Roaming Charging via Temporary Subscription Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for charging subscribers in mobile communication networks while roaming result in delays and connectivity issues due to the need for real-time signaling and transmission of subscription profiles between home and visited networks, which can be unreliable and require additional standards.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a temporary user subscription stored in the visited network, which is pre-funded with credit, allowing services to be provided without relying on home network subscription information, thus avoiding the need for inter-network signaling and enabling seamless service delivery even with connection problems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If real-time signaling is used to transmit subscription profiles between home and visited networks, then service authorization can be obtained, but delays and connectivity issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-fetching subscription profile information from the home network before the roaming service is actually needed. The gateway node stores this information locally in advance, so when a roaming subscriber needs service, the authorization can be immediately granted without real-time signaling delays. This transforms a reactive real-time authorization process into a proactive pre-prepared state.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway node acts as an intermediary between the home network and the visited network. Instead of direct real-time signaling between networks, the gateway node mediates by caching subscription information locally and using it to authorize services immediately. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for continuous inter-network signaling during service delivery.
2Reliability
If real-time signaling is used to transmit subscription profiles, then service authorization can be obtained, but inter-network connectivity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the subscription profile information from the home network and stores it locally at the gateway node in the visited network. This extraction eliminates the need for continuous inter-network signaling connections during service delivery. The gateway node independently uses the extracted information to authorize services without requiring active connectivity to the home network.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway node serves as an intermediary that caches subscription information, reducing direct dependencies between home and visited networks. This intermediary function simplifies inter-network connectivity requirements by decoupling the authorization process from real-time network communication.
3Adaptability or versatility
If subscription profiles are transmitted between networks, then roaming services can be authorized, but additional standards and network modifications are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating a local copy of the subscription profile information at the gateway node. Instead of implementing complex inter-network protocols for profile transmission, the system simply copies relevant authorization data to the visited network gateway, which then uses this copy to provide roaming services. This copying approach simplifies implementation compared to full protocol integration.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a solution for charging a subscriber roaming in a mobile communication network. In the invention, a temporary user subscription is created for the roaming subscriber and an account balance is set for the temporary user subscription allowing the subscriber to use services attached to the temporary user subscription while roaming in the packet data based mobile communication network.