MXPA00000991A

MXPA00000991A - Geographical restriction in cellular telecommunications network

Info

Publication number: MXPA00000991A
Application number: MXPA/A/2000/000991A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Peter Ostrup; Anders Westroos; Mikael Andersson
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson
Priority date: 1997-07-31
Filing date: 2000-01-28
Publication date: 2001-05-07

Abstract

In a cellular telecommunications network, geographical restriction is stored for a mobile subscriber in the subscriber's record (100A, 100B, 100C, 100D) in a database at a node of the network, preferably at a home location register [HLR](24). In accordance with one mode of the invention, the mobile station is permitted to operate only in cells identified in the subscriber's record in the HLR. In accordance with this mode, only applicable cells listed in the subscriber's record are paged when a call is direct to the mobile station, and the mobile station can only originate calls and sustain calls from such cells. In a variation of this mode, calls originated by the mobile station in the applicable cells listed in the subscriber's record can be sustained when the mobile station travels into non-applicable cells. In accordance with another mode known as"soft"restriction, a first (e.g., reduced) tariff is applied to calls originated and received in cells listed in a geographical restriction field of the subscriber's record in the home location register, with calls to and from other cells being permitted at a second (e.g., standard) tariff.

Description

GEOGRAPHICAL RESTRICTION ON THE CELLULAR TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK This application claims the benefit of the provisional US patent application Serial No. 60 /, (Attorney Registration Number 2358-5), filed on July 31, 1997, entitled "GEOGRAPHICAL RESTRICTION IN CELLULAR TELECOMUNICATIONS NETWORK ", which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of telecommunications, and particularly to telecommunications involving mobile stations operating in the context of a cellular mobile telecommunications system. 2. Related Technique and Other Considerations In mobile telecommunications, mobile stations such as mobile telephones communicate over radio channels with base stations. Typically a plurality of base stations are, in turn, connected to a mobile switching center. The mobile switching center is normally connected, for example: by means of an output port, with other telecommunications networks, such as the public switched telephone network.

Traditionally, the radio transmissions of each base station cover a geographical area, for example: one or more "cells". A predetermined number of cells typically form a location area. When an active mobile station travels from an old cell to a new cell, a transfer or delivery must occur from the base station that manages the old cell to the base station that handles the new cell. A "base station in idle mode can move or" move "from an old cell to a new cell, and even change location area In a telecommunications network, certain information concerning a mobile station is stored in a log of home location (HLR) When the mobile station travels to a location area that is handled by a different mobile switching center, a location update operation must occur so that both the address registration (HLR) as the visitor location register (VLR), typically in the mobile switching center, have current information about the mobile station and its location. In this regard, when a mobile station travels to an area that has a different location identifier, a forced registration typically occurs. In the forced registration, the home location register (HLR) is updated in relation to the particular mobile switching center that is serving the mobile station. When a call is made to a mobile station, the cellular network "voices" the mobile station in certain cells, for example: location area, based on stored information indicative, for example, of where the mobile station has been or where It is located at that moment. The location signals are sent from the mobile switching center to affected base stations which handle said certain cells. Operators of mobile telecommunications systems, for example: telecommunications providers or telecommunications companies, typically have subscription agreements with mobile subscribers. Generally the subscription agreements set different fees or tariffs depending on such circumstances as number of calls, call duration, distance covered by the call (example: long distance), etc. Cellular telecommunications network operators have the opportunity to increase their revenues when subscribers are encouraged to increase the use of mobile stations. To this end, in areas of low traffic density there may be extra capacity that can be offered to subscribers. This additional capacity can be offered to subscribers at a reduced rate but subject to restrictions which are not applicable for regular rate calls. An example of such a restriction is geographic restriction, this being, to restrict the mobile subscriber to use the mobile station only in specified cells. EP 641137 discloses a memory card (example: SIM) located inside the mobile station, the SIM card has stored a local area identification. Access to a network is only allowed when the local area identification corresponds to a local area identifier transmitted, thereby restricting the user's access to the mobile network to a defined local area. Therefore the provision must be made in the mobile station to allow the call to be completed or allow a call to originate from the mobile station, thereby increasing the complexity of the mobile station. Additionally, changing the restriction local area identification requires the preparation and delivery of a new "SIM card." Furthermore, SIM cards are not universally available.That is therefore required, and an object of the present invention, is a convenient and flexible technique for geographically restricting the operation of a mobile station within a cellular telecommunications network COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION In a cellular telecommunications network, information on geographical restriction is stored for a mobile subscriber in the subscriber's registry in a database at a node in the network, preferably in the area location register In accordance with one mode of the invention, the mobile station is allowed to operate only on cells identified in the subscriber's record in the HLR.

