USRE45301E1 - Location management in a mobile telecommunication system - Google Patents

Location management in a mobile telecommunication system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
USRE45301E1
USRE45301E1 US10/827,698 US82769804A USRE45301E US RE45301 E1 USRE45301 E1 US RE45301E1 US 82769804 A US82769804 A US 82769804A US RE45301 E USRE45301 E US RE45301E
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
location
mobile station
area
radio access
access network
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US10/827,698
Inventor
Serge Haumont
Heikki Lindholm
Lauri Söderbacka
Juha Bäck
Juhapekka Niemi
Matti Keskinen
Jari Hartikainen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nokia Oyj
Original Assignee
Nokia Oyj
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nokia Oyj filed Critical Nokia Oyj
Priority to US10/827,698 priority Critical patent/USRE45301E1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of USRE45301E1 publication Critical patent/USRE45301E1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04WWIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W60/00Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04WWIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W68/00User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Definitions

  • This invention concerns location management in a mobile telecommunication system.
  • FIG. 1 shows a system in which one Radio Access Network RAN is connected to a plurality of Core Networks CN.
  • a Radio Access Network RAN is planned to be implemented in the Universal Mobile Telephony System UMTS currently being standardized by ETSI (European Telecommunication Standards Institute), for example.
  • the RAN provides the radio connection for the subscribers of a plurality of core networks and is therefore also called Generic RAN, i.e. GRAN.
  • GRAN Generic RAN
  • the services are provided by the core networks connected to the RAN using the I u interface.
  • the GSM, UMTS, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) core networks are shown.
  • the Mobile Station MS can make connections to the core networks using radio connections to the RAN.
  • the MS makes radio connections to the base stations of the radio access network.
  • the RAN routes the connections to the core network whose service the subscriber is currently using.
  • the geographical area served by a radio access network is divided into one or a plurality of Location Areas LA.
  • the location of a mobile station is tracked with an accuracy of one location area. Within the location area, the mobile station can move without informing the RAN about its movements.
  • the location area consists of one or a plurality of cells, a cell being the coverage area of a base station.
  • the base stations send information about themselves continuously. This information comprises the identity and the location area of the base station. Based on this information, the mobile station knows the location area it is visiting at all times. Additionally, the mobile knows the identity of the location area of its latest location update, i.e. its currently specified location area.
  • the mobile initiates a location update procedure. In the procedure, the mobile contacts the RAN to inform it of the new location area.
  • the size of the location areas is always selected as a compromise.
  • the moving mobile stations have to contact the network rather frequently to inform the network about their new location areas.
  • the frequent location updates reserve a lot of radio transmission capacity, which can then not be used for transmission of user information.
  • the mobile that is receiving a call has to be paged from a large area comprising lots of base stations thus reserving unnecessary amounts of transmission capacity. Therefore, the optimum size for a location area is a compromise depending on both the mobility of the subscribers and the amount of calls coming to the subscribers.
  • the location can be defined using different levels of accuracy.
  • a packet switched service such as GPRS in the standby state
  • the location is tracked with an accuracy of a smaller location area, i.e. a routing area.
  • This size of a routing area is smaller than the size of a location area, typically one or a few cells.
  • the service moves to the active state. For this, the mobile using the service is paged from the routing area. In the active state the location of the mobile is tracked with an accuracy of one cell.
  • the service returns to the standby state after a short delay.
  • the packet stream continues, the mobile is paged again from the routing area. The mobile has to be paged a plurality of times during one connection.
  • the number of pages made during a packet switched connection is generally much larger than the number of paging messages sent by the RAN when the mobile is in the idle state of a circuit switched connection. This is the reason for using smaller locations areas, i.e. routing areas, in packet switched services.
  • the location information is needed in the RAN in order to provide the radio connections for the services provided by the core networks.
  • the services offered by a core network may also depend on the location of the subscriber, i.e. the subscriber is offered different services in different service areas. Therefore, the location updates of the mobile subscriber have to be passed to the core network as well. This requires signaling and causes an unnecessary load on the I u interface.
  • the problem with the prior art is the handling of location information between the RAN and the core networks.
  • the objective of the present invention is to solve this problem. This objective is achieved using the method defined in the independent claim.
  • the basic idea of the present invention is that the definition of the location area used in the RAN is not necessarily the same as the specification of the reporting area used when reporting the location of the mobile to the core network.
  • the size of the location area is selected preferably by the RAN on the basis of the services used by the subscriber in order to optimize the use of radio resources.
  • a reporting area comprises one or a plurality of location areas.
  • the size of a reporting area is selected according to the extent of the accuracy of the location information needed in the core network.
  • the RAN informs the core network when a subscriber moves out of his current reporting area.
  • a service area is the location accuracy level needed for service management purposes in the core network. It is defined in the core network but is not necessarily known by the RAN. For example, the core network may require the subscriber to reauthenticate itself when entering into a new service area. Also the billing of services may differ from service area to service area.
  • a service area may comprise one or a plurality of reporting areas.
  • the reporting area can be defined as a location area of a specified accuracy level.
  • the reporting area can be equal to a service area, or some specifically specified area.
  • the service area configuration is known by the mobile station and the reporting area configuration is equal to the service area configuration.
  • the core network and the radio access network negotiate the size of the reporting area prior to the activation of the service.
  • the reporting areas can be renegotiated when the service is in the active state.
  • FIG. 1 shows a radio access network connected to a plurality of core networks
  • FIG. 2 shows location areas at three different location accuracy levels
  • FIG. 3 shows cells of a mobile telecommunication network belonging to three different location areas and two different reporting areas
  • FIG. 4 shows signaling between the mobile station, the radio access network and the core network.
  • FIG. 5 shows a service area, reporting areas, and location areas.
  • the concepts of location area i.e. the location information for the need of the radio access network, and the reporting area, i.e. the location information for the needs of a core network, are separately defined.
  • the optimal location area configuration of the RAN basically optimizes the usage of radio resources.
  • Core networks rely on the RAN for establishing and optimizing the radio connections.
  • the core networks need location information for their own needs.
  • An example of such need is the tracking service used to track the mobile accurately, e.g. on the accuracy level of one cell.
  • Another example is the Solsa (Support of Localised Service Area) service being currently specified by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). Therefore, the RAN provides the core network the location information of a mobile at the accuracy of reporting area specified by the core network. To be able to do this, the radio access network has to track the mobile at least at the accuracy level of one reporting area even if it does not optimize the usage of radio resources.
  • the optimum size for a location area i.e. the accuracy of location tracking, depends on the mobility of the subscriber and the amount of pages made per time unit. The amount of pages is strongly dependent on the service used. This is due to the different usage of radio resources for different services.
  • the RAN For circuit switched telephony services provided by the GSM core network, for example, the RAN has to page the mobile station from its location area relatively seldom, i.e. only when a mobile station in the idle state is receiving an incoming call. On the other hand, for packet switched services the paging occurs relatively often.
  • the RAN has preferably a plurality of location area levels.
  • An example of an arrangement utilizing a plurality of location accuracy levels is shown in FIG. 2 .
  • three levels are shown.
  • the lowest level L 1 corresponds to large location areas and thus to low accuracy in the tracking of the mobile station.
  • Mobiles at this level have to be paged from a large area, i.e. through a large number of base stations.
  • the subscriber may move around in a relatively large area without having to make a location update. Therefore, the RAN places mobiles that move fast or that are paged relatively seldom at this level.
  • the middle level L 2 has medium size location areas. Here, the mobiles have to be paged from a smaller area, but more location updates have to be performed compared to the location area level L 1 . This level is suitable for mobiles that are paged more often or that move less than the mobiles that are placed on level L 1 .
  • the highest level of accuracy in location tracking corresponds to very small location areas. These location areas may be composed of a single cell, for example. This level is used for services such as the packet switched services, in which a very high number of pages is needed or where the mobile for some other reason needs to be tracked very accurately.
  • An example of such services are tracking services with the basic objective of giving accurate information about the location of the mobile.
  • the reporting area is specified by the core network and the radio access network is thus informed.
  • the reporting area can alternatively be negotiated by the radio access network and the core network. It is preferable to make it possible to change the reporting area configuration when the service is in an activated state.
  • the mobile station MS which has been assigned the task of storing information about the service areas of the subscriber, of initiating a location update procedure when entering a new service area, and of instructing the radio access network to forward the new location information to the core network.
  • This situation occurs, for example, when the localized service area configuration of a Solsa subscriber is stored in the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card of the subscriber.
  • the service area configuration may be coded, e.g. by listing the cell identities of the cells belonging to the special service areas of the subscriber. Based on this information and the identity information sent by the base stations, the MS notices the change in a service area when entering a new one and initiates a location update.
  • the service area configuration may be coded as geographical coordinate information.
  • the mobile station has knowledge about its coordinates. This knowledge can be gathered e.g. by implementing a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver in the mobile station or using localizing methods of the mobile telecommunication system.
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • the mobile initiates a location update when the coordinate information shows that it has moved to a new service area.
  • the service area border is not necessarily the same as the location area border, and the service area may thus change within the location area of any location area level defined in the radio access network.
  • the mobile station also informs the network also when it moves to a new service area.
  • the RAN tracks the mobile both at the location accuracy level selected by the RAN and at the service area level defined by his subscription.
