Embodiments of the present invention relate to a communication system that allows service providers access to mobile subscribers and their data.
Different internet service providers (xSPs) are increasingly building new attractive services to enrich end user experience related to voice messaging and other kinds of communication (e.g. file sharing). Telecommunication operators (both mobile and fixed) are challenged by xSPs because they have shown an ability to create, demonstrate, and launch services at a much faster pace than operators that use more traditional and slower methods for service creation.
Additionally, these different xSPs are in the progress of building communities, which then can be considered as a significant potential customer base for future services (e.g. Web 2.0 paradigm). An example of this kind of trend is Google™, which started by offering a world-class web searching service but then have expanded into VoIP (Voice over IP), Instant Messaging (Google Talk™), mapping (Google Earth™), etc. services that can be offered to the same Google™ “community” as the web searching service has been offered. In fact, those services that have been offered initially as free-of-charge may also be modified to have some additional premium-rate service that is then chargeable.
The telecommunication industry itself is currently facing big changes in the future, partly due to the previously mentioned reasons, and partly because revenues from traditional circuit switched voice services are gradually reducing. Both of these issues are catalysed by reduced cost to transfer bits over radio networks. That is, introduction of more efficient radio access network technologies such as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), WiMAX, etc. Also, another factor is the introduction of attractive “Web 2.0” services, which use voice only as a single component part of the service and possibly free-of-charge.
One solution is targeted at introducing new ways for a traditional mobile network operator to provide its circuit switched voice and packet switched data accesses as a bundled service to xSPs. A straightforward implementation of this solution provides a gateway node and gateway functionality for interfacing with xSPs. This way, xSPs are able to reach existing wide xSP communities, provide good and stable voice quality compared to VoIP in current packet switched radio accesses (EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM [Global System for Mobile Communications] Evolution)/GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)/UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Services)), and provide maximum coverage without limitations set by different packet switched technologies as well as support for existing legacy Java-enabled terminals. Naturally, xSPs would also be able to implement a similar concept by themselves, but it is believed that when a mobile network operator offers such capabilities as services then both xSPs and the mobile network operator are able to gain benefits resulting in a win-win situation for both the xSPs and the mobile network operators.
Furthermore, a traditional assumption has been that mobile network operators or telecom operators in general are planning to use IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to deliver and provide new services in an IP multimedia domain for their own subscribers (typically in a “walled-garden” model where only subscribers that have a subscription of a certain operator are able to access services of the given operator).
The aforementioned solution brings individual gateway functionality into a mobile network operator's core network as a standalone node. The gateway uses SIP to communicate with e.g. an MSC (Mobile Switching Center) server system in order to establish speech communication between mobile equipment having a gateway node client as well as the xSP community. Additional service capabilities such as instant messaging, presence etc. are handled also via the gateway, which acts as a single point contact point inside the core communications network to the xSP.
A mobile network may comprise a core network which may be split into a packet switched core comprising an SGSN (Serving GPRS [General Packet Radio Service] Support Node) and a GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node), and a circuit switched core comprising an SMSC (Short Message Service Center), an MSC-S (MSC Server) and an MGW (Media Gateway). It should be noted that the terminology MSS may be used instead of MSC (Mobile Switching Centres), since this is modern parlance for a particular component of the MSC. That is, the traditional MSC has evolved into two separate network elements: (i) an MSC server (MSS); and (ii) a media gateway (MGW). The MSS is responsible for call control and mobility management functions. The aforementioned network elements are well known in the art and will not be described in detail here.
Due to the fact that the aforementioned implementation is a standalone gateway node in the network, in certain circumstances it may not provide optimal means to build interoperability, for example, between presence status of a subscriber (i.e., information regarding whether a user's terminal is available for communication and with what type of mode of communication) and presence status published in an external xSP service. That is, data such as that stored in the VLR cannot be accessed efficiently enough. A difficulty in providing these services, for example, may arise due to the limited capacity of the link connecting the IGW to the MSC, for example. Also, registration to an xSP service needs to be executed using a specific terminal client which registers on behalf of the user or a specific communication procedure directed towards the gateway node.
It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide an alternative to the aforementioned arrangement.
According to an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a switching center of a wireless communications network, the switching center comprising an internet gateway node integrated therein for accessing user information internally within the switching center and arranged to use the user information for at least one of: provision of services to an internet service provider from the wireless communications network; provision of services from an internet service provider to the wireless communications network; and provision of services by the internet service provider within the internet.
The user information may be used to provide services between a network service provider, e.g. a mobile network service provider, and the internet service provider. For example, the user information may be used for providing services between a mobile user equipment, or other mobile network entity, and the internet service provider. Alternatively, or additionally, the user information may be used by the internet service provider for providing services within the internet, i.e. to provide a service to internet service provider users rather than providing services between the internet service provider and a mobile user equipment.
According to certain embodiments of the present invention the gateway node is integrated into a mobile switching center (MSC) server system, for example, an MSS, and internal communications are provided between the gateway node and the MSC Server's software in order to achieve more attractive services for end users.