According to this mode, only applicable in cells listed in the subscriber's record are interrogated when a call is directed to the mobile station, and the mobile station can only originate calls and hold calls from said cells. In a variation of this mode, calls originated and terminated by calls from the mobile station in the applicable cells listed in the subscriber's register may be retained when the mobile station travels toward non-applicable cells. According to another mode of the invention known as "soft" restriction, a first tariff (example: reduced) is applied to calls originated and received in cells located in a geographical restriction field of the subscriber's register in the home location register , with call to and from other cells being allowed at a second rate (example: standard). When a mobile station travels to a permitted cell of a new location area, the geographic restriction information for the mobile subscriber is transmitted to the VLR. Using the geographic restriction information for the mobile subscriber stored in the VLR, the mobile switching center that is handling the mobile station determines whether calls can be completed or processed. "Scrolling" attempts outside of the geographic restriction area are allowed so that the location of the mobile station can be monitored and maintained. However, except for, soft restrictions, attempts to originate calls outside the geographic restriction area are rejected. The information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is flexibly configured to include a plurality of geographic restriction criteria. In one embodiment, to geographically restrict the operation includes a first list of cells and a second list of cells. The first list is used to determine in which cell the mobile station can operate (be located and originate calls) during a first period of time, while the second list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can operate during a period of time. second period of time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which reference characters refer to the same parts as length of the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis is made on the illustration of the principles of the invention. Figure 1A is a diagrammatic view of a cellular mobile telecommunications system showing the geographical restriction imposed according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2B is a diagrammatic view of a cellular mobile telecommunications system showing a time-dependent geographical restriction imposed according to a second embodiment of the invention. Figure 1C is a diagrammatic view of a cellular mobile telecommunications system showing a different geographical restriction imposed on call origin and call reception according to a third embodiment of the invention. Figure 2A is a diagrammatic view of the contents of a home location register of a register for a restricted mobile subscriber of the embodiment of Figure 1A. Figure 2B is a diagrammatic view of the contents of a home location register of a register for a restricted mobile subscriber of the embodiment of Figure IB. Figure 2C is a diagrammatic view of the content of a home location register of a register for a restricted mobile subscriber of the embodiment of Figure 1C. Figure 2D is a diagrammatic view of the contents of an address registration record of a registration for a subscriber with soft restriction for another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the basic steps executed by a mobile switching center, in accordance with selective modes and embodiments of the invention, for the handling of a call request involving potential geographic restrictions. Figure 4 is a flow chart showing the basic steps executed by a mobile switching center, according to selective modes and embodiments of the invention, for the handling of a call transfer request or call delivery involving potential geographic restriction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following description, for the purpose of description and not limitation, specific details are indicated such as particular architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a complete understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of known devices, circuits and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary details. Figure 1A shows a telecommunications system in which one embodiment of the present invention is implemented. In particular, Figure 1A shows a public switched telephone network 20 connected to an output port of a mobile switching center (GMSC) 22 to facilitate dial-up access to mobile subscribers using mobile stations in a cellular mobile telecommunications system. The output port of the mobile switching center (GMSC) 22 is connected to the home location register (HLR) 24 and preferably via land lines to a plurality of mobile switching centers (MSCs), such as the center of mobile switching 30A the mobile switching center 30B. Each mobile switching center 30 has access to (e.g., is connected to) a visitor location register (VLR) 30, VLR 32A and 32B are shown in Figure 1A. The mobile aspects of the telecommunications system of Figure 1A serve a plurality of location areas (LA), of which only the LAA and LAB location areas are shown (the LAA and LAB location areas are separated by the dotted line). 40 in Figure 1A). Within the LAA and LAB location areas a plurality of cells are established with reference to the base stations (BS) located therein. As illustrated, the base station 50? it serves the Cl cell; base station 502 serves cell C2, and so on. As in Figure 1A, the Cl and C3 cells are included in the LAA localization area while the C2, C4 and C5 cells are included in the LAB localization areas. A cell is the basic unit of a cellular system and is the geographical area where radio coverage is provided by a base station. Different cells are identified by a unique number called Global Cell Identity (CGI). For the discussion of the embodiments of the present invention, the numbering Cl, C2, ... C5 serves as the unique cell numbering for the Global Cell Identity. While the cells in the illustrations are represented as hexagonal, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that cells of other shapes and configurations can be used instead. Base stations 50 can communicate with mobile stations (example: mobile phones) using radio channels. Each base station includes transmitter (s) / receiver (s) (indicated by the antenna shown in Figure 1A) and a base station controller (indicated by the box below the antenna).

