GPRS Group Profile Control Node Reduces HLR Signaling Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
The rapid increase in the number of telemetric devices connected to GPRS networks overloads the Home Location Register (HLR) resources due to individual subscription management, leading to high signaling loads during the GPRS attach procedure.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a control node that receives a device identifier and selects a group profile to establish connections, eliminating the need for individual signaling and user profiles in the HLR by using a group profile valid for multiple devices, thereby reducing network resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual GPRS subscriptions are maintained for each telemetric device in the HLR, then each device can be properly authenticated and served, but the HLR resources become overloaded and signaling load increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual device profiles into a single group profile that can serve multiple telemetric devices. The control node retrieves one group profile containing common attributes for a group of devices instead of retrieving individual profiles for each device, thereby reducing HLR resource load and signaling complexity while maintaining proper authentication and service capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The group profile serves as a universal profile that can be applied to multiple devices within the group. Instead of creating dedicated individual subscriptions for each telemetric device, the system uses a universal group profile that provides common attributes and parameters for all devices in the group, reducing the overall number of profiles needed in the HLR.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of telemetric devices with GPRS subscription increases, then more devices can access the network, but the signaling load from GPRS attach procedures overloads the network resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the attach procedure signaling for multiple devices into a single group-level operation. When devices attach to the network, the control node uses the group profile to handle authentication and service establishment, reducing the number of individual signaling transactions required and improving network resource efficiency as the number of devices increases.
3Adaptability or versatility
If individual user profiles are maintained in the HLR for each device, then user-specific settings and parameters can be stored, but the HLR database size and access complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges user-specific configurations into the group profile structure, where common attributes are defined at the group level. This approach maintains the ability to store and retrieve user-specific settings while significantly reducing the overall database size in the HLR, as one group profile replaces multiple individual user profiles.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and devices for providing a device (TD201) access to a General Packet Radio Service, GPRS, network are described. The GPRS network comprises a control node (SGSN204) for controlling the access. The control node (SGSN204) performs the steps of receiving (214) a service request from the device (TD201), the service request comprising a device identifier, obtaining (211) a group profile comprising a group identifier identifying a plurality of devices, selecting (215) the group profile for serving the device (TD201), if the device identifier corresponds to the group identifier, and establishing (216) a connection based on the group profile in accordance with the service request.