  • the subscriber thus has a personal location area configuration, the borders of his location areas being defined by the borders of the location areas of a location accuracy level and the borders of his personal service areas.
  • the MS instructs the RAN to report the new information about the location of the mobile to the core network. In this case, the reporting area equals the service area configuration known by the mobile station but not by the RAN.
  • the reporting area can be specified as the location area of a specified location accuracy level shown in FIG. 2 .
  • the core network signals to the RAN the location accuracy level to be used, and the RAN reports to the core network when the mobile moves from one location area of that accuracy level to another location area of the same accuracy level.
  • the core network can define the reporting areas so that a service area is composed of a plurality of reporting areas, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. This is preferably particularly when the reporting area is specified as a location area of a location accuracy level.
  • the reporting areas in the inner parts of the service area could be larger than the reporting areas in the border areas of two service areas. This is easily implemented by specifying the location areas of different location accuracy levels to be used as the reporting areas in different parts of the service area.
  • the CN can inform the RAN of its own service area configuration, and the RAN reports only the changes in service area, i.e. the reporting area equals the service area.
  • This embodiment requires a larger amount of signaling when specifying the reporting area configuration or when storing the service area configurations of all the core networks in the RAN.
  • the reporting area can also be defined using an arbitrary chosen area. The mapping between the location areas and the reporting areas may be stored in an external database. If the core network needs no information about the subscriber's location, the reporting area can be specified as comprising the whole coverage area of the RAN or by not requiring that a reporting area be specified. In this case, the location will never be reported to the core network.
  • the location area configuration is specified independently by the radio access network based on the optimization of radio resource usage and the size of the reporting areas specified.
  • the location area configuration optimizing the usage of radio resources for a subscriber may be specified with the help of the past behavior of the subscriber, i.e. the rate of location updates performed and the rate of pages made by the radio access network to locate the subscriber. If the size of the reporting area is smaller than the optimal size of a location area according to radio aspects, the location area is equal to the reporting area.
  • the radio access network tracks the mobile subscriber with an accuracy of one location area. Changes in the location area are not reported to the core network unless the reporting area changes simultaneously. This can be studied with reference to FIG. 3 .
  • a mobile subscriber moves from point A to point C via point B.
  • the area shown in the figure is divided into three location areas, LA 1 , LA 2 and LA 3 .
  • the location areas each comprise a plurality of cells.
  • the base station of the cell transmits the location area code(s) of the location area(s) the cell belongs to. If there is a plurality of location accuracy levels, the cells transmit the location area codes of all the location areas they belong to at the different accuracy levels.
  • the area is divided into two reporting areas, Reporting Area 1 and Reporting Area 2 .
  • the mapping of the cells to different reporting areas is only known by the RAN, and the reporting areas are the location areas of one location accuracy level, for example. However, it must be noted that the reporting areas may also be specified in some other way without losing the general applicability of this example.
  • the subscriber is registered in location area LA 2 comprising cells 21 , 22 , 23 , 26 and 27 shown in the figure using backward hatch.
  • the mobile station of the subscriber listens to the signals sent by the base stations of the RAN and knows the location area based on the Location Area Code LAC LAC 2 transmitted by the base station of cell 22 , the cell the mobile is currently visiting.
  • the mobile station of the subscriber determines this based on the location area code LAC 1 of the new cell 15 now having the strongest signal at the site of the mobile. Based on the observed change in the location area code, the mobile station initiates a location update procedure. In the procedure, the mobile station initiates a connection with the radio access network to inform it of its new location area. The radio access network, in turn, determines that both LA 1 and LA 2 belong to the same reporting area, and the reporting area of the mobile phone thus does not change. Therefore, the core network receives no report as to the new location of the subscriber.
  • the signal sent by the base station of cell 33 gets stronger than the signal sent by the base station of cell 15 . Therefore, his mobile starts to listen to and decode the signal of cell 33 .
  • Cell 33 belongs to location area LA 3 shown in the figure using vertical batch.
  • the location area code LAC 3 included in the signal indicates that the subscriber has again entered a new location area. Therefore, the mobile contacts the radio access network to inform it of the new location of the mobile subscriber.
  • the radio access network receives this information, and, on the basis of the reporting area configuration defined by the core network determines that the old location area LA 1 belongs to reporting area 1 and the new location area LA 3 belongs to another reporting area, reporting area 2 . Therefore, the radio access network sends the core network notification of the new location of the subscriber.
  • the core network In response to having received information about the new location of the subscriber, the core network updates this information into its memory. If the subscriber has rights to the same services in both the old and the new reporting areas, the core network returns the radio access network a message indicating that no changes in the services offered are to take place. If the rights differ, the radio access network is informed about the new rights such as limits as to the bit rates the subscriber may use.
  • FIG. 4 An exemplary signaling chart showing the signaling according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4 .
  • the signaling follows the example presented in FIG. 3 .
  • the procedure starts when the mobile station MS at point A of FIG. 3 requests a service provided by a core network by sending the message K 01 to the radio access network RAN.
  • the RAN forwards the request to the core network CN in the message K 02 .
  • the core network consults its subscriber database at stage K 03 to check whether the subscriber is entitled to the requested service.
  • the service is activated if the subscriber has rights to the service.
  • the core network determines the service parameters for the service, such as the reporting areas to be used, the rights of the subscriber, e.g. the Quality of Service QoS the subscriber is entitled to in his present reporting area, and the reporting type, as well as service characteristics.
  • the service characteristics are information concerning the service that the RAN is using to determine the optimal location area configuration from the point of view of radio efficiency.
  • the reporting can be either indicative or determining, for example.
  • Indicative reporting is used when the subscriber has the same rights in every reporting area, but the core network still wants to have some information about the location of the subscriber. Such reporting can be used for tracking services, for example.
  • the radio access network only informs the core network of the new reporting area of the subscriber.
  • determining reporting is used when the services the subscriber is entitled to depend on the reporting area of the subscriber. In this case, the radio access network has to wait for the new set of service parameters provided by the core network before accepting the subscriber's location update for a new reporting area.
  • the core network reports the reporting area and other parameters determined for the connection to the radio access network in the message K 04 .
  • the radio access network stores this information in its memory at stage K 05 .
  • the radio access network defines the level of location accuracy used for the subscriber.
  • the RAN defines identification LA 2 of the current location area of the subscriber, and reports the relevant information to the mobile station in message K 06 .
  • the mobile station can start using the services provided by the core network.
  • the mobile station After some time, the mobile station has moved to point B in FIG. 3 , i.e. from the first location area LA 2 to a second location area LA 1 .
  • the mobile station recognizes that the location area identification it was given is no longer found in the best signal at the site of the mobile station. Therefore, the mobile station initiates a location update procedure by sending the radio access network a location update message K 08 .
  • the RAN checks at stage K 09 the subscriber information stored in its memory. Based on the check the RAN determines that the new location area LA 2 of the mobile belongs to the same reporting area as the old location area LA 1 .
  • the location update will not be forwarded to the core network, but the RAN determines according to its own criteria, such as radio criteria, whether the location update should be accepted (ACC) or rejected (REJ). This information is then returned to the mobile station in the message K 10 to complete the location update procedure.
  • ACC accepted
  • REJ rejected
  • the mobile station moves on and arrives at point C in FIG. 3 . Again, it recognizes that it has entered a new location area at stage K 11 and sends the radio access network a location update message K 12 .
  • the RAN checks at stage K 13 the subscriber information stored in its memory. Based on the Information, the RAN determines that in addition to the location area, also the reporting area of the subscriber has changed. Thus, the RAN sends the core network a reporting area update message K 14 . If the reporting is defined as indicative, the radio access network will immediately send the mobile station the message K 18 concluding the location update procedure. If the reporting is defined as determining, the radio access network waits for a response from the core network.
  • the core network stores the new location information and checks the subscriber information of the subscriber at stage K 15 .
  • the subscriber may have different service parameters than it has in the old reporting area. For example, the subscriber may have rights for both speech and multimedia services in the old reporting area, but only for speech in the new reporting area. It is also possible that the subscriber has no rights to any service in the new reporting area. Additionally, the Quality of Service QoS the subscriber is entitled to may differ from reporting area to reporting area.
  • the core network may also request the mobile station to reauthenticate itself in connection with the service area update.
  • the core network Having defined the service parameters, the possible request of reauthentication procedure, etc., the core network sends this information to the radio access network in message K 16 .
  • the radio access network receives message K 16 and modifies the subscriber information of that subscriber in its memory at stage K 17 .
  • the radio access network then defines the identity of the new location area of the subscriber and sends this information to the mobile station together with other relevant information concerning the new reporting and location areas in message K 18 .
  • the radio access network must be adapted to
  • the RAN is in addition adapted to negotiate the size of the reporting area with the core network.
  • These arrangements may either all be centrally implemented in one network element or distributed over a plurality of network elements of the RAN.
  • the core network must be adapted to receive messages reporting the changes in the location of a mobile station with an accuracy of one reporting area and to define the current service area of the mobile station based on the reported location.
  • the core network is in addition preferably adapted to negotiate the size of the reporting area with the radio access network.
  • these arrangements may either all be centrally implemented in one network element or distributed over a plurality of network elements of the core network.
  • the accuracy of location information held in the core networks is optimized for the needs of the core network, which is independent of the needs of the radio access network. This reduces signaling over the I u interface and unnecessary control operations run in the core network.