Each base station is connected to a mobile switching center (MSC) 30. Typically, each mobile switching center (MSC) 30 is connected to and serves a plurality of base stations. The mobile switching center (MSC) 30 is responsible for switching functions related to call processing for calls originating from and intended for a mobile station. Each mobile switching center (MSC) 30 interfaces with the base stations 50 to which it serves, as well as interfaces with other switching stations. In particular, each mobile switching center (MSC) 30 is connected to non-mobile switching centers through an output port of a mobile switching center (GMSC) 22. The location areas (LA) are groups of cells. Each location area has an Area Location Identity (LAI). The base stations within the location area periodically transmit the LAI to the location area in which they are located. The Home Location Register (HLR) 24 is a database used to store and manage subscription information for mobile subscribers belonging to a specific telecommunications operator. A telephone service provider or telephone company is an example of what "telecom operator" means. Typically, the HLR stores subscriber data, including the MSISDN, IMS I, supplementary services, location information, and subscriber authentication parameters. As described subsequently, a feature of the present invention is that the HLR additionally has stored in the same restriction information to limit the subscriber's use of the mobile station to a specified geographical area (example: the service is restricted to one or more allowed cells). Each visitor location register (VLR) 32 is a database which contains information about the current location of the mobile station within the geographic area served by the associated mobile switching center (MSC 30). For example: VLR 32A includes information for mobile stations that are served by switching station 30A, which includes mobile stations in cells Cl and C3. For each mobile station, the VLR 32 contains temporary subscriber information, including a number of offsets of a mobile station to provide service to visiting subscribers.

In Figure 1A, according to the present invention a mobile station MS is restricted so that the call reception and the call origin can occur only while the mobile station MS is located in the cell Cl and in the cell C2. The call origination and call receipt restriction in Figure 1A is indicated by the cells Cl and C2 being horizontally scratched. It may be, for example, that the subscriber for the mobile station MS lives in the cell Cl and works in the cell C2, and is willing to enter into a subscription agreement in which the use of the mobile station MS is restricted to only Cl and C2 cells in exchange for a fee which is lower than what would otherwise be valued. Figure 2A shows a home location register (HLR) 24 including registers for a plurality of mobile subscribers, including a register 100A for the mobile subscriber (mobile subscriber "N") having the subscription agreement noted above with respect to Figure 1A. The HLR register 100A for the mobile subscriber N includes the following fields: field MSISDN 102, field IMSI 104, current address field VLR 106, field of authorized services 108, restriction field "of control 110 and list of allowed cells 112. The field MSISDN 102 of register 100A is the mobile station number ISDN, which identifies a subscription of the mobile telephone in the numbering plan of the public switched telephone network Typically, the MSISDN is a concatenation of the country code, the code of national destination or area code and a subscriber number The IMSI field 104 of register 100A is the identity of the international mobile subscriber, which is a unique identity assigned to each subscriber which facilitates the correct identification of the subscriber on the radio track through the network The IMSI is normally a concatenation of the mobile country code, the mobile network code and the identification number of the mobile station The current home field VLR 106 of the register 100A contains a network address for the home visitor location register (VLR) in which the mobile station MS for the mobile subscriber N is registered at that time. As indicated above, the content of the current VLR address field 106 must be updated as the mobile station MS of an area operated by a mobile switching center moves to an area of another mobile switching center. The field of authorized services 108 of the registry 100A, not particularly related to the present invention, is a list of services of the network to which mobile subscriber N subscribes. The restriction control field 110 of the register 100A contains a marker which indicates that the mobile subscriber N has a subscription agreement which places geographic restrictions on the use of the mobile station MS. In particular, a fixed marker in the restriction control field 110 indicates that the mobile subscriber N is assigned a low rate in exchange for which the mobile subscriber N agrees to use its mobile station MS only on the allowed cells which are stored in the allowed cell list field 112 in register 100A. For the particular embodiment illustrated in Figure 1A, the allowed cell field 112 of the 100A register contains cell identifiers (example: Global Cell Identity [CGI]) for the Cl and C2 cells. In use, assuming (as indicated above) that the mobile subscriber N lives in a cell Cl and works in the cell C2, and that at the beginning of the day the mobile subscriber M travels from the cell Cl to the cell C2 when going to work , carrying the mobile station MS as indicated by arrow 200 in Figure 1A. As the mobile station MS moves to the cell C2, it travels to the location area LAB which is handled by the mobile switching center 30B instead of the mobile switching center 30A as before. In cell C2, the mobile station MS detects the location area identity (LAI) which is continuously transmitted by the base station 502 over the air interface. Upon detection of a change in the location area identity (LAI), the mobile station MS sends a location update request on the appropriate radio channel to the base station 502. The location update request is transmitted to the center. mobile switching 30B, which in turn sends the location update request (via GMSC 22) to the home location register (HLR) 24. Knowing the mobile switching center (mobile switching center 30B) of which the location update request was received, the HLR 24 updates the current address field VLR 106 in its register 100A for the mobile subscriber N which is associated with the VLR associated with mobile switching center from which the location update request was received , example: VLR 32A. Then the HLR 24 sends an accepted location update message to the mobile switching center 30B, and for the mobile station MS transmits the geographical restrictive information to the VLR 32A, for example: information contained in the restriction control field 110 and list field of allowed cells 112 (see Figure 2A) for the mobile subscriber N. In addition, the HLR 24 sends a message to the VLR 30A to cancel the registration of the mobile station MS in VLR 30A, said cancellation message is accused of being received preferably by the VLR 30A. Assuming another subscriber, such as a subscriber in PSTN 20, dials the MSISDN of the mobile subscriber N in order to make a call. Upon arrival of the call to the GMSC 22, a message is sent to the HLR 24 in order to determine the current location of the mobile station. Conventionally, HLR 24 uses the current address field VLR to determine the address of the VLR 30B that currently serves the mobile station MS, and obtains from VLR "30B number" moving mobile station (MSRN) assigned by VLR 30B 'for the mobile station MS.

