing Area Identifier RAI, serving node address. In other serving systems, the information element (IE) may be referred to by other names.
The above mentioned serving node routing area identifier in turn contains information items representative of a mobile country code MCC, mobile network code MNC, location area code LAC, and routing area code RAC, thereby uniquely defining the node as such as well as its location within the network system and in particular the network/serving system to which it belongs.
Herein before, the present invention has been described with a focus on the method according to the present invention. Nevertheless, the present invention concerns also a correspondingly adapted serving system node of a serving system, the serving system node being adapted to serve an intercepted target MS for communication, and being connectable to a lawful interception system. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art from the foregoing description of the method, such a serving system node comprises first detection means adapted for performing a first detecting of a serving system node change request from the intercepted target MS, a first processing means adapted for performing a first processing of said serving system node change request, wherein said processing is adapted to include, to the request, a serving system address of the serving system node, and also comprises a first forwarding means adapted for performing a first forwarding of said processed request to another serving system node currently serving the target.
Also, a corresponding serving system node comprises an informing means adapted to inform the lawful interception system of the serving system address of a new serving system node, said informing means being active in case said serving system node is currently serving the target. The node may inform the lawful interception system and/or the LEA directly in case the interception system is connected to the node (e.g. node is SGSN or GGSN and lawful interception is connected to SGSN or GGSN, respectively). Alternatively, also indirect informing can take place (e.g. in case the node is SGSN and lawful interception system is connected to GGSN).
Furthermore, the proposed serving system node according to the present invention comprised a second detection means adapted for performing a second detecting of at least one active communication context for said target, and has a generation means, controlled by said second detection means, and adapted for generating a communication context update request to which is included the serving system address of the serving system node. Also, a second forwarding means is provided which is adapted for second forwarding said generated request to a gateway serving system node (GGSN) of the serving system currently serving the intercepted target. So, referring to the example shown in
Similarly as in connection with the above described method, also in connection with the serving system node according to the present invention, said serving system address of the serving system node represents information about the serving system to which said new serving node belongs. Said information about the serving system to which said serving node belongs comprises at least one of the following information items: serving node MSISDN number, serving node routing area identifier, serving node address, and said serving node routing area identifier contains information items representative of a mobile country code MCC, mobile network code MNC, location area code LAC, and routing area code RAC.
Thus, as will be appreciated from the foregoing description, with this invention, (when adhering to the chosen example of GPRS as a basis of a packet switched communication network and/or serving system), a new information element IE is added to the SGSN Context Request that identifies the network where the new SGSN is located. This information will be the E.164 (MSISDN) number of the SGSN, which includes information about the country and network, and/or a Routing Area Identity (RAI). This information is specified in 3GPP TS 23.003 and it is available in all SGSN's. (Both the MSISDN number in E.164 format and RAI are already defined in the ASN.1 object tree, given in 3GPP TS 33.108.)
This invention thus proposes that the old SGSN shall use for the purpose of lawful interception the new SGSN's RAI, once the old SGSN gets this information element with the ‘Identification Request’ message/SGSN context request message. The new SGSN sends the message once the MS/UE tries to attach to it.
Stated in other words, the detected serving system node change request may not only be a routing area update RAU request as shown in
After the old SGSN gets the new SGSN's MSISDN number and/or RAI, the lawful interception (LI) system can get it from the old SGSN (directly or via the GGSN) and LEA then gets the information (IRI data) about where the target is located.
In case user to be intercepted has at least one active PDP context, the new SGSN generates and sends an Update PDP Context Request to GGSN. The invention proposes to add the above mentioned new information element into that message as well. In this way, the LI system attached to GGSN can identify instances when user changes PLMN. (GGSN may report also to SGSN which then informs LI system).
As the protocol used between SGSN's, it is to be noted that GTP (GPRS Tunneling Protocol) specified in 3GPP TS 29.060 is used.