Abstract

The basic idea of the invention is to separate the location area used in the RAN and the reporting area used when reporting the location of the mobile to the core network. The size of the location area is selected preferably in the RAN based on the services used by the subscriber to optimize the use of radio resources. A reporting area comprises one or a plurality of location areas. The size of a reporting area is selected based on the accuracy of location information needed in the core network. The RAN informs the core network when a subscriber moves out of his current location area. The core network and the radio access network negotiate the size of the reporting area prior to the activation of the service. Additionally, the reporting areas can be renegotiated when the service is in the active state.

Description

This is a continuation of Application No. PCT/F198/00971 filed Dec. 11, 1998.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns location management in a mobile telecommunication system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a system in which one Radio Access Network RAN is connected to a plurality of Core Networks CN. Such a RAN is planned to be implemented in the Universal Mobile Telephony System UMTS currently being standardized by ETSI (European Telecommunication Standards Institute), for example. The RAN provides the radio connection for the subscribers of a plurality of core networks and is therefore also called Generic RAN, i.e. GRAN. The services are provided by the core networks connected to the RAN using the Iu interface. In the figure, the GSM, UMTS, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) core networks are shown. The Mobile Station MS can make connections to the core networks using radio connections to the RAN. The MS makes radio connections to the base stations of the radio access network. The RAN routes the connections to the core network whose service the subscriber is currently using.
Information concerning the location of the mobile station is needed in the radio access network for routing incoming calls and other services provided by the core networks. For location management, the geographical area served by a radio access network is divided into one or a plurality of Location Areas LA. The location of a mobile station is tracked with an accuracy of one location area. Within the location area, the mobile station can move without informing the RAN about its movements. The location area consists of one or a plurality of cells, a cell being the coverage area of a base station. The base stations send information about themselves continuously. This information comprises the identity and the location area of the base station. Based on this information, the mobile station knows the location area it is visiting at all times. Additionally, the mobile knows the identity of the location area of its latest location update, i.e. its currently specified location area. When recognizing that the location area identification sent by the base station having the best signal is different from the location area of the mobile, the mobile initiates a location update procedure. In the procedure, the mobile contacts the RAN to inform it of the new location area.
The size of the location areas is always selected as a compromise. When using very small location areas, the moving mobile stations have to contact the network rather frequently to inform the network about their new location areas. The frequent location updates reserve a lot of radio transmission capacity, which can then not be used for transmission of user information. On the other hand, when using very large location areas, the mobile that is receiving a call has to be paged from a large area comprising lots of base stations thus reserving unnecessary amounts of transmission capacity. Therefore, the optimum size for a location area is a compromise depending on both the mobility of the subscribers and the amount of calls coming to the subscribers.
The location can be defined using different levels of accuracy. When using a packet switched service such as GPRS in the standby state, the location is tracked with an accuracy of a smaller location area, i.e. a routing area. This size of a routing area is smaller than the size of a location area, typically one or a few cells. When there are packets to be transferred, the service moves to the active state. For this, the mobile using the service is paged from the routing area. In the active state the location of the mobile is tracked with an accuracy of one cell. When there are no packets to be sent, the service returns to the standby state after a short delay. When the packet stream continues, the mobile is paged again from the routing area. The mobile has to be paged a plurality of times during one connection. Therefore, the number of pages made during a packet switched connection is generally much larger than the number of paging messages sent by the RAN when the mobile is in the idle state of a circuit switched connection. This is the reason for using smaller locations areas, i.e. routing areas, in packet switched services.
The location information is needed in the RAN in order to provide the radio connections for the services provided by the core networks. Hence, in a system shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to store the location information in the RAN. The services offered by a core network may also depend on the location of the subscriber, i.e. the subscriber is offered different services in different service areas. Therefore, the location updates of the mobile subscriber have to be passed to the core network as well. This requires signaling and causes an unnecessary load on the Iu interface.
The problem with the prior art is the handling of location information between the RAN and the core networks. The objective of the present invention is to solve this problem. This objective is achieved using the method defined in the independent claim.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The basic idea of the present invention is that the definition of the location area used in the RAN is not necessarily the same as the specification of the reporting area used when reporting the location of the mobile to the core network.
The size of the location area is selected preferably by the RAN on the basis of the services used by the subscriber in order to optimize the use of radio resources. Preferably, there is a plurality of location accuracy levels, each having location areas of different sizes.
A reporting area comprises one or a plurality of location areas. The size of a reporting area is selected according to the extent of the accuracy of the location information needed in the core network. The RAN informs the core network when a subscriber moves out of his current reporting area.
A service area is the location accuracy level needed for service management purposes in the core network. It is defined in the core network but is not necessarily known by the RAN. For example, the core network may require the subscriber to reauthenticate itself when entering into a new service area. Also the billing of services may differ from service area to service area. A service area may comprise one or a plurality of reporting areas.
If the RAN uses a location area configuration comprising a plurality of location accuracy levels, the reporting area can be defined as a location area of a specified accuracy level. Alternatively, the reporting area can be equal to a service area, or some specifically specified area. In one embodiment, the service area configuration is known by the mobile station and the reporting area configuration is equal to the service area configuration.
According to one embodiment, the core network and the radio access network negotiate the size of the reporting area prior to the activation of the service. In addition, the reporting areas can be renegotiated when the service is in the active state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The invention is described more closely with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which
FIG. 1 shows a radio access network connected to a plurality of core networks;
FIG. 2 shows location areas at three different location accuracy levels;
FIG. 3 shows cells of a mobile telecommunication network belonging to three different location areas and two different reporting areas; and
FIG. 4 shows signaling between the mobile station, the radio access network and the core network.
FIG. 5 shows a service area, reporting areas, and location areas.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, the concepts of location area, i.e. the location information for the need of the radio access network, and the reporting area, i.e. the location information for the needs of a core network, are separately defined.
The optimal location area configuration of the RAN basically optimizes the usage of radio resources. Core networks rely on the RAN for establishing and optimizing the radio connections. However, also the core networks need location information for their own needs. An example of such need is the tracking service used to track the mobile accurately, e.g. on the accuracy level of one cell. Another example is the Solsa (Support of Localised Service Area) service being currently specified by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). Therefore, the RAN provides the core network the location information of a mobile at the accuracy of reporting area specified by the core network. To be able to do this, the radio access network has to track the mobile at least at the accuracy level of one reporting area even if it does not optimize the usage of radio resources.