HLR 24 advises GMSC 22 of the MSRN for the mobile station MS, so that the call can be directed to the mobile switching center 30B. Upon receiving a call addressed to the mobile station MS, the mobile switching center 30B consults its VLR 32B and obtains from it the register for the mobile station MS which is registered therein. In particular, as mentioned above, the VLR registration 32B for the mobile station MS includes the restrictive geographic information previously transmitted by HLR 24. Since, as illustrated in Figure 1A, the mobile station can only operate on the Cl cells. and C2, and since mobile switching station 30B handles only cell C2, mobile station 30B is called only in cell C2. That is, the mobile switching center 30B authorizes call messages for this call that are transmitted only by the base station 502 in the cell C2; the other base stations controlled by the mobile switching center 30B are not allowed to issue a call for the mobile station MS. The mobile station MS can originate and receive calls while the mobile station MS remains in the cell C2 (or return to the allowed cell C!). For example: if the mobile subscriber using the mobile station MS wishes to make a call, upon receiving a message from the mobile station MS indicative of such desire, the mobile switching station 30B verifies the registration in VLR 32B to ensure that the mobile station MS It is in a permitted cell. Since in the situation indicated in Figure 1A the mobile station MS is allowed to operate in the cell C2, the message requesting the colocalization of a call is processed normally. According to a "hard" restriction mode of the invention, if the mobile station MS travels to an unauthorized cell such as the cell C4 in Figure 1A, any call in which the mobile station has been participating is terminated. The mobile station MS is allowed to move into non-allowed cells such as the C4 cell so that the system monitors the location of the mobile station MS. However, according to the hard constraint mode of the invention, the mobile station MS is essentially non-operational in the C4 cell. That is, the mobile station MS can not originate a call in the C4 cell and, as explained above, the C4 cell will not be called if a call is directed to the mobile station MS in the C4 cell. Figure IB presents a particular embodiment of the invention in which the geographical restriction is time dependent. According to the subscription agreement for the mobile subscriber of Figure IB, the mobile station MS can operate on a first set of cells (example: cell Cl and C2, as in Figure 1A) for a first time frame, and in a second set of cells (example: Cl and C3 cells) for a second time frame. In Figure IB, the first set of cells is indicated by vertical hatching, while the second set of cells is indicated by vertical hatching. Since the Cl cell is common for both sets of cells, the Cl cell is scaled vertically and horizontally. Figure 2B shows a register 100B formatted generally in accordance with the subscription agreement for the mobile subscriber in Figure IB as discussed above. The fields in the record 100B which are marked in common with those in the record 100A are understood to have the same meaning. The register 100B of Figure 2B differs from the register 100A of Figure 2A, example: in the restriction control field 110B, and by the provision of the following fields: allowed cell list # 1 field 112B; list of allowed cells # 2 field 114B; list of restricted times # 1 field 115B; and list of restricted times # 2 field 118B.