According to the invention, the information element is obtained once the target moves to an area of a new serving system node (i.e. new SGSN), from which LEA is for example not entitled to get any interception for this target. Therefore, it is proposed to pass the Routing Area Identifier RAI, which contains Mobile Country Code MCC, Mobile Network Code MNC, Location Area Code LAC and Routing Area Code RAC of the new SGSN, once the new SGSN is asking the old one to send the SGSN contexts. (Nevertheless, the proposed signaling also takes place if the target moves to a new serving node SGSN from which LEA is still entitled to get interception.)
In such a way, the old SGSN will come to know itself, and tell the LEA, that the target has moved out of the given warrant's (court order) jurisdiction. Besides, the RAI shall tell the LEA in which country and from which operator the target gets the services after the RAU.
Apparently, the above mentioned does not require any involvement of the HLR/HSS, so that there are no extra signaling tasks to perform. Protecting HLR resources is the effectively achieved by the invention, while easily finding out the location (country and more specific coordinates) and network (i.e. which visited network the target is using/attached to) to which the target is roaming.
The present invention thus addresses the three following sub procedures within the two procedures (Attach and Routing Area Update Procedure, respectively):
Accordingly, as has been described herein above, the present invention proposes a method for informing a lawful interception system of the serving system serving an intercepted target MS roaming within a communication network system, the communication network system comprising at least one serving system each serving system comprising at least one serving system node SGSN serving the intercepted target for communication, the method comprising the steps of: first detecting a serving system node change request 1 from the intercepted target MS towards a new serving system node which is currently not serving the target, first processing said serving system node change request at said new serving system node currently not serving the target, wherein said processing comprises the inclusion, to the request, of a serving system address of the new serving system node currently not serving the target, and first forwarding said processed request 2 to an old serving system node currently serving the target. Also, the present invention proposes a serving system node adapted to be used in such a method.
Thus, from the foregoing description of the present invention, it will become clear that having regard to the previous solutions as outlined above with reference to 3GPP TS 33.108 V5.0.0 (2002-06) and 3GPP TS 33.107 V5.3.0 (2002-06), the present invention will lead to the changes to these agreed solutions as follows:
(note that numberings refer to the numbering of section in the respective technical specification TS)
A) As to 3GPP TS 33.108 V5.0.0 (2002-06):
6.5 IRI for Packet Domain
Intercept related information will in principle be available in the following phases of a data transmission:
In addition, information on non-transmission related actions of a target constitute IRI and is sent via HI2, e.g. information on subscriber controlled input.
The intercept related information (IRI) may be subdivided into the following categories:
The events defined in ref [11] are used to generate records for the delivery via HI2.
There are eight different event types received at DF2 level. According to each event, a Record is sent to the LEMF if this is required. The following table gives the mapping between event type received at DF2 level and record type sent to the LEMF.
A set of information is used to generate the records. The records used transmit the information from mediation function to LEMF. This set of information can be extended in the GSN or DF2 MF, if this is necessary in a specific country. The following table gives the mapping between information received per event and information sent in records.
NOTE:
LIID parameter must be present in each record sent to the LEMF.
6.5.1 Events and Information
This clause describes the information sent from the Delivery Function (DF) to the Law Enforcement Monitoring Facility (LEMF) to support Lawfully Authorized Electronic Surveillance (LAES). The information is described as records and information carried by a record. This focus is on describing the information being transferred to the LEMF.
The IRI events and data are encoded into records as defined in the Table 6-1 Mapping between GPRS Events and HI2 records type and Annex B.3 Intercept related information (HI2) [1]. IRI is described in terms of a ‘causing event’ and information associated with that event. Within each IRI Record there is a set of events and associated information elements to support the particular service. The communication events described in Table 6-1: Mapping between GPRS Events and HI2 record type and Table 6-2: Mapping between Events information and IRI information convey the basic information for reporting the disposition of a communication. This clause describes those events and supporting information.
