Centralized Location Server for Telecommunications Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional telecommunications networks face inefficiencies in determining mobile subscriber location due to the distributed nature of Home Location Registers (HLRs), requiring multiple steps and signaling message routing through Signaling Transfer Points (STPs) to identify the correct HLR for location queries.
Innovation Solution
A centralized location server system that stores and dynamically updates subscriber location information, allowing signaling message routing nodes to intercept and forward location information to a centralized database, simplifying the retrieval process by eliminating the need for multi-step HLR identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a distributed HLR architecture is used to store subscriber location information, then the system can handle large numbers of subscribers across multiple nodes, but the process of determining subscriber location becomes complex and inefficient due to multiple routing steps through STPs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized location server as an intermediary component that mediates between the distributed HLRs and the STPs. This location server maintains a mapping of subscriber identifiers to HLR identifiers, allowing the STP to quickly determine which HLR contains a subscriber's location information without complex multi-step routing. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by simplifying the lookup process while preserving the distributed architecture's capacity to handle large numbers of subscribers.
2Quantity of substance
If location information is distributed across multiple HLRs, then the system can scale to accommodate many subscribers, but the time required to retrieve location information increases due to multi-step querying and forwarding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the centralized location server pre-compute and maintain mappings between subscriber identifiers and HLR identifiers. When a subscriber's location is needed, the STP can immediately query the location server for the mapping, avoiding the time-consuming multi-step process of forwarding queries through multiple STPs and HLRs. This preliminary preparation of location mappings significantly reduces retrieval time while maintaining the ability to scale subscriber capacity across distributed HLRs.
3Productivity
If multiple STPs are used to route signaling messages, then the system can handle high signaling traffic volume, but the complexity of identifying the correct HLR increases requiring additional routing logic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by making the centralized location server a universal resource that serves all STPs in the network. Instead of each STP maintaining its own HLR identification logic and associations, all STPs use the same centralized location server to determine which HLR contains a subscriber's information. This multi-functional approach allows the system to handle high signaling traffic volume across multiple STPs while reducing the complexity of HLR identification, as the universal location server provides a single source of truth for all routing decisions.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing a triggerless centralized location server are disclosed. According to one aspect, a system for providing a triggerless centralized location server includes multiple signaling message routing nodes configured to operate in a telecommunications network. Each routing node is configured to receive a signaling message having an intended destination, determine whether the received signaling message includes location information related to a subscriber, and, if so, extract the location information related to the subscriber, route the signaling message to the intended destination, and store the location information related to the subscriber in a centralized location database. The centralized location database is configured to receive a request for location information associated with a subscriber, and, in response to receiving the request, retrieve the location information associated with the subscriber from the database and provide the retrieved location information in response to the request.