In the scenario of Figures IB and 2B, a marker is set in the restriction control field 110B to indicate that the operation of the mobile station MS is restricted to the cells indicated in the field 112B (the list of allowed cells # 1 ) during the times listed in field 116B (list of restricted times # 1), and that the operation of mobile station MS is restricted to the cells listed in field 114B (list of allowed cells # 2) during the time listed in field 118B (list of restricted times # 2). For example: the register 100B can effectively allow the mobile station MS to operate only under the following conditions: in the Cl and C2 cells during a first time frame (example: from 08:00 to 18:00) and in the Cl cells and C3 during a second time frame (example: from 18:00 to 08:00). It should be understood that the restricted times lists of the 100B register do not need to be restricted to a time window, for example: from 08:00 to 18:00, but it can comprise a series of a set of time frames , example: from 08:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 18:00, etc. In addition, the terminology "times" as described with reference to register 100B comprises the entire calendar, so that days of the week, dates of the month, months in particular, can be specified as operating criteria. The operation of the mobile station MS in the situation indicated in Figure IB is understood with reference to the previous discussion of the situation of Figure 1A. That is, the principles of origin and receipt of call is governed by the geographic restriction information stored in the HLR for the mobile subscriber are applicable. The geographic restriction information is transmitted to the relevant VLR and is verified for allowed cells and for restricted times before calling or processing a request for colocalization of a call. Figure 1C indicates a particular embodiment of the invention in which a different geographical restriction is imposed for a call origin and a call reception. According to the subscription agreement for the mobile subscriber of Figure 1C, the mobile station MS can originate calls in a first set of cells (example: cell Cl and C2, as in Figure 1A), but can only receive calls from input while in a second set of cells (example: Cl and C2 cells). In Figure 1C, the first set of cells is marked by dotted lines, while the second set of cells is marked by stars. Since the Cl cell is common to both sets, the Cl cell has both types of tagging. Figure 2C shows a register 100C formatted generally in accordance with the subscription agreement for the mobile subscriber illustrated in Figure 1C as discussed above. The fields of the 100 C register which are commonly marked with those of the 100C register are understood to have the same meaning. The register 100C of FIG. 2C differs from the register 100A of FIG. 2A, example: in the color restriction field 110C, and by the provision, of the following fields: field of allowed source cell list 112C and the list of reception cells allowed 114C. In the example scenario indicated in Figure 1C, the allowed source cell list field 112C should include the Cl cell and the C2 cell; the field of allowable cell lists 114C should include the cell Cl and the cell C3. In the scenario of Figure IC and Figure 2C, a marker is set in the restriction control field 110C to indicate that calls can only be originated by the mobile station MS when the mobile station MS is located in the cells listed in the field of lists of the authorized cells of origin 112C, and that calls can be made to the mobile station MS only when the mobile station MS is located in the cells listed in the field of call reception cell lists 114C. The operation of the mobile station MS in the situation indicated in Figure 1C is understood with reference to the previous discussion of the situation of Figure 1A. This is, the principles of call origin and call reception as governed by the geographic restriction information stored in the HLR "for the mobile subscriber are applicable." The geographic restriction information is transmitted to the relevant VLR and is verified for the cells "Allowed before calling or processing a request to make a call. In the embodiment presented in Figure 2D it resembles that of Figure IB and Figure 2B, but register 100C of Figure 2D has stored within it the particular rate ranges, as indicated in fields 120D, 122D and 124D. In addition, the embodiment of Figure 2D notably allows the mobile subscriber to use the mobile station MS at any time in any cell at standard rates only when the mobile station MS is operated in accordance with geographic restriction and / or restricted time parameters . A marker placed in the restriction control field 110D indicates that the mobile subscriber is allowed to use the. mobile station MS at any time in any cell at the standard rate. The same or another marker in the restriction control field 110D indicates that the mobile subscriber is also authorized at the lowest rates when calls originated or received in the cells specified in one or more of the allowed cell lists (example: fields 112D and / or 114D). Allowing the mobile subscriber to originate and receive calls in cells different to those specified in the geographical restriction, and to pay a differential tariff for calls received / originated in the cells of the geographical restriction, in the present is referred to as a "soft" restriction. Although not necessarily for implementation in the soft restraint aspects of the invention, the register 100D shows rate fields 120D, 122D and 124D where they are stored respectively in tariff # 0, tariff # 1 and tariff # 2. According to one embodiment of the invention, tariff # 0 is the normal rate valued for calls except those that qualify for the discount rate due to geographical restriction; tariff # 1 is the rate for calls that occur within the set of restrictions imposed by fields 112D and 116D; and, tariff # 2 is the rate for calls that occur within the set of restrictions imposed by fields 114D and 118D. It should be understood that the "soft" restriction is not limited to the specific situation illustrated in the register 100C, but can also be applied to the situation indicated in Figure 1A, Figure IB and Figure 1C. That is, for any situation in which a geographical restriction is imposed, the mobile subscriber can with the soft restriction anyway originate and receive calls in cells not allowed, without receiving the tariff discount associated with the geographical restriction. Another modality, known as the semi-soft constraint mode, is a variation of the modality of Figure 1A and IB. In the embodiment of Figure 1A and IB, a call in progress was terminated when the mobile station MS traveled to a non-allowed cell. In the semi-soft restriction mode, on the other