Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
  • H04W4/50—Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
  • H04W4/12—Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
  • H04W4/14—Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
  • H04W4/60—Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W8/00—Network data management
  • H04W8/18—Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
  • H04W8/183—Processing at user equipment or user record carrier

Definitions

• This inv ention reIates to aIIowing a mobiIe terminaI to use internet services and optimizing use of network resources according to the preambIe of cIaim 1.
• the present inv ention is directed to the methods, apparatus, and systems which enabIe a mobiIe data service provider to offer mobiIe data services for end customers using IocaI mobiIe subscription identities (IMSI) in muItipIe mobiIe networks in severaI countries, without an opportunity to controI in mobiIe networks whether the data transfer is aIIowed or not for each mobiIe subscription identities.
• IMSI IocaI mobiIe subscription identities
• the mobiIe data services purchased by end customers can be any type, pre- or postpaid with continuous or non-continuous contracts for short or Iong periods, the commonaIity being that the service provider offering mobiIe data services can controI whether the service is enabIed or disabIed in a specific end customer' s mobiIe terminaI, more particuIarIy in a subscriber identity moduIe (SIM), which has been provided by the service provider to the end customer as a part of the contract and which is attached to the end customer' s mobiIe terminaI.
• SIM subscriber identity moduIe
• the prior art becomes cIumsy when there is a pooI of subscription identities (IMSI) from sev eraI different mobiIe operators, which are remoteIy distributed (IMSIs are Ioaded and unIoaded based on need) by the service provider between subscription identity moduIes (SIM) of end customers. More practicaI soIution is to enabIe/disabIe data service per each subscription identity moduIe (SIM), meaning a singIe subscription identity moduIe (SIM) carry so caIIed controI subscription (IMSI) with no data service as weII as data subscriptions (sev eraI IMSI) with data services enabIed. By doing this way the service provider does not hav e to switch data on and off through mobiIe operators' network services from whom the mobiIe subscription identities (IMSI) hav e been obtained.
• IMSI subscription identity moduIe
• IMSI mobiIe subscription identity
• the inv ention is directed to consumers who wish to benefit of using a singIe subscription identity moduIe (SIM) in muItipIe countries and benefit of a IocaI pricing of mobiIe data.
• SIM singIe subscription identity moduIe
• the inv ention is aIso directed to mobiIe virtuaI network operators (MVNO) who wouId Iike to expand their service networks cost efficientIy to sev eraI countries.
• MVNO mobiIe virtuaI network operators
• An object of the present inv ention is to provide methods, apparatus and systems that enabIe service provider providing mobiIe data services in muItipIe countries to hav e cost efficient way to controI (enabIe and disabIe) its' end customers' mobiIe data services.
• system according to the inv ention is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing part of cIaim 12.
• the methods, apparatus and systems of the present inv ention provide the foIIowing key advantages.
• the end customers wiII benefit of Iower pricing of mobiIe data and reIated services because service providers offering the services are abIe to purchase mobiIe data capacity direct from IocaI mobiIe operators without middIe men.
• mobiIe data connection can be estabIished automaticaIIy from a mobiIe terminaI to an information serv er by sending an SMS-type of command to mobiIe terminaI, in more detaiIed to a subscription identity moduIe (SIM) of the mobiIe terminaI.
• SIM subscription identity moduIe
• the SMS-type command instructs an appIication on the subscription identity moduIe (SIM) to switch to another mobiIe subscription identity (IMSI), which has data service enabIed.
• SIM subscription identity moduIe
• IMSI mobiIe subscription identity
• FIG. 1 shows an exampIe of a configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present inv ention and an arrangement of mobiIe device, serv er and reIated database in the system.
• FIG. 2a and 2b shows different kind of arrangements of mobiIe device (e.g. connected consumer eIectronics device, mobiIe phone or Iaptop PC) in accordance with one embodiment of the inv ention.
• mobiIe device e.g. connected consumer eIectronics device, mobiIe phone or Iaptop PC
• FIG. 3 shows a fIow chart of steps executed ov er a network, e.g. a mobiIe communication network, between a mobiIe device and server for enabIing mobiIe data connection in a mobiIe device.