The optimum size for a location area, i.e. the accuracy of location tracking, depends on the mobility of the subscriber and the amount of pages made per time unit. The amount of pages is strongly dependent on the service used. This is due to the different usage of radio resources for different services. For circuit switched telephony services provided by the GSM core network, for example, the RAN has to page the mobile station from its location area relatively seldom, i.e. only when a mobile station in the idle state is receiving an incoming call. On the other hand, for packet switched services the paging occurs relatively often.
For the above-mentioned reason, the RAN has preferably a plurality of location area levels. An example of an arrangement utilizing a plurality of location accuracy levels is shown in FIG. 2. In the figure, three levels are shown. The lowest level L1 corresponds to large location areas and thus to low accuracy in the tracking of the mobile station. Mobiles at this level have to be paged from a large area, i.e. through a large number of base stations. On the other hand, the subscriber may move around in a relatively large area without having to make a location update. Therefore, the RAN places mobiles that move fast or that are paged relatively seldom at this level.
The middle level L2 has medium size location areas. Here, the mobiles have to be paged from a smaller area, but more location updates have to be performed compared to the location area level L1. This level is suitable for mobiles that are paged more often or that move less than the mobiles that are placed on level L1.
The highest level of accuracy in location tracking corresponds to very small location areas. These location areas may be composed of a single cell, for example. This level is used for services such as the packet switched services, in which a very high number of pages is needed or where the mobile for some other reason needs to be tracked very accurately. An example of such services are tracking services with the basic objective of giving accurate information about the location of the mobile.
The reporting area is specified by the core network and the radio access network is thus informed. The reporting area can alternatively be negotiated by the radio access network and the core network. It is preferable to make it possible to change the reporting area configuration when the service is in an activated state.
According to one embodiment, of the service area configuration is known by the mobile station MS which has been assigned the task of storing information about the service areas of the subscriber, of initiating a location update procedure when entering a new service area, and of instructing the radio access network to forward the new location information to the core network. This situation occurs, for example, when the localized service area configuration of a Solsa subscriber is stored in the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card of the subscriber. The service area configuration may be coded, e.g. by listing the cell identities of the cells belonging to the special service areas of the subscriber. Based on this information and the identity information sent by the base stations, the MS notices the change in a service area when entering a new one and initiates a location update. As an alternative implementation the service area configuration may be coded as geographical coordinate information. In this case the mobile station has knowledge about its coordinates. This knowledge can be gathered e.g. by implementing a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver in the mobile station or using localizing methods of the mobile telecommunication system. In this implementation the mobile initiates a location update when the coordinate information shows that it has moved to a new service area.
It is to be noted that in this embodiment the service area border is not necessarily the same as the location area border, and the service area may thus change within the location area of any location area level defined in the radio access network. However, the mobile station also informs the network also when it moves to a new service area. Thus the RAN tracks the mobile both at the location accuracy level selected by the RAN and at the service area level defined by his subscription. The subscriber thus has a personal location area configuration, the borders of his location areas being defined by the borders of the location areas of a location accuracy level and the borders of his personal service areas. In the context of the location update procedure, the MS instructs the RAN to report the new information about the location of the mobile to the core network. In this case, the reporting area equals the service area configuration known by the mobile station but not by the RAN.
In the following, we shall study embodiments in which the service area configuration is known by the core network. The reporting area can be specified as the location area of a specified location accuracy level shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the core network signals to the RAN the location accuracy level to be used, and the RAN reports to the core network when the mobile moves from one location area of that accuracy level to another location area of the same accuracy level. The core network can define the reporting areas so that a service area is composed of a plurality of reporting areas, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. This is preferably particularly when the reporting area is specified as a location area of a location accuracy level. In this embodiment, the reporting areas in the inner parts of the service area could be larger than the reporting areas in the border areas of two service areas. This is easily implemented by specifying the location areas of different location accuracy levels to be used as the reporting areas in different parts of the service area.
Alternatively, the CN can inform the RAN of its own service area configuration, and the RAN reports only the changes in service area, i.e. the reporting area equals the service area. This embodiment requires a larger amount of signaling when specifying the reporting area configuration or when storing the service area configurations of all the core networks in the RAN. The reporting area can also be defined using an arbitrary chosen area. The mapping between the location areas and the reporting areas may be stored in an external database. If the core network needs no information about the subscriber's location, the reporting area can be specified as comprising the whole coverage area of the RAN or by not requiring that a reporting area be specified. In this case, the location will never be reported to the core network.
The location area configuration is specified independently by the radio access network based on the optimization of radio resource usage and the size of the reporting areas specified. The location area configuration optimizing the usage of radio resources for a subscriber may be specified with the help of the past behavior of the subscriber, i.e. the rate of location updates performed and the rate of pages made by the radio access network to locate the subscriber. If the size of the reporting area is smaller than the optimal size of a location area according to radio aspects, the location area is equal to the reporting area.
According to the invention, the radio access network tracks the mobile subscriber with an accuracy of one location area. Changes in the location area are not reported to the core network unless the reporting area changes simultaneously. This can be studied with reference to FIG. 3.
In the figure, a mobile subscriber moves from point A to point C via point B. On the location accuracy level used for this specific mobile, the area shown in the figure is divided into three location areas, LA1, LA2 and LA3. The location areas each comprise a plurality of cells. For each cell, the base station of the cell transmits the location area code(s) of the location area(s) the cell belongs to. If there is a plurality of location accuracy levels, the cells transmit the location area codes of all the location areas they belong to at the different accuracy levels. In addition to the location area configuration, the area is divided into two reporting areas, Reporting Area 1 and Reporting Area 2. The mapping of the cells to different reporting areas is only known by the RAN, and the reporting areas are the location areas of one location accuracy level, for example. However, it must be noted that the reporting areas may also be specified in some other way without losing the general applicability of this example.
In point A, the subscriber is registered in location area LA2 comprising cells 21,22,23,26 and 27 shown in the figure using backward hatch. The mobile station of the subscriber listens to the signals sent by the base stations of the RAN and knows the location area based on the Location Area Code LAC LAC2 transmitted by the base station of cell 22, the cell the mobile is currently visiting.