Each record described in this clause consists of a set of parameters. Each parameter is either:
The information to be carried by each parameter is identified. Both optional and conditional parameters are considered to be OPTIONAL syntactically in ASN.1 Stage 3 descriptions. The Stage 2 inclusion takes precedence over Stage 3 syntax.
6.5.1.1 REPORT Record Information
The REPORT record is used to report non-communication related subscriber actions (events) and for reporting unsuccessful packet-mode communication attempts.
The REPORT record shall be triggered when:
as a national option, a mobile terminal is authorized for service with another network operator or service provider.
6.5.1.2 BEGIN Record Information
The BEGIN record is used to convey the first event of packet-data communication interception.
The BEGIN record shall be triggered when:
the interception of a subject's communications is started and at least one PDP context is active. If more than one PDP context is active, a BEGIN record shall be generated for each PDP context that is active.
6.5.1.3 CONTINUE Record Information
The CONTINUE record is used to convey events during an active packet-data communication PDP Context.
The CONTINUE record shall be triggered when:
An active PDP context is modified;
6.5.1.4 END Record Information
The END record is used to convey the last event of packet-data communication interception.
The END record shall be triggered when:
PDP context deactivation.
6.6 IRI Reporting for Packet Domain at GGSN
As a national option, in the case where the GGSN is reporting IRI for an intercept subject, the intercept subject is handed off to another SGSN and the GGSN continues to handle the content of communications subject to roaming agreements, the GGSN shall continue to report the following IRI of the content of communication:
6.7 Content of Communication Interception for Packet Domain at GGSN
As a national option, in the case where the GGSN is performing interception of the content of communications, the intercept subject is handed off to another SGSN and the same GGSN continues to handle the content of communications subject to roaming agreements, the GGSN shall continue to perform the interception of the content of communication.
and
B) As tp 3GPP TS 33.107 V5.3.0 (2002-06):
7.3.2 Structure of the Events
There are eight different events in which the information is sent to the DF2 if this is required. Details are described in the following section. The events for interception are configurable (if they are sent to DF2) in the 3G GSN or the HLR and can be suppressed in the DF2.
The Following Events are Applicable to 3G SGSN:
The Following Events are Applicable to the 3G GGSN:
The Following Events are Applicable to the HLR:
A set of fields as shown below is used to generate the events. The events transmit the information from 3G GSN or HLR to DF2. This set of fields as shown below can be extended in the 3G GSN or HLR, if this is necessary as a national option. DF2 can extend this information if this is necessary as a national option e.g. a unique number for each surveillance warrant.
7.4.1 Mobile Station Attach
For attach an attach-event is generated. When an attach activation is generated from the mobile to servicing 3G SG-SN this event is generated. These fields will be delivered to the DF2 if available:
In case the alternative serving system reporting is supported, and if the new SGSN sends the Identification Request to the old SGSN, then the old SGSN should deliver the following fields to the DF2:
7.4.6 RA Update
For each RA update an update-event with the fields about the new location is generated. These fields shall be delivered by new SGSN to the DF2 if available:
These fields may be delivered by old SGSN to the DF2 if available:
7.4.8 Packet Data PDP Context Modification
This event shall be generated if interception for a target is started and if the target has at least one PDP context active. These fields shall be delivered by new SGSN to the DF2 if available:
These fields may be delivered by GGSN to the DF2 if available:
7.4.9 Serving System
In case the network does not support alternative serving system reporting, the Serving System report event is generated at the HLR, when the HLR has detected that the intercept subject has roamed. The fields will be delivered to the DF2 if available:
When the network supports the alternative serving system reporting, the following events shall be generated:
In order to support the alternative serving system reporting, new SGSN should put its own RAI and/or MSISDN number into the Private Extension IE of the following GTP-C messages:
Formats of the RAI and MSISDN number are e.g. defined in the GTP specification [7].
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications and applications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
20 11 866.5 | Jul 2002 | EP | regional |
202 19 271.7 | Dec 2002 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/IB02/02841 | 7/19/2002 | WO | 1/18/2005 |