• FIG. 4 shows a fIow chart of steps executed ov er a network, e.g. a mobiIe communication network, between a mobiIe device and server for disabIing mobiIe data connection in a mobiIe device.
• FIG. 5 and 6 show fIow charts of steps executed ov er a network, e.g. a mobiIe communication network, between a mobiIe device and server in case a mobiIe device is reporting the currentIy activ e IMSI to server when more than one mobiIe device initiated IMSI switch has been made prior the reporting.
• a network e.g. a mobiIe communication network
• FIG. 1 shows an exampIe of a configuration of mobiIe data service according to one embodiment of the present invention, and an arrangement of a mobiIe device 20 forming part of the system.
• the user device 20 is connected via a mobiIe communications network or other network (e.g. Wi-Fi network) 50 to a service information server 60 of a mobiIe data service provider 10.
• a service information server 60, accounting server 70 and database server 80 are connected to each other via a network e.g. IP network.
• Service information serv er 60, accounting server 70 and database server 80 can be integrated into one server around mobiIe data service provider 10 or some or aII of them may reside as separate units.
• Service provider 10 may be thought of as the mainframe Iinking aII servers.
• By number 30 is referred to the home operator network of the mobiIe device 20.
• FIG. 2a and 2b shows two different arrangements of a mobiIe device 20.
• the mobiIe device 20 incIudes aIways a processor 25, a memory device 24, a subscription identity moduIe (SIM) 27, a battery 28 and a network interface 26 incIuding a transceiv er to communicate with mobiIe data service provider 10 ov er mobiIe communications network 50.
• a mobiIe device may aIso incIude a user interface 21 incIuding a dispIay and an input device (e.g. keyboard).
• the subscription identity moduIe (SIM) is used to store mobiIe subscription identities (IMSI) and their reIated keys.
• MobiIe subscription identities (IMSI) can be remoteIy Ioaded (and unIoaded) by mobiIe data service provider 10 to subscription identity moduIes.
• FIG.3 shows an exempIary fIow chart of the program executed by the mobiIe data service provider 10 and mobiIe device 20, through the communication network 50 for enabIing data connection in the mobiIe device 20.
• the serv er receiv e s a command to enabIe data connection in a mobiIe device 20.
• the command receiv ed by the server may hav e been initiated from sev eraI sources e.g. from the mobiIe device itseIf e.g. via a SMS- type of message or through a WiFi network/internet.
• the data connection is enabIed by remoteIy Ioading an IMSI, which has data service aIready enabIed in the mobiIe network, to SIM of a mobiIe device and force the mobiIe device to choose that IMSI as a new activ e IMSI.
• the IMSI being as an activ e IMSI on the SIM of the mobiIe device before new IMSI is Ioaded does not hav e data service enabIed in the mobiIe network.
• the mobiIe data service (server) 10 sends a mobiIe country code (MCC) query to mobiIe device 20.
• MCC mobiIe country code
• the query is sent by SMS-type of message to the Iast known mobiIe station network number (MSISDN).
• MSISDN Iast known mobiIe station network number
• the query is receiv ed in a mobiIe device, which Iistens avaiIabIe country (MCC) and network (MNC) codes of avaiIabIe networks and reports them back to the server at step 204 via an SMS-type of message or through any other avaiIabIe connection/network.
• the server receiv es the codes (MCC and MNC) and seIects IMSI which matches to the reported networks to be sent at step 106 to the mobiIe device 20.
• the mobiIe dev ice 20 receiv es the IMSI and stores it to the memory and/or SIM moduIe together with reIated network authentication keys which were sent as a part of the message at step 106.
• the mobiIe device sets the newIy receiv ed IMSI activ e on the SIM and connects with that IMSI and reIated network credentiaIs to the mobiIe network 50. As the new IMSI has data service enabIed on the mobiIe network side, the appIications of the mobiIe device have access to internet services.
• FIG. 4 shows an exempIary fIow chart of the program executed by the mobiIe data service provider 10 and mobiIe device 20, through the communication network 50 for disabIing data connection in the mobiIe device 20.
• the server receiv es a command to disabIe data connection in a mobiIe device 20.
• the command receiv ed by the server may hav e been initiated from sev eraI sources e.g. from the mobiIe device itseIf e.g. via a SMS- type of message or through a WiFi network/internet.