hand, the calls which are originated or received while the mobile station MS is in a permitted cell are retained (this being allowed to continue), either at the same or different rate (example: higher), even when the mobile station MS travels within a non-allowed cell. Therefore, the transfer or delivery of an existing call to a new one (cell not allowed), geographic restrictions are ignored. However, once the mobile station MS terminates the call that was occurring during the transfer or delivery, any subsequent attempts to make an additional call or receive an additional call in the non-allowed cell are rejected. The implementation of the semi-soft geographical restriction mode is also obtained using the subscriber's records as described above. In this regard, a mobile switching center can be pre-programmed so that all geographical restrictions are one of hard, soft or semi-soft or alternatively a value in the subscriber's record can indicate the "hardness / softness" of the geographical restriction . For example: instead of having only one marker, the restriction control field can have default values, such as (for example) either a "00" indicative of no geographic restriction, a "01" indicative of a hard geographical restriction; a "10" indicative of a soft geographical restriction and an "11" indicative of a semi-soft geographical restriction. Additionally, it should be understood that the mobile switching center 30 of the present invention allows the origin of calls to predetermined emergency numbers (example: police, firemen, etc.) without imposing the geographical restriction. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the mobile switching center 30 when the mobile station MS wishes to originate a call. The particular mobile switching center having the operation illustrated in Figure 3 is capable of selectively implementing any of the modes and modes described above. It is assumed that the visitor location register (VLR) of the mobile switching center 30 has stored therein a subscriber record for the mobile station MS which wishes to make a call. In addition, to provide the relative comprehensive implementation for various modes, it is assumed that the restriction control field of the subscriber record for the mobile station MS has either a 00 'indicative of non-geographic restriction, a "01" indicative of geographic restriction. hard; a "10" indicative of a soft geographical restriction and an "11" indicative of a semi-soft geographical restriction. The symbol 3 - 1 represents the reception by the mobile switching center 30 of a request by the mobile station MS to make a call and the transmission of the dialed number (called number). As indicated in step 3 - 2, the mobile switching center 30 immediately checks to determine if the dialed number corresponds to an emergency service or another number without cost. If an emergency service has been dialed, the mobile switching center 30 completes the call without reference to any geographical restriction (see step 3 - 3). Assuming no emergency number ~ or other toll free number is called, in step 3-2 the mobile switching center 30 takes the subscription log (as described above) in its VLR for the mobile station MS. The particular mobile switching center 30 analyzes the restriction control field of the subscription register for the mobile station MS, as explained below. In step 3-5, the mobile switching center 30 determines whether the restriction control field indicates that the mobile station MS has no geographical restrictions (ie a value "00" in the control restriction). If there is no geographical restriction, in step 3 - 6 the call to the normal rate is completed (example: higher than the geographically restrictive rate). In step 3-7, the mobile switching center 30 determines whether the restriction control field indicates that the mobile station MS has a "hard" geo-restriction (example: a value "01" is in the control field of restriction). If so, a check is made in step 3 - 8 if the mobile station MS is located in a permitted cell at the time the call originating a request is made. If the mobile station MS is in a permitted cell, the call is completed at the lower rate in view of the geographical restriction (as indicated in step 3 -9). If the mobile station MS is in a non-allowed cell, the call is not completed (as indicated in step 3-10). When a call is not completed, the mobile switching center 30 may optionally transmit to the mobile station MS a notification of non-completion (steps 3-11). This notice of non-complete may be received by the mobile station, for example, a pre recorded message transmitted to the mobile station or displayed on an LCD or other deployment device incorporated in the mobile station MS message. In step 3-20, the mobile switching center 30 determines if the control field restriction indicates that the mobile station MS has a "soft" geographical restriction (eg a value "10" in the field of control restriction) . If so, a check is made in step 3-21 if the mobile station MS is located in a permitted cell at the time of making the call origin request. If the mobile station MS is in a permitted cell, the call is completed at the lower rate in view of the geographical restriction (as indicated in step 3 -9). If the mobile station MS is in a non-allowed cell and has no smooth geographical restriction, the call is completed at the highest rate (as indicated in step 3 ^ - 22). That is, the call is completed at a higher rate than if the call originated from a cell that was on the list of allowed cells involved in the geographic restriction. When a call is completed at a higher rate, the mobile switching center 30 may optionally transmit to the mobile station MS a notification of the rate increase (step 3-23). As with other notifications, the notification of the rate increase can be received by the mobile station, such as: an audible pre-recorded message or an expanded message. It should be understood that the order of steps 3-22 and 2 -23 can be reversed, so that the subscriber of the mobile station MS may have the opportunity, after notification of the rate increase, to rescind the request source call. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the mobile switching center 30 when the mobile switching center 30 receives a transfer or delivery request with respect to the mobile station MS. Steps 4-2 to 4-12 of Figure 4 correspond to steps 3-2 to 3-12 of Figure 3, respectively, it being understood that in Figure 4 a call is continued during the transfer / delivery instead of being originated (as indicated by the transfer / delivery request symbol 4 - 1). Accordingly, steps 4-2 to 4-12 are understood from the foregoing discussion of Figure 3. Figure 4 differs mainly from Figure 3 with reference to steps 4-20 to 4-23.

