Home PCRN Roaming Session Termination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current telecommunications networks face challenges in efficiently managing and terminating roaming sessions across different networks due to complex roaming agreements and dual core architectures, leading to difficulties in session management and charging when changes occur in roaming relationships.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a home policy and charging rules node (PCRN) and a visited PCRN that coordinates with each other to identify and terminate sessions on both home and visited networks by receiving change in roaming partner messages, marking sessions for termination, and sending appropriate messages to enforce policy and charging control rules across IP-CAN and S9 sessions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If roaming sessions are maintained across multiple networks with complex roaming agreements, then network coverage and service availability are improved, but session management complexity and charging accuracy deteriorate when roaming relationships change

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroaming service availabilityVSAvoidsession management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by proactively identifying and terminating roaming sessions at the home PCRN when a roaming partner is deleted or roaming agreement is removed, before the user experiences service disruption. This prevents the complexity of managing stale sessions across multiple networks by clearing them in advance at the source.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the home PCRN receives notifications about roaming partner changes and automatically responds by identifying and terminating affected sessions. This closed-loop feedback ensures session management remains synchronized with current roaming agreements, reducing manual intervention complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If dual core architecture is used to support both circuit-switched and packet-switched services, then service functionality is improved, but network complexity and session termination difficulty worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice functionalityVSAvoidnetwork architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments session management functions by network type, with the home PCRN specifically handling IP-CAN session identification and termination for packet-switched roaming services. This segmentation allows the dual core architecture to operate independently in each domain while maintaining overall system manageability through specialized handling of each session type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Duration of action of stationary object

If roaming sessions are not actively terminated when agreements change, then service continuity is maintained, but charging accuracy and network quality deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidcharging accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary termination of roaming sessions at the home PCRN when roaming agreements are removed, preventing inaccurate charging for services that are no longer permitted. This proactive approach ensures charging records reflect only authorized services, maintaining precision while managing the transition gracefully.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2769581B1Roaming session termination triggered by roaming agreement/partner deletion
Publication Date: 2019.01.16 ALCATEL LUCENT SA
  • EP2769581B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2769581B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2769581B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) for processing a change in a status of a roaming partner, the method including: receiving, at the PCRN, a message indicating a change in a status of the roaming partner; identifying roaming subscriber sessions associated with the roaming partner; determining home based roaming subscriber sessions among the identified subscriber sessions; marking the determined home based roaming subscriber sessions for termination; and sending a termination message to a policy and charging enforcement node for the determined home based roaming subscriber sessions.