As the subscriber moves onward, he passes point B belonging to another location area LA1 shown in the figure using a forward hatch. The mobile station of the subscriber determines this based on the location area code LAC1 of the new cell 15 now having the strongest signal at the site of the mobile. Based on the observed change in the location area code, the mobile station initiates a location update procedure. In the procedure, the mobile station initiates a connection with the radio access network to inform it of its new location area. The radio access network, in turn, determines that both LA1 and LA2 belong to the same reporting area, and the reporting area of the mobile phone thus does not change. Therefore, the core network receives no report as to the new location of the subscriber.
As the subscriber moves onward to point C, the signal sent by the base station of cell 33 gets stronger than the signal sent by the base station of cell 15. Therefore, his mobile starts to listen to and decode the signal of cell 33. Cell 33 belongs to location area LA3 shown in the figure using vertical batch. The location area code LAC3 included in the signal indicates that the subscriber has again entered a new location area. Therefore, the mobile contacts the radio access network to inform it of the new location of the mobile subscriber. The radio access network receives this information, and, on the basis of the reporting area configuration defined by the core network determines that the old location area LA1 belongs to reporting area 1 and the new location area LA3 belongs to another reporting area, reporting area 2. Therefore, the radio access network sends the core network notification of the new location of the subscriber.
In response to having received information about the new location of the subscriber, the core network updates this information into its memory. If the subscriber has rights to the same services in both the old and the new reporting areas, the core network returns the radio access network a message indicating that no changes in the services offered are to take place. If the rights differ, the radio access network is informed about the new rights such as limits as to the bit rates the subscriber may use.
We shall next study what kind of information is transferred in the location and reporting area updates. An exemplary signaling chart showing the signaling according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4. The signaling follows the example presented in FIG. 3.
The procedure starts when the mobile station MS at point A of FIG. 3 requests a service provided by a core network by sending the message K01 to the radio access network RAN. The RAN forwards the request to the core network CN in the message K02. The core network consults its subscriber database at stage K03 to check whether the subscriber is entitled to the requested service. The service is activated if the subscriber has rights to the service. In addition, the core network determines the service parameters for the service, such as the reporting areas to be used, the rights of the subscriber, e.g. the Quality of Service QoS the subscriber is entitled to in his present reporting area, and the reporting type, as well as service characteristics. The service characteristics are information concerning the service that the RAN is using to determine the optimal location area configuration from the point of view of radio efficiency.
The reporting can be either indicative or determining, for example. Indicative reporting is used when the subscriber has the same rights in every reporting area, but the core network still wants to have some information about the location of the subscriber. Such reporting can be used for tracking services, for example. In the case of indicative reporting, the radio access network only informs the core network of the new reporting area of the subscriber. On the other hand, determining reporting is used when the services the subscriber is entitled to depend on the reporting area of the subscriber. In this case, the radio access network has to wait for the new set of service parameters provided by the core network before accepting the subscriber's location update for a new reporting area.
The core network reports the reporting area and other parameters determined for the connection to the radio access network in the message K04. The radio access network stores this information in its memory at stage K05. Based on the characteristics of the: activated service (or services), the reporting area defined by the core network (or core networks), and possibly the past behavior of the subscriber, the radio access network defines the level of location accuracy used for the subscriber. The RAN defines identification LA2 of the current location area of the subscriber, and reports the relevant information to the mobile station in message K06. At this stage, the mobile station can start using the services provided by the core network.
After some time, the mobile station has moved to point B in FIG. 3, i.e. from the first location area LA2 to a second location area LA1. The mobile station recognizes that the location area identification it was given is no longer found in the best signal at the site of the mobile station. Therefore, the mobile station initiates a location update procedure by sending the radio access network a location update message K08. In response to having received the message, the RAN checks at stage K09 the subscriber information stored in its memory. Based on the check the RAN determines that the new location area LA2 of the mobile belongs to the same reporting area as the old location area LA1. Therefore, the location update will not be forwarded to the core network, but the RAN determines according to its own criteria, such as radio criteria, whether the location update should be accepted (ACC) or rejected (REJ). This information is then returned to the mobile station in the message K10 to complete the location update procedure.
The mobile station moves on and arrives at point C in FIG. 3. Again, it recognizes that it has entered a new location area at stage K11 and sends the radio access network a location update message K12. In response to having received the message, the RAN checks at stage K13 the subscriber information stored in its memory. Based on the Information, the RAN determines that in addition to the location area, also the reporting area of the subscriber has changed. Thus, the RAN sends the core network a reporting area update message K14. If the reporting is defined as indicative, the radio access network will immediately send the mobile station the message K18 concluding the location update procedure. If the reporting is defined as determining, the radio access network waits for a response from the core network.
In response to having received the message K14, the core network stores the new location information and checks the subscriber information of the subscriber at stage K15. In the new reporting area, the subscriber may have different service parameters than it has in the old reporting area. For example, the subscriber may have rights for both speech and multimedia services in the old reporting area, but only for speech in the new reporting area. It is also possible that the subscriber has no rights to any service in the new reporting area. Additionally, the Quality of Service QoS the subscriber is entitled to may differ from reporting area to reporting area. The core network may also request the mobile station to reauthenticate itself in connection with the service area update.
Having defined the service parameters, the possible request of reauthentication procedure, etc., the core network sends this information to the radio access network in message K16.
The radio access network receives message K16 and modifies the subscriber information of that subscriber in its memory at stage K17. The radio access network then defines the identity of the new location area of the subscriber and sends this information to the mobile station together with other relevant information concerning the new reporting and location areas in message K18.
To implement the invention, the radio access network must be adapted to
    • store information concerning a plurality of location areas and a reporting area comprising at least one location area,
    • tracking the mobile station :with an accuracy of one location area, and
    • reporting to the core network the changes in location with an accuracy of one reporting area.
Preferably, the RAN is in addition adapted to negotiate the size of the reporting area with the core network. These arrangements may either all be centrally implemented in one network element or distributed over a plurality of network elements of the RAN.
The core network, on the other hand, must be adapted to receive messages reporting the changes in the location of a mobile station with an accuracy of one reporting area and to define the current service area of the mobile station based on the reported location. The core network is in addition preferably adapted to negotiate the size of the reporting area with the radio access network. As for the RAN, these arrangements may either all be centrally implemented in one network element or distributed over a plurality of network elements of the core network.
As an advantage of this invention, the accuracy of location information held in the core networks is optimized for the needs of the core network, which is independent of the needs of the radio access network. This reduces signaling over the Iu interface and unnecessary control operations run in the core network.

