IMS Service Policy Control for Roaming Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices roaming in foreign networks face challenges in registering for IMS services due to potential technical conflicts and network optimization needs, requiring operators to manage service policies across multiple servers and reduce signaling, while ensuring access to whitelisted services based on visited networks and Radio Access Technology (RAT) types.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a registration manager component within the IMS network that utilizes a policy table to determine whitelisted services, allowing mobile devices to register only for authorized services by querying the policy table based on visited network and RAT type, thereby streamlining the registration process and reducing signaling requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If operators maintain service policies in multiple application servers, then service restriction and selection control can be implemented, but system complexity and signaling overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates service policy management into a single centralized application server rather than distributing policies across multiple servers. This merging approach maintains the ability to restrict and control IMS services while reducing system complexity and signaling overhead by eliminating redundant policy copies and synchronization requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized application server is designed to handle multiple service restriction scenarios and policy types universally. It can manage different RAT types, visited networks, and service combinations through a single policy evaluation mechanism, replacing the need for specialized policy handling in multiple servers.
2Adaptability or versatility
If operators maintain service policies in multiple application servers, then service restriction and selection control can be implemented, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging policy management into a single application server, the patent eliminates redundant signaling messages that would occur when multiple servers need to synchronize and evaluate the same service policies. The centralized approach processes service registration requests in one location, reducing overall network signaling load.
3Adaptability or versatility
If mobile devices register for multiple IMS services while roaming, then service functionality increases, but technical conflicts and network optimization issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The application server performs preliminary evaluation of service registration requests against stored service policies before allowing device registration. By pre-defining which service combinations are permitted for specific RAT types and visited networks, the system prevents technical conflicts before they occur, maintaining reliability while allowing functional versatility within policy boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The service policy evaluation mechanism provides feedback to device registration requests by accepting or rejecting them based on predefined policies. This feedback loop ensures that only compatible service combinations are registered, preventing technical conflicts while maintaining the ability to offer multiple services when policies permit.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method that allows a mobile device to register for IMS services while the mobile device is roaming in a visited telecommunications network is disclosed. The system receives a request for multiple IMS services from a mobile device while the mobile device is roaming in a foreign network. The system uses an identifier of the foreign network and an associated RAT type to query a policy table containing a list of whitelisted IMS services for the foreign network and associated RAT type. The system processes the requested IMS registrations for services that are whitelisted and does not process requested IMS registrations for services that are not on the whitelist.