Steering of Roaming via HLR Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering of roaming (SOR) systems in wireless networks require costly hardware and software for the home network to maintain its own SOR platform, and coordination among International Gateway Providers (IGPs) is cumbersome, leading to inefficient roaming services when plural visited networks are available.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where the home location register (HLR) sends authorization messages through a specified communications provider, allowing the SOR platform to intercept and manage these messages to steer the roaming device to a preferred visited network, eliminating the need for the home network to maintain its own SOR platform and enabling efficient roaming service coordination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the home network maintains its own SOR platform, then steering of roaming control is achieved, but hardware and software costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary entity (the communications channel or network element) that implements SOR functionality on behalf of the home network. This intermediary intercepts and evaluates Location Update messages, making the home network independent of SOR platform ownership while maintaining steering control through the intermediary's evaluation of visited networks based on home network policies.
2Reliability
If all IGPs have SOR capabilities, then roaming service coordination is improved, but system complexity and deployment difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the SOR functionality from the IGP infrastructure and consolidates it into a separate, optional intermediary component. This allows SOR capabilities to be implemented only where needed (in the intermediary that handles messages to/from the HLR) rather than requiring all IGPs to have SOR capabilities, thereby reducing deployment complexity while maintaining roaming service coordination.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple visited networks are available, then service coverage is improved, but network selection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the intermediary evaluates available visited networks based on criteria from the home network and provides steering guidance to the wireless device. The system monitors which visited networks are available and provides feedback through the SOR mechanism to guide the device toward preferred networks, simplifying the selection process while maintaining coverage options.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for implementing steering of roaming (SOR) services in wireless networks is disclosed. The SOR platform operates on messages transmitted by a home location register (HLR), intercepting them and denying use of a visited network unless it is the preferred visited network of a home network.