Claims (24)

What is claimed is:
1. A method of location management in a mobile telecommunication system comprising mobile stations, at least one core network providing telecommunication services, and a radio access network providing connections between the mobile stations and the core network, and in which system information concerning the location of the mobile station is stored in the radio access network, comprising
tracking in the radio access network of the location of the mobile station to the accuracy of a location area,
determining in the core network a reporting area comprising at least one location area,
informing the radio access network by the core network of the reporting area determined,
receiving at the radio access network a location update from the mobile station,
determining by the radio access network based on the location update whether or not the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area, and
sending by the radio access network to the core network a report if the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area.
2. The method according to claim 1, A method of location management in a mobile telecommunication system comprising mobile stations, at least one core network providing telecommunication services, and a radio access network providing connections between the mobile stations and the core network, and in which system information concerning the location of the mobile station is stored in the radio access network, comprising
tracking in the radio access network of the location of the mobile station to an accuracy of a location area,
determining in the core network a reporting area comprising at least one location area,
informing the radio access network by the core network of the reporting area determined,
receiving at the radio access network a location update from the mobile station,
determining by the radio access network based on the location update whether or not the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area,
sending by the radio access network to the core network a report if the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area; and
not sending the core network said report if the mobile station has not moved out of the reporting area,
wherein a plurality of location accuracy levels is defined, each location accuracy level having location areas of different sizes, and the radio access network selects one of these accuracy levels to be used for tracking the mobile station.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the reporting area is a location area of one location accuracy level.
4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the radio access network selects the location accuracy level based on the services currently used by a subscriber using the mobile station.
5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the radio access network selects the location accuracy level based on service parameters given by the core network.
6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the radio access network selects the location accuracy level based on the past behavior of a subscriber using the mobile station.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the behavior of the subscriber is determined based on the number of pages that the radio access network has performed to locate the mobile station and the number of location updates that the mobile station has performed.
8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the radio access network informs the mobile station of the location accuracy level to be used when tracking the mobile station.
9. The method according to claim 1 2, wherein the core network requests that a mobile station reauthenticates itself when the mobile station moves to a new reporting area.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile station is entitled to different services in different reporting areas.
11. The method according to claim 1 2, wherein the mobile station is entitled to different qualities of service in different reporting areas.
12. The method according to claim 1 2, wherein the core network and the radio access network negotiate the size of the reporting area to be used.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the negotiation takes place when the service is activated.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the negotiation takes place when the service is in an activated state.
15. The method according to claim 1 2, wherein the service parameters for different service areas for the services a subscriber using the mobile station has subscribed to are specified and stored in the core network,
the mobile station initiates a location update process when entering into a new reporting area,
in response to having received the location update, the radio access network forwards the new location information of the mobile station to the core network,
the core network receives the new location information and defines a new service area for the subscriber, checks the service parameters of services the subscriber is entitled to in the new service area, and sends the radio access network information about the new service parameters,
the radio access network receives the information about the new service parameters and completes the location update process by sending the mobile station a response.
16. The method according to claim 1, wherein information about reporting area configuration is stored in the mobile station, and when entering a new service area, the mobile station initiates a location update process, instructing the radio access network to forward the new location information to the core network, and
the radio access network forwards the location information to the core network.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the information about the service area configuration is given as a list of cells.
18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the information about the reporting area configuration is given as coordinates of the reporting area and the mobile station observes its coordinates and initiates a location update when entering into a new reporting area.
19. The radio access network for a mobile telecommunication system comprising mobile stations, at least one core network providing telecommunication services, and a radio access network, providing connections between the mobile stations and the core network, and in which system information concerning the location of the mobile station is stored in the radio access network, the radio access network adapted to
use a location area configuration to track the location of the mobile station on the accuracy of one location area,
receive information on a reporting area determined by the core network,
receive a location update from the mobile station,
determine, based on the location update, whether or not the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area, and
send the core network a report if the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area.
20. The network element for a radio access network of a mobile telecommunication system comprising mobile stations, at least one core network providing telecommunication services, and a radio access network providing connections between the mobile stations and the core network, and in which system information concerning the location of the mobile station is stored in the radio access network, the network element adapted to
use a location area configuration to track the location of the mobile station on the accuracy of one location area,
receive information on a reporting area determined by the core network,
receive a location update from the mobile station,
determine, based on the location update, whether or not the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area, and
send the core network a report if the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area.
21. The core network for a mobile telecommunication system comprising mobile stations, at least one core network providing connections between the mobile stations and the core network, and in which system information concerning the location of the mobile station is stored in a radio access network, and the radio access network uses a location area configuration to track the location of the mobile station on the accuracy of one location area, the core network adapted to
determine a service area comprising at least one location area,
inform the radio access network of the reporting area determined, and to
receive a report from the radio access network when the mobile station has moved out of the reporting area.
22. A method, comprising: tracking a location of a mobile station in a radio access network with an accuracy of a location area, the radio access network providing connections between mobile stations and a core network providing services to the mobile stations;
determining a reporting area comprising at least one location area;
determining a change in the location of the mobile station when the mobile station moves from a first location area to a second location area;
reporting to the core network the change in the location of the mobile station only when the mobile station also moves from a first reporting area to a second reporting area; and
not reporting to the core network the change in the location of the mobile station when the mobile station has not moved from the first reporting area to the second reporting area,
wherein the core network requests that a mobile station authenticates itself when the mobile station moves to a new reporting area.
23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the mobile station is entitled to different qualities of service in different reporting areas.
24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the core network and the radio access network negotiate the size of the reporting area to be used.
US10/827,698 1997-12-12 2004-04-20 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system Expired - Lifetime USRE45301E1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10/827,698 USRE45301E1 (en) 1997-12-12 2004-04-20 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FI974502 1997-12-12
FI974502A FI105763B (en) 1997-12-12 1997-12-12 Mobility management in a mobile telecommunication system
PCT/FI1998/000971 WO1999031917A2 (en) 1997-12-12 1998-12-11 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system
US09/591,679 US6584314B1 (en) 1997-12-12 2000-06-09 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system
US10/827,698 USRE45301E1 (en) 1997-12-12 2004-04-20 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US09/591,679 Reissue US6584314B1 (en) 1997-12-12 2000-06-09 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
USRE45301E1 true USRE45301E1 (en) 2014-12-23

Family

ID=8550117

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US09/591,679 Ceased US6584314B1 (en) 1997-12-12 2000-06-09 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system
US10/827,698 Expired - Lifetime USRE45301E1 (en) 1997-12-12 2004-04-20 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US09/591,679 Ceased US6584314B1 (en) 1997-12-12 2000-06-09 Location management in a mobile telecommunication system

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (2) US6584314B1 (en)
EP (1) EP1046316B1 (en)
JP (1) JP4037056B2 (en)
AT (1) ATE456275T1 (en)
AU (1) AU1565099A (en)
CA (1) CA2315823C (en)
DE (1) DE69841464D1 (en)
FI (1) FI105763B (en)
WO (1) WO1999031917A2 (en)

