Gateway Location Register Pool Global Title Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Gateway Location Registers (GLRs) in mobile communication networks are limited in providing Value Added Services (VAS) to inbound roamers due to their single Global Title approach, which leads to increased signaling costs and inability to emulate individual network elements, resulting in reduced benefits for visited network operators and potential disruptions in roaming revenue.
Innovation Solution
Allocating a pool of Global Titles to the GLR associated with a Visited Public Mobile Network (VPMN) to correspond with multiple Visited Location Registers (VLRs), Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSNs), Home Location Registers (HLRs), and Home Public Mobile Networks (HPMNs), enabling enhanced functionalities such as providing VAS and handling failure scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single Global Title is used for the GLR, then the system structure is simple, but the ability to provide Value Added Services and emulate individual network elements is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single Global Title into multiple Global Titles, each corresponding to specific network elements (VLRs, SGSNs, HLRs, HPMNs). This segmentation allows the GLR to emulate individual network elements and provide targeted Value Added Services to different types of inbound roamers, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The GLR is enhanced to perform multiple functions by allocating a pool of Global Titles. It can now act as a pseudo-HLR, provide VAS, handle failure scenarios, and emulate different network elements depending on which Global Title is active. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the GLR adaptable to various service requirements.
2Loss of energy
If a single Global Title is used for the GLR, then the configuration is simple, but signaling costs increase and benefits to visited network operators are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the Global Title into multiple specialized titles corresponding to different network elements, the patent enables more efficient signaling routing. The GLR can select the appropriate Global Title based on the roamer type, reducing unnecessary signaling overhead and costs while maintaining configuration manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the Global Title parameter dynamically based on the type of inbound roamer and service requirements. This parameter change allows the GLR to optimize signaling paths and reduce signaling costs while providing appropriate Value Added Services, thereby increasing benefits to visited network operators.
3Reliability
If the GLR fails, then system redundancy is reduced, but continuous roaming services cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by maintaining a pool of Global Titles that can serve as backups. When the primary GLR fails, the system can switch to alternative Global Titles or configurations that were prepared in advance, ensuring continuous roaming services without requiring complex real-time redundancy mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The GLR is designed with multi-functionality through the pool of Global Titles, allowing it to perform both primary and backup functions. This universal design ensures that the same GLR infrastructure can handle both normal operations and failure scenarios, maintaining reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a method for providing roaming services to one or more subscribers, correspondingly associated with the one or more HPMNs, while the one or more subscribers are registered with the VPMN. The method includes allocating a pool of GTs to a Gateway Location Register (GLR) that is associated with the VPMN, where the pool of Global Titles (GTs) corresponds to at least one of: one or more VLRs associated with the VPMN, one or more SGSNs associated with the VPMN, one or more HPMNs, and one or more HLRs associated with an HPMN from the one or more HPMNs. The method further includes facilitating mobile communication of the one or more subscribers in the VPMN using the allocated pool of GTs.