In step 4-20, the mobile switching center 30 determines whether the restriction control field indicates that the mobile station MS has a "soft" or "semi-soft" restriction (example: a value "10" or a value " 11"in the restriction control field). If so, a check is made in step 3-21 if the mobile station MS is located in a permitted cell at the time of originating the call request. If the mobile station MS is in a permitted cell, the call is completed at the lower rate in view of the geographical restriction (as indicated in step 4 -9). If the mobile station MS is in a non-allowed cell and has a soft or semi-soft geographical restriction, the call is completed at the highest rate (as indicated in step 3-22) and notification of the rate increase is provided as described above. It should be understood that the transfer and delivery of calls from a permitted cell to a non-permitted cell can, if selected by the operator, be at a lower rate despite the soft or semi-soft geographic restriction. Alternatively, the operator can charge the lower rate for the transfer / delivery to a cell not allowed for a mobile subscriber that has a semi-soft geographic restriction, but at a higher rate for transfer / delivery to a cell not allowed for a mobile subscriber that has a smooth geographical restriction. Except mainly for the steps relating to emergency calls or no cost, the steps of Figure 3 and Figure 4 are analogously and respectively applicable to the reception of a call made by another person to the mobile station MS (Figure 3) and transfer / delivery of a call to the mobile station MS which was originated by another person (Figure 4). It should be understood, however, that in the case of calls originated by other people the notification of step 3 - 11 is provided to the caller. For the embodiments described herein which involve time as well as geographical restrictions, it should be understood that the checks of Figure 3 and Figure 4 on whether a mobile station is in a permitted cell involves, for said modes, a cell determination allowed based on the applicable restricted times according to the subscriber's registration. While the embodiments of Figure 2B and 2C have shown two sets of allowed cells and restriction times, it should be understood that more sets can be provided in other embodiments. Although a very small number of cells and only two mobile switching centers 30 have been illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that in reality a greater number of cells and mobile switching centers are used in a mobile telecommunications system. As indicated above, the cells belonging to the geographical restriction list do not necessarily need to be served by the same mobile switching center. The location of the home location register (HLR) is not critical to the present invention. Instead, the HLR can be located in several ways, for example: as part of the GMSC 22 or as a different node of the network, for example. In addition, it should be understood that the subscriber registers 100A, 100B, 100C and 100D can, and typically do, have additional information not pertinent to the present invention. In addition, the ordering of the fields in registers 100A, 100B, 100C and 100D is not critical to the present invention. Normal mobile subscribers who do not want geographical restrictions are not affected by the present invention, since the indication can be set in the registry of said subscribers in the HLR (example: in the record control field) that the geographical restrictions do not apply . The person skilled in the art understands that the GMSC 22, the HLR 32 and the MCS 30 communicate over lines by means of messages prepared in accordance with conventional signaling standards, while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS na cellular telecommunication network comprising: a mobile station; a database maintained by a node in the network; a mobile switching center having access to the database being connected to at least one base station serving the mobile station; wherein, for the mobile station, the database has stored in the same information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station comprises a list of cells, the cells in the list including itself regardless of the location area of the network; and wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls. to cellular telecommunication network of Claim 1, wherein the database is maintained in a home location register. to the cellular telecommunications network of Claim 1, wherein the database is maintained in a home location register and the geographical restriction operation information of the mobile station is transmitted from the home location register to a register. of visitor location for the mobile switching center. to the cellular telecommunications network of Claim 1, wherein the geographic restriction operation information of the mobile station includes a first list of cells from which the mobile station can originate a call and a second list of cells in the cells. where the mobile station can establish a call to the mobile station, the second cell list is different from the first cell list. to the cellular telecommunications network of the Claim 1, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a first list of at least one first cell and a second list of at least one second cell, and wherein the first list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls during a first period of time and wherein the second list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the station can originate calls mobile for a second period of time, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station including the start time and the completion time for the first time period, the start time and the end time being expressed in hours / minutes for a calendar unit. to the cellular telecommunications network of the