Families Citing this family (43)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7013133B2 (en) * 2001-12-21 2006-03-14 Intel Corporation Portable communication device that may permit one wireless network to communicate with another wireless networks and method therefor
FI105763B (en) * 1997-12-12 2000-09-29 Nokia Networks Oy Mobility management in a mobile telecommunication system
EP0969645B1 (en) * 1998-07-03 2005-10-05 Alcatel A method to provide a service, a service provider realizing such a method and a universal personal telecommunication network including such a service provider
US6519248B1 (en) * 1998-07-24 2003-02-11 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) Packet data network having distributed database
GB9915301D0 (en) 1999-06-30 1999-09-01 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Service management
US6741868B1 (en) * 1999-07-30 2004-05-25 Curitell Communications Inc. Method and apparatus for interfacing among mobile terminal, base station and core network in mobile telecommunications system
GB9919853D0 (en) * 1999-08-20 1999-10-27 Lucent Technologies Inc Parallel core networks for gsm/umts
US6950419B1 (en) * 1999-10-28 2005-09-27 Utstarcom, Inc. Method for interfacing asynchronous mobile communication system with at least one core network
US7359938B1 (en) 1999-12-14 2008-04-15 Nortel Networks Limited System indicating the presence of an individual or group of individuals
US6807423B1 (en) * 1999-12-14 2004-10-19 Nortel Networks Limited Communication and presence spanning multiple access networks
US7603411B1 (en) 1999-12-14 2009-10-13 Nortel Networks Limited Presence management system
WO2002001902A1 (en) * 2000-06-29 2002-01-03 Nokia Corporation Operator forced inter-system handover
FR2811192B1 (en) * 2000-06-30 2003-01-17 Cit Alcatel METHOD FOR MANAGING THE OPERATION OF A MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK TERMINAL AS A FUNCTION OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF THIS TERMINAL
US6701153B1 (en) * 2000-07-28 2004-03-02 Lucent Technologies Inc. Methods and systems for determining the location of mobiles in a UMTS telecommunications system
US7162474B1 (en) 2001-05-10 2007-01-09 Nortel Networks Limited Recipient controlled contact directories
GB0116903D0 (en) * 2001-07-11 2001-09-05 Koninkl Philips Electronics Nv System and method for mobile communications terminal positioning
US7076258B2 (en) 2001-09-10 2006-07-11 Ntt Docomo, Inc. Location registration method and paging method in mobile communication system, mobile communication system, base station, communication control method, mobile station, and communication control program
US8817757B2 (en) * 2001-12-12 2014-08-26 At&T Intellectual Property Ii, L.P. Zero-configuration secure mobility networking technique with web-based authentication interface for large WLAN networks
US9635540B2 (en) * 2002-03-25 2017-04-25 Jeffrey D. Mullen Systems and methods for locating cellular phones and security measures for the same
US7305483B2 (en) * 2002-04-25 2007-12-04 Yahoo! Inc. Method for the real-time distribution of streaming data on a network
EP1372349A1 (en) * 2002-06-11 2003-12-17 Alcatel Radio access network architecture and paging method
JP4216115B2 (en) * 2003-05-07 2009-01-28 株式会社エヌ・ティ・ティ・ドコモ Mobile communication network system, mobile terminal and paging method
US7623504B2 (en) * 2003-05-23 2009-11-24 Nokia Corporation Wireless data communications
US7561879B2 (en) * 2003-10-07 2009-07-14 Motorola, Inc. Wireless access network sharing among core networks and methods
US20050090251A1 (en) 2003-10-07 2005-04-28 Ravi Kuchibhotla Apparatus and method for shared network
CN1270577C (en) 2003-12-22 2006-08-16 华为技术有限公司 A processing method for location reporting of target subscriber equipment
BRPI0508406A8 (en) * 2004-03-04 2018-04-03 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATING MODE OF A MAC LAYER IN A BROADBAND WIRELESS ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
FR2873886B1 (en) * 2004-07-29 2006-09-22 Cit Alcatel METHOD FOR LEARNING CONFIGURATION OF LOCATION STRUCTURES IN A CELLULAR SYSTEM OF MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
GB0521269D0 (en) * 2005-10-19 2005-11-30 Vodafone Plc Identifying communications between telecommunications networks
DE102006021342A1 (en) * 2006-05-05 2007-11-08 T-Mobile International Ag & Co. Kg Method for reducing the initial delay time in network initiated data transmissions in mobile networks
EP1981300B1 (en) * 2007-04-12 2012-07-25 Alcatel Lucent A method for mobility management in a system architecture supporting mobility between different access systems
US20110280179A1 (en) 2007-08-21 2011-11-17 Joachim Sachs Method And Apparatus For Access Selection In A Communication Network
US8797209B2 (en) * 2007-09-11 2014-08-05 Qualcomm Incorporated Optimized ordering of assistance data in a mobile radio network
US8798613B2 (en) 2007-09-17 2014-08-05 Wavemarket, Inc. Systems and method for triggering location based voice and/or data communications to or from mobile ratio terminals
JP5177498B2 (en) * 2007-12-10 2013-04-03 日本電気株式会社 Mobile communication control method and system
US8787171B2 (en) 2008-04-07 2014-07-22 Wavemarket, Inc. Efficient collection of wireless transmitter characteristics
CN101605338B (en) 2008-06-11 2011-04-13 华为技术有限公司 Method and device for monitoring position
US8494551B2 (en) * 2009-05-11 2013-07-23 Sierra Wireless Inc. Method and system for performing position updates in a wireless communication system
CN101990299A (en) * 2009-08-07 2011-03-23 中兴通讯股份有限公司 Method and device for positioning terminal by using base station
US8447326B2 (en) * 2010-04-07 2013-05-21 Apple Inc. Selective location determination
CN107071725B (en) 2010-10-27 2020-12-25 瑞典爱立信有限公司 Method, network entity, mobile terminal and medium for cellular network services
WO2018036614A1 (en) * 2016-08-23 2018-03-01 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Location tracking
CN109547932B (en) * 2017-08-15 2023-05-16 华为技术有限公司 Communication method and device

Citations (24)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5305466A (en) 1990-02-20 1994-04-19 Nec Corporation Location registration and paging procedure for mobile communication
WO1995011577A1 (en) 1993-10-20 1995-04-27 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating in a cellular radio network
WO1995028063A2 (en) 1994-04-08 1995-10-19 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating for a packet-switched data service in a mobile communication system
WO1996007277A2 (en) 1994-08-23 1996-03-07 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating in a mobile communication system
US5548816A (en) 1993-11-16 1996-08-20 Astronet Method and system for locating mobile units in a cellular telephone system by use of virtual location areas
US5568153A (en) * 1995-05-30 1996-10-22 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson Individually defined personal home area for subscribers in a cellular telecommunications network
JPH0951570A (en) 1995-08-04 1997-02-18 N T T Ido Tsushinmo Kk Mobile communication system
WO1997013387A1 (en) 1995-10-05 1997-04-10 Telia Ab Identification of home area in a mobile telecommunication system
EP0808036A2 (en) 1996-05-16 1997-11-19 Trw Inc. Satellite-based cellular telecommunications system utilizing a multiple registration location register
US5722077A (en) * 1995-03-22 1998-02-24 Nec Corporation Mobile communication system capable of effectively using a radio communication channel
WO1998037722A1 (en) 1997-02-20 1998-08-27 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) Restricted mobility area
WO1998037721A2 (en) 1997-02-19 1998-08-27 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Cellular radio access network and location updating in a cordless communications system
US5835061A (en) * 1995-06-06 1998-11-10 Wayport, Inc. Method and apparatus for geographic-based communications service
US5875400A (en) * 1995-04-18 1999-02-23 Northern Telecom Limited Cellular mobile communications system
US5884175A (en) * 1996-05-03 1999-03-16 Hewlett-Packard Company Handover following in a mobile radio system
US5907802A (en) * 1996-12-31 1999-05-25 Mci Communications Corporation System and method for cellular reseller control of inbound calls to a mobile station
US5960345A (en) * 1992-11-30 1999-09-28 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating in a cellular radio system
US6038445A (en) * 1996-08-19 2000-03-14 Ericsson Inc. Providing service area dependent subscriber data within a mobile telecommunications network
US6078575A (en) * 1996-10-01 2000-06-20 Lucent Technologies Inc. Mobile location management in ATM networks
US6157833A (en) * 1997-11-14 2000-12-05 Motorola, Inc. Method for reducing status reporting in a wireless communication systems
US6181940B1 (en) * 1998-02-10 2001-01-30 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) Methods and apparatus for location area scheme negotiation in communications systems
US6185421B1 (en) * 1998-07-09 2001-02-06 Ericsson Inc. System, apparatus and method for paging optimization using sub-location areas
US6275706B1 (en) * 1998-11-09 2001-08-14 Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson Mobile telecommunications network and method for implementing and identifying hierarchical overlapping radio coverage areas
US6584314B1 (en) * 1997-12-12 2003-06-24 Nokia Corporation Location management in a mobile telecommunication system

