Telecommunications system

Abstract

A telecommunications system provides a facility for communicating a Short Message Service (SMS) message to a mobile user equipment using a subscriber identity number when the mobile user equipment is communicating via an Internet Protocol network using an Internet Protocol (IP) communication being terminated on the IP network. The system comprises an SMS network including a Short Message Service Centre (SM-SC), a gateway mobile switching centre (GMSC), the SMS network providing a facility for communicating SMS messages, and an Internet Protocol / SMS (IP / SMS) gateway for communicating between the SMS network and the IP network. The system also includes a home location database for maintaining address data identifying a current location of a mobile user equipment. The gateway mobile switching centre is operable in response to the SMS message to interrogate the home location database for an address to which the SMS message should be sent. The home location database is operable to provide the gateway mobile switching centre with an address of the IP / SMS gateway, which has been stored in association with the subscriber identity number. The gateway switching centre is operable to send the SMS message to the IP / SMS gateway. The IP / SMS gateway is operable to retrieve an, Internet Protocol address corresponding to the mobile subscriber number pre-stored in an IP / SMS database associated with the IP / SMS gateway. The IP / SMS gateway communicates the SMS message to the mobile user equipment at the retrieved IP address via the IP network.

Description

Technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a telecommunication system for transmitting short message service (SMS) messages to user equipment identified by a user identification number. Background technique [0002] The short message service provided for transmitting text messages between user equipment has proven to be the most useful application of the GSM system. Although SMS messaging only provides relatively low communication bandwidth for non-real-time data communication, the popularity of SMS for text messaging has meant that even if the next generation of mobile wireless communication systems can provide higher bandwidth communication, it is very likely Keep the need for SMS. Therefore, although the next-generation mobile wireless communication system can support alternative access technologies, and therefore there are more convenient data communication tools, even if the user equipment may have tools to communicate using these alternative access technologies...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Although SMS messages only offer relatively low communication bandwidth for non-real-time data communication, the popularity of SMS for text messaging has meant that even if the next generation of mobile wireless communication systems can provide higher bandwidth communication, it is likely that Reserve the need for SMS

Therefore, although the next generation mobile wireless communication system may support alternative access technologies, and therefore there are more convenient data communication tools, even though the user equipment may have the means to communicate using these alternative access technologies, it will still There is a need to deliver SMS messages to user equipment

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