Temporary Roaming Profiles for Lower-Cost Local Data Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data roaming methods are expensive, restrictive, and inefficient, often requiring expensive data roaming passes, SIM card changes, and forwarding traffic through home network gateways, which limits access to network benefits and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A system allowing users to purchase a roaming pass directly from a roaming network provider, creating a temporary roaming profile that uses the roaming network's resources for data connections, maintaining the original phone number, and setting the UE to use a roaming APN for efficient data access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a data roaming enabled subscription plan is used, then users can access data services outside home network coverage, but the cost becomes very expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the roaming access mechanism by creating a separate temporary roaming profile that operates independently from the home network subscription plan. This allows users to access roaming data services through a distinct pathway (roaming network gateway) rather than through the expensive home network gateway, thereby reducing costs while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a roaming network gateway as an intermediary between the user device and the packet data network. Instead of routing all roaming traffic through the home network gateway (which incurs high costs), the roaming network gateway handles data services locally, acting as a mediator that provides cost-effective access while the home network gateway only handles authentication and control functions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional roaming methods are used, then users can access external networks, but traffic must be forwarded through home network gateway which reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The network architecture is segmented into control plane functions (handled by home network gateway for authentication) and user plane functions (handled by roaming network gateway for data transmission). This segmentation allows data traffic to take a direct local path through the roaming network gateway, eliminating the inefficiency of forcing all traffic through the home network gateway while maintaining network access capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If users purchase roaming pass from home network provider, then roaming services are provided, but users cannot access roaming network benefits and resources directly
Solution Approach 1:
The roaming network gateway acts as an intermediary that provides direct access to roaming network benefits and resources. While the home network gateway handles authentication, the roaming network gateway mediates the actual data services, allowing users to access local network benefits (such as local content, services, and optimized routing) that would otherwise be unavailable when routing through the home network.
Data Source
AI summary
A roaming application in a core network receives a request to create a temporary roaming profile for a roaming user in the mobility management entity (MME) in response to a roaming pass being purchased by the roaming user for a user equipment (UE), stores, in the MME, the temporary roaming profile for the roaming user, wherein the temporary roaming profile includes an identity of the UE and an access point name (APN) associated with the roaming network, receives an attach message from the UE when the UE is located within a coverage area of the roaming network, wherein the attach message includes the identity of the UE, and creates a bearer between the UE and a packet network data gateway (PGW) of the roaming network based on the APN associated with the roaming network indicated in the temporary roaming profile for the roaming user.