Patent Citations (28)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5305466A (en) 1990-02-20 1994-04-19 Nec Corporation Location registration and paging procedure for mobile communication
US5960345A (en) * 1992-11-30 1999-09-28 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating in a cellular radio system
WO1995011577A1 (en) 1993-10-20 1995-04-27 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating in a cellular radio network
US5548816A (en) 1993-11-16 1996-08-20 Astronet Method and system for locating mobile units in a cellular telephone system by use of virtual location areas
WO1995028063A2 (en) 1994-04-08 1995-10-19 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating for a packet-switched data service in a mobile communication system
US5889770A (en) * 1994-04-08 1999-03-30 Nokia Telecommunicaitons Oy Location updating for a packet-switched data service in a mobile communciation system
WO1996007277A2 (en) 1994-08-23 1996-03-07 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Location updating in a mobile communication system
US5722077A (en) * 1995-03-22 1998-02-24 Nec Corporation Mobile communication system capable of effectively using a radio communication channel
US5875400A (en) * 1995-04-18 1999-02-23 Northern Telecom Limited Cellular mobile communications system
US5568153A (en) * 1995-05-30 1996-10-22 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson Individually defined personal home area for subscribers in a cellular telecommunications network
WO1996039000A1 (en) 1995-05-30 1996-12-05 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) Individually defined personal home area for subscribers in a cellular telecommunications network
US5835061A (en) * 1995-06-06 1998-11-10 Wayport, Inc. Method and apparatus for geographic-based communications service
JPH0951570A (en) 1995-08-04 1997-02-18 N T T Ido Tsushinmo Kk Mobile communication system
WO1997013387A1 (en) 1995-10-05 1997-04-10 Telia Ab Identification of home area in a mobile telecommunication system
US5884175A (en) * 1996-05-03 1999-03-16 Hewlett-Packard Company Handover following in a mobile radio system
EP0808036A2 (en) 1996-05-16 1997-11-19 Trw Inc. Satellite-based cellular telecommunications system utilizing a multiple registration location register
US6038445A (en) * 1996-08-19 2000-03-14 Ericsson Inc. Providing service area dependent subscriber data within a mobile telecommunications network
US6078575A (en) * 1996-10-01 2000-06-20 Lucent Technologies Inc. Mobile location management in ATM networks
US5907802A (en) * 1996-12-31 1999-05-25 Mci Communications Corporation System and method for cellular reseller control of inbound calls to a mobile station
WO1998037721A2 (en) 1997-02-19 1998-08-27 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Cellular radio access network and location updating in a cordless communications system
US6397065B1 (en) * 1997-02-19 2002-05-28 Nokia Telecommunications Oy Cellular radio access network and location updating in a cordless communications system
WO1998037722A1 (en) 1997-02-20 1998-08-27 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) Restricted mobility area
US6212390B1 (en) * 1997-02-20 2001-04-03 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson Restricted mobility area
US6157833A (en) * 1997-11-14 2000-12-05 Motorola, Inc. Method for reducing status reporting in a wireless communication systems
US6584314B1 (en) * 1997-12-12 2003-06-24 Nokia Corporation Location management in a mobile telecommunication system
US6181940B1 (en) * 1998-02-10 2001-01-30 Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) Methods and apparatus for location area scheme negotiation in communications systems
US6185421B1 (en) * 1998-07-09 2001-02-06 Ericsson Inc. System, apparatus and method for paging optimization using sub-location areas
US6275706B1 (en) * 1998-11-09 2001-08-14 Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson Mobile telecommunications network and method for implementing and identifying hierarchical overlapping radio coverage areas

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
Jun. 10, 1999 International Search Report for PCT/FI98/00971.
Laatu (WO94/13114), "Location Updating in a Cellular Radio System", Jun. 9, 1994, Fig.1 and pp. 1-12. *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA2315823A1 (en) 1999-06-24
CA2315823C (en) 2008-12-09
FI974502A0 (en) 1997-12-12
FI974502A (en) 1999-06-13
AU1565099A (en) 1999-07-05
JP2003523100A (en) 2003-07-29
WO1999031917A3 (en) 1999-08-19
FI105763B (en) 2000-09-29
ATE456275T1 (en) 2010-02-15
EP1046316B1 (en) 2010-01-20
JP4037056B2 (en) 2008-01-23
EP1046316A2 (en) 2000-10-25
WO1999031917A2 (en) 1999-06-24
US6584314B1 (en) 2003-06-24
DE69841464D1 (en) 2010-03-11

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
USRE45301E1 (en) Location management in a mobile telecommunication system
CA2293710C (en) Location dependent service for mobile telephones
US6591103B1 (en) Wireless telecommunications system and method of operation providing users′ carrier selection in overlapping hetergenous networks
FI107690B (en) An improved method and arrangement for controlling cell selection and a cellular system terminal
US6532363B1 (en) Method and arrangement for transferring special cell information in a cellular system
US6081711A (en) USSD-positioning
WO1992022174A1 (en) Method for establishing an inbound call to the mobile telephone in a cellular mobile telephone network
RU2003100834A (en) METHOD FOR SUPPORTING TRANSMISSION OF SERVICE BETWEEN RADIO ACCESS NETWORKS
US20060210079A1 (en) Mobile communication system, communication control method and a mobile station
US20040058692A1 (en) Selecting domain for transmitting a location service request
US6999767B1 (en) Method for controlling hand-off for home zone services in a mobile communications system
US20030048762A1 (en) Seamless integrated network system for wireless communication systems
KR20020011407A (en) Methods and systems for error handling in radiocommunication systems employing pre-paging
NZ517655A (en) Seamless WLAN network
US7024182B2 (en) Subscriber activated, time limited cellular incoming call redirection system
KR100242702B1 (en) Method for disposing of call hold and conference calling
JP3028801B2 (en) Mobile communication system, mobile station and transmission method thereof
JP2001054160A (en) Update method for location register in radio telephone network and home location register and visitor location register to execute the method
AU5710498A (en) Special handling of repeated paging
EP1348312B1 (en) Selecting domain for transmitting a location service request
KR100242701B1 (en) Method for disposing of conference calling
WO1999003293A1 (en) Improved paging scheme for call delivery within a cellular telephone network
WO2002093944A2 (en) Method for providing a paging signal from a switching means to a mobile communication apparatus
RU99121652A (en) SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WITH GROUND STATIONS, HAVING A DISTRIBUTED ALLOCATION OF USERS AND RESOURCES

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
FEPP Fee payment procedure

Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

FPAY Fee payment

Year of fee payment: 12

SULP Surcharge for late payment

Year of fee payment: 11