If the MSS and gateway node are combined in separate units, the latency and traffic load would make, for example, offering cellular presence services to xSPs impossible. Combining the MSS and internet gateway (IGW) overcomes this problem. In general, ever more sophisticated services are desired to be operated across the Internet and cellular domains, which poses technical integration problems related to, for example, jitter, latency and bandwidth. Certain embodiments of the present invention solve these problems by presenting xSPs with a gateway integrated in the switching centre of the cellular network, which may access data that is internal to the switching center with effectively no limitations relating to jitter, latency or bandwidth.
According to certain embodiments, the gateway is able to access user information internally at high bandwidth by virtue of being integrated in the switching system and provides internet services to cellular users. By integrating the gateway node with the switching system, a large amount of data can be accessed quickly and efficiently in order to support complex internet services.
The gateway may also be operable to pre-process this information according to instructions received from the xSP before providing it to the xSP, for example such that the volume of transmitted information may be reduced. An example of such a procedure would be for the xSP to instruct the gateway to perform a data-mining process in the registers of the switching center, and return to the xSP information on subscribers or other entities matching certain criteria. Another example would be a case, where an xSP directs the gateway to modify records in the switching centre, that match a query provided by the xSP.
In certain embodiments the gateway functionality is integrated into the MSC Server system and communicates with a visitor location register (VLR) of the MSC Server in order to get more information about the mobility management actions ongoing in the MSC Server. Supplementary services can be executed based on availability of a subscriber's subscription for communication (i.e. information regarding whether a subscriber's terminal has attached into mobile network or not and/or what kind of radio access technology is currently used).
The VLR may be integrated with the switching system in the same network entity and/or the network entity may also comprise a database integrated with the gateway node for storing user information. The gateway node may be adapted to store and access user information in the database for providing services between a network service provider and a user equipment.
Multiple xSPs can be served by single gateway node simultaneously for the same subscriber. This means that, for example, registration of a terminal to multiple xSPs may be executed based on a successful location update procedure.
In the case where a network is “multi-vendor” and comprises MSC Servers from multiple vendors, then the internet Gateway node may need to be provided as a standalone solution as well if it cannot be physically integrated into all the MSC Servers (for example, it may only be possible to integrated physically into one vendor's MSC Server and needs to be provided as a standalone solution for other vendor's MSC Servers). However in that case non-optimal ways need to be used to e.g. fetch a subscriber's current availability for communication (attached or not, which radio access technology, etc.). Also some restrictions in such cases may be applied for the service interactions or capability to forcedly route calls towards xSPs.
According to another embodiment there is provided a network entity of a wireless communications network, the network entity comprising a switching system and an internet gateway node integrated with the switching system for accessing user information internally within the network entity and arranged to use the user information for at least one of: provision of services to an internet service provider from the wireless communications network; provision of services from an internet service provider to the wireless communications network; and provision of services by the internet service provider within the internet.
According to another embodiment there is provided a wireless communication network comprising a core network, the core network comprising a network entity having a switching system and an internet gateway node integrated with the switching system for accessing user information internally within the network entity and arranged to use the user information for at least one of: provision of services to an internet service provider from the wireless communications network; provision of services from an internet service provider to the wireless communications network; and provision of services by the internet service provider within the internet.
According to another embodiment there is provided a communication system comprising a wireless communication network and a data network, the wireless communication network comprising a core network, the core network comprising a network entity having a switching system and an internet gateway node integrated with the switching system for accessing user information internally within the network entity and arranged to use the user information for at least one of: provision of services to an internet service provider from the wireless communications network; provision of services from an internet service provider to the wireless communications network; and provision of services by the internet service provider within the internet.
According to another embodiment there is provided a method comprising: accessing user information internally within a switching center of a wireless communications network by an internet gateway node integrated into the switching center; and using the user information for at least one of: provision of services to an internet service provider from the wireless communications network; provision of services from an internet service provider to the wireless communications network; and provision of services by an internet service provider within the internet.
According to another embodiment there is provided computer program comprising program code means adapted to perform the method described herein when the program is run on a computer or on a processor.
According to another embodiment there is provided a computer program product comprising program code means stored in a computer readable medium, the program code means being adapted to perform the method described herein when the program is run on a computer or on a processor.
For a better understanding of the embodiments and how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings in which:
The required data processing functions may be provided by means of one or more data processors. An appropriately adapted computer program code product or products may be used for implementing the embodiments, when loaded on an appropriate processor. The program code product for providing the operation may be stored on and provided by means of a carrier medium such as a carrier disc, card or tape. A possibility is to download the program code product via a data network.
Embodiments of the present invention could open new service opportunities for mobile operators as well as xSPs to increase revenues. Also, network operators will be able to boost sales of MSC server systems and products. Embodiments of the present invention provide a solution which allows mobile operators to enable:
It is also noted herein that while the above describes exemplifying embodiments of the invention, there are several variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.