Claim 1, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can call at a first rate, and where it can be called and originate calls the mobile station in other cells at a second rate. to the cellular telecommunications network of Claim 1, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a list of cells in which the mobile station can originate calls and / or receive a call, and where subsequently to the establishment of a call the mobile switching center allows the transfer or delivery of the call to a cell not allowed not in the list as long as the call is originated or established while the mobile station was in a cell of the list. a cellular telecommunications network comprising: a mobile station; a database maintained by a node in the network; a mobile switching center having access by means of signaling to the home location register and being connected to at least one base station serving the mobile station; a visitor location register connected to the mobile switching center; wherein, for the mobile station, the home location register has stored in the same information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station comprising a list of cells, the cells in the list being included without importance of the area of location of the network; wherein, the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is transmitted to the visitor location register when the mobile station is in the area served by the mobile switching center; and wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls. to the cellular telecommunications network of Claim 8, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a first list of cells from which the mobile station can originate calls and a second list of cells from which the mobile station can establish a call to the mobile station, the second cell list being different from the first cell list. The cellular telecommunications network of Claim 8, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a first list of at least one first cell and a second list of at least one second cell, and wherein the first list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls during a first period of time and wherein the second list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and which cells can originate calls the mobile station during a second period of time, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station including the start time and the completion time for the first time period and the second time period, the start time and end time being expressed as hours / minutes for a calendar unit. The cellular telecommunications network of Claim 8, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called from which cells the mobile station can call at a first rate, and wherein the mobile station can be called and originate calls in other cells at a second rate. The cellular telecommunications network of Claim 8, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a list of cells in which the mobile station can originate calls and / or receive a call, and where subsequently to the establishment of a call the mobile switching center allows the transfer or delivery of the call to a cell not allowed not in the list as long as the call originated or established while the mobile station was in a cell in the list. 13. A cellular telecommunications network comprising: a mobile station; a home location registration; a mobile switching center having access by means of signaling to the home location register and being connected to at least one base station serving the mobile station; a visitor location register connected to the mobile switching center; wherein, for the mobile station, the home location register has stored in the same information to "geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station according to a first tariff, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station comprising a list of cells, the cells in the list being included regardless of the network location area; wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is transmitted to the visitor location register when the mobile station is in an area served by the mobile switching center; and wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is used to determine, according to a first tariff, in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls, the mobile station being Called and originating calls in other cells at a second rate. the cellular telecommunications network of Claim 11, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a first list of at least one first cell and a second list of at least one second cell, and wherein the first list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls during a first period of time and wherein the second list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and which cells can originate calls the mobile station during a second period of time, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station including a start time and a termination time for the first time period and a second time period, the start time and end time being expressed as hours / minutes of a calendar unit. A method for connecting a call involving a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprises: Maintaining for the mobile station, in a home location register, information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station, the information to restrict geographically the operation of the mobile station comprising a list of cells, the cells in the list being included regardless of the location area of the network; when the mobile station enters an area served by a mobile switching center, transferring the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station to a visitor location register connected to the mobile switching center; using the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls. The method of Claim 15, further comprising including the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station a first list from which the mobile station can originate calls and a second list of cells in which the mobile station can call , the second list of cells being different from the first list of cells. The method of Claim 15, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a first list of at least one cell and a second list of at least one second cell, and wherein the method further comprises: using the first list for determining in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls during a first period of time; and using the second list to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls during a first period of time; including in the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station including a start time and the completion time for the first time period, the start time and the end time being expressed in hours / minutes for a calendar unit. The method of Claim 15, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls at a first rate., and the method further comprises calling the mobile station and allowing the origin of calls from the mobile station in other cells to a second tariff. The method of Claim 15, wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a list of cells in which the mobile station can originate a call and / or receive a call, and where the subsequent establishment of a called the mobile switching center allows the transfer or delivof the call to a cell not allowed as long as the call was originated or established while the mobile station was in a cell of the list. A cellular telecommunications network comprising: a mobile station; a database maintained by a node in the network; a mobile switching center having access to the database and being connected to at least one base station serving the mobile station; wherein, for the mobile station, the database has stored therein the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station; and wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station includes a first list of cells and a second list of cells in which the mobile station can establish a call to the mobile station, the second list of cells being different from the first cell list. A method for connecting a call, which involves a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprises: maintaining for the mobile station, in a home location register, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station; when the mobile station enters an area served by a mobile switching center, transfer the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station to a visitor location register connected to the mobile switching center; use the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls; include in the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station a first list of cells from which the mobile station can originate calls and a second list of cells in which it can establish a call to the mobile station, the second list of cells being different from the first list of cells. comprises: a mobile station, a database maintained by a network node, a mobile switching center having access to the database and being connected to at least one base station serving the mobile station; the mobile station, the database stored in it the information to restrict geographically e operation of the mobile station, and wherein the information for geographically restricting the operation of the mobile station includes a first list of at least one first cell and a second cell list of at least one second cell, and wherein the first - list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls during a first period of time and where the second list is used to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls during a second period of time, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station includes the start time and the completion time for the first time period and the second time period , the start time and the termination time being expressed as hours / minutes of a calendar. A method for connecting a call involving a mobile station in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising: maintaining for the mobile station, in a home location register, the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station; when the mobile station enters an area served by a mobile switching center, transfer the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station to a visitor location register connected to the mobile switching center; use the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station to determine in which cells the mobile station can be called and from which cells the mobile station can originate calls; include in the information to geographically restrict the operation of the mobile station that includes the start time and the completion time for the first time period and the second time period, the start time and the end time expressed as hours / minutes of a calendar unit. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a cellular telecommunication network, a geographic restriction is stored for a mobile subscriber in the subscriber record (100A, 100B, 100C, 100D) in a database at a node of the network, preferably in a home address registration [HLR] (24). In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the mobile station can operate only on cells identified in the subscriber record in the HLR. In accordance with this embodiment, only applicable cells listed in the subscriber record are voiced when a call is directed to the mobile station, and the mobile station can only originate calls and hold calls from such cells. In a variation of this mode, calls originated by the mobile station in the applicable cells listed in the subscriber record can be sustained when the mobile station moves to non-applicable cells. In accordance with another modality known as "soft" restriction, a first tariff (eg, reduced rate) is applied to calls that come from cells that are listed and that are received in cells listed in a geographic restriction field of the subscriber record in the home address registration, and calls that are directed to other cells and that come from other cells are charged at a second rate (for example, standard rate).