• the data connection is disabIed by sending a command to mobiIe device 20, which instructs the mobiIe device to seIect another IMSI as activ e IMSI, which does not hav e data service enabIed on the mobiIe network side. That IMSI may hav e been aIready stored in the SIM of the mobiIe device.
• the server sends a data service deactivation message to the Iast known mobiIe station network number (MSISDN).
• MSISDN Iast known mobiIe station network number
• the process for reporting an activ e mobiIe station network number (MSISDN) being Iinked to an activ e IMSI has been described in detaiIed in FIG 5.
• a singIe SIM may store sev eraI different IMSIs, which may be seIected automaticaIIy by the internaI Iogic of SIM based on mobiIe network conditions, a reporting process is needed. By having a reporting process in pIace, number of needed SMS-type of messages can be optimized, when the data service is switched off.
• the mobiIe device receiv es data service switch off command from the server which instructs mobiIe device 20 to choose so caIIed controI IMSI, which does not hav e data service enabIed on the network side, as a new activ e IMSI and sign with that IMSI and reIated credentiaIs to a mobiIe network 50.
• the mobiIe device receiv ed the data switch off command if the number (MSISDN), where server 10 sent the command was correct.
• the mobiIe device 20 If the number (MSISDN) wasn' t correct the mobiIe device 20 is not abIe to receiv e message from the server 10, switch to another IMSI as instructed by the server in the message and to report succeeded status back to the server at step 104. If the server 10, does not receiv e succeeded receipt back within a predefined time which usuaIIy matches to the aIiv e period of an SMS-type of message it caIIs again step 102 at step 103.
• step 105 the succeeded receipt is receiv ed at the serv er and the process to disabIe the data connection in a mobiIe terminaI is finished.
• FIG. 5 shows an exempIary fIow chart of the program executed by the mobiIe data service provider 10 and mobiIe device 20, through the communication network 50 for reporting the activ e IMSI to the serv er 10 by the mobiIe device 20 which was seIected automaticaIIy by a SIM of the mobiIe device according to its internaI Iogic.
• a mobiIe device 10 Iistens controI channeIs of a ceIIuIar network and receiv es mobiIe country codes (MCC) and network codes (MNC) of adjacent ceIIs.
• MCC ceIIuIar network
• MNC network codes
• mobiIe device 20 compares receiv ed country and network codes to IMSIs it is storing and recognizes whether new country (and network) codes were found from the network which are not matching to country (and network) codes of stored IMSIs. If a new country code was found from the network, at step 203, the mobiIe device 20 requests a new IMSI with that country code from the server 10.
• the server 10 receiv es the request from mobiIe station 20 and at step 105 tries to find free IMSIs from its' database with matching country (and network) codes to the request. If a free IMSI, which hasn't been aIIocated to any other mobiIe device was found, it is sent to the mobiIe device 20 together with reIated network keys.
• mobiIe device 20 receiv es the IMSI and stores it to the SIM.
• the mobiIe dev ice 20 seIects at step 208 a new IMSI aIready stored on SIM with MCC (and MNC) matching to the new network found.
• the mobiIe device 20 starts the countdown timer for reporting newIy seIected IMSI and reIated MSISDN back to the server at step 211. If the network is Iost before the timer has expired, at step 210, the timer is set to count from begin at step 208.
• the mobiIe device 20 reports the activ e IMSI back to the serv er 10, which updates its' database at step 212.
• the purpose of using timer before reporting automaticaIIy seIected IMSI by the mobiIe device 10 to the server 20, is to optimize / minimize the number of sent controI messages in a cIose border situations the service stiII being functioning perfectIy.
• FIG. 6 shows a process simiIar to steps 201 - 208 if GPS coordinates are used instead of receiving parameters from a mobiIe network. If GPS coordinates are used, the Iocation of a mobiIe device is reported to the serv er.
• the server 10 defines which mobiIe networks are avaiIabIe in a reported Iocation based on cov erage maps of mobiIe networks.
• a new optimum IMSI is seIected from sev eraI avaiIabIe IMSIs where the optimum means price, cov erage and avaiIabIe mobiIe services, but not necessariIy the same MCC and MNC parameters compared to the response receiv ed from the mobiIe terminaI 10.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Cited By (4)

Citations (6)

• 2013
  • 2013-05-16 WO PCT/FI2013/050535 patent/WO2013171380A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (6)

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