Pre-Paid Client Relocation for Roaming Data Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pre-paid subscribers face challenges in accessing simple IP data services while roaming, as they require a CDMA network with PDSN support for pre-paid functionality, which may not be available in all networks, leading to restricted access due to processing overhead concerns.
Innovation Solution
Deploying a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) functionality within the home network's remote authentication server or mobile station, enabling authentication and quota management for pre-paid users, allowing access to simple IP data services without relying on the visited network's PDSN support, and providing real-time usage feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pre-paid functionality is implemented in the visited network's PDSN, then pre-paid subscribers can access simple IP data services, but the visited network incurs additional processing overhead and requires specific CDMA network infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pre-paid client functionality from the visited network's PDSN and relocates it to the home network's authentication server. This extraction removes the processing overhead and infrastructure requirements from the visited network while maintaining pre-paid service availability through home network control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the home network's authentication server as an intermediary that handles pre-paid authentication and authorization. This intermediary enables pre-paid subscribers to access simple IP data services without requiring the visited network to implement pre-paid functionality, thus resolving the contradiction between service availability and network complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the visited network does not support pre-paid functionality, then pre-paid subscribers cannot access simple IP data services, but implementing pre-paid support increases processing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the authentication server universal by enabling it to handle both traditional authentication and pre-paid client functionality. This multi-functionality allows pre-paid subscribers to access services in visited networks regardless of whether those networks support pre-paid functionality, improving adaptability without impacting visited network productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by allowing the pre-paid client in the home network to autonomously manage authentication and authorization without requiring visited network involvement. This self-service approach enables pre-paid subscribers to access services in any visited network while the home network handles all processing, thus improving both adaptability and processing efficiency.
3Reliability
If PDSN is required for pre-paid simple IP access, then pre-paid functionality can be supported, but non-CDMA networks and networks without PDSN cannot provide access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pre-paid client functionality from the PDSN-specific architecture and relocates it to the home network's authentication server. This extraction eliminates the dependency on PDSN and CDMA network infrastructure, enabling pre-paid service support across diverse network types including non-CDMA networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional architecture by moving pre-paid client functionality from the visited network's access point (PDSN) to the home network's authentication server. This inversion removes the restriction to CDMA networks and PDSN-specific implementations, allowing pre-paid subscribers to access services in any network type through home network-controlled authentication.
Data Source
AI summary
The described embodiments of the present invention outline two solutions to the problems described above regarding simple IP data access for pre-paid subscribers. The first solutions includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a point of attachment in an access network capable of providing an IP network access to a home network remote authentication server which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) and receiving in the point of attachment an access request response from the home network remote authentication server. The second solution includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a Mobile Station (MS) which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) to a home network remote authentication server and receiving in the MS an access request response from the home network remote authentication server.