DE10303161A1 - Transmitting short messages from mobile telephones between different networks, stores relevant destination data for re-use when making subsequent delivery attempts - Google Patents

Abstract

When first attempting to deliver the message, some or all of the relevant parameters or associated data, especially the destination information, are stored. On subsequent attempts they are re-used, at least in part. An independent claim is included for corresponding apparatus.

Description

The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for handling short messages with number portability in mobile communication systems.

Short messages (SM) in the sense of this Limit invention does not rely on SMS (Short Message Service) and / or MMS (Multimedia Messaging service).

The introduction of number portability in mobile communications, also referred to as MobileNumberPortability (MNP), which also affects the short message service, ordered by the regulatory authority for telecommunications and post (RegTP) in Germany, is in principle in the ETSI EN 301 716 (GSM 03.66). On the basis of the knowledge gained from operational events, it is known that, as a rule, several attempts are required to deliver an MT-SM (Mobile Terminated Short Message), ie a short message (SM) addressed to a mobile terminal. So-called retries are required for this, which in principle work exactly like a first delivery attempt for an MT-SM. However, the GSM 03.66 basically only describes the first delivery attempt, but not the retries that are practically always required. Due to the fact that with the introduction of the MNP, the international mobile subscriber number (MSISDN) of a recipient of an MT-SM says nothing about the (current) subscription mobile network (Subscription Network), since the subscriber takes the MSISDN to another mobile network (PLMN) , the querying cellular network (interrogating network) must always first query the subscription network for the subscriber data. Before an SM waiting in an SMS center (SMSC) is delivered, it must therefore receive the address of the "visited MSC" from the home network (HLR) from the subscription network, i.e. the switching center of the mobile network currently used by the recipient, and the international mobile subscriber identification ( IMSI) of the recipient. This is done using various methods that are more or less complex, but ultimately lead to the desired information, if it is available at all. The sending entity, which is the HLR in the recipient's subscription network, also sends its calling party address (CgPty address) as the sender. In all currently known methods, however, this is discarded after each delivery attempt by SM. For each further retry, the SMSC must therefore repeatedly control the HLR it is looking for via a so-called MNP-SRF network element (Mobile Number Portability Signaling Relay Function), even if the HLR is in its own PLMN. This procedure is practiced today without MNP and has basically been adopted for MNP, which leads to the inefficiency described.

It is therefore the object of the invention a procedure for the treatment of short messages with number portability in mobile radio indicate that reduces the load in the network elements involved and accelerates the delivery of short messages. An arrangement to carry out the procedure should also be specified.

According to the invention, the object is achieved by the characteristics of the independent Claims.

Advantageous configurations and Further developments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, the SMSC is technically so designed to be the CgPty address of the first Attempted delivery notes HLRs and notices this information in parallel to the waiting SM stores. The SMSC receives every retry that will be required in the future the destination address of the person to be queried required for the SM to be delivered HLRs delivered internally without delay and can then be sent directly via the SS7 route from the correct HLR to the Send_Routing_Information_For_SM Interrogate. Therefor is just the introduction a new field in the SMSC memory for waiting SM and the calculation rule for transmission the HLR's CgPty address is required in this field. This information can either from the SCCP or MAP part of the SRI_for_SM_response des queried HLRs can be obtained.

The procedure described is reduced clearly the burden of the MNP-SRF as a central facility for routing and accelerate about it also the delivery attempt because there is no performance in the SMSC for IMSI prefixing or internal table queries is required and therefore directly can be routed to the HLR.

Operationally there are considerable Advantages as no additional Tables in the SMSC must be maintained. These would be required around several hundred additional with flexible routing (IMSI-MSISDN decoupling) Posts to bring in and maintain the SMSC.

In addition, use the procedure worldwide by the manufacturers of the SMSC, because MNP basically everywhere the same method is used when the GSM 03.66 as a model serves.

The security of the system is beyond that also increased since the traffic saved is no longer via the MNP-SRF as a bottleneck must run.

This process can also be used internationally and thus save costs because it can be used regardless of the manufacturer (all SMSC work according to the store-and-forward principle).

Has a GSM network z. B. over an SMSC capacity of approx. 1000 SM / s and the SMSC have to process approx. 20 million SM per day, so the savings in search queries to the MNP-SRF can be up to 50%, ie approx 10 million less per day, calculate.

• – Zeitersparnis beim Verbindungsaufbau der Retries;
• – Geringerer Durchsatz bei dem/den MNP-SRF, gleichzusetzen mit Ersparnissen beim Erwerb von Lizenzen;
• – Weniger SS7-Links;
• – Geringerer Pflegeaufwand in den SMSC; und
• – Zukunftssichere Planung weiterer HLR für mehr Verkehr.

This reduced load has the following advantages in the SS7 network:

• - Time savings when establishing the retries;
• - Lower throughput at the MNP-SRF, equivalent to savings when purchasing licenses;
• - Fewer SS7 links;
• - Less maintenance in the SMSC; and
• - Future-proof planning of further HLR for more traffic.

The SMSC stops in the so-called short message Handler (SMH), a certain memory area of the SMSC, all waiting SM (store and forward principle) saved. In the case of MT-SM you must the delivery of which the IMSI and the Visited MSC (VMSC) found out become. This is done by the MAP_Send_Routing_Information For_SM query. The result obtained by the SMSC is required by the MT-SM to be able to deliver. As this is usually not possible the first time, the SMSC according to a certain retry scheme repeat this again and again until either the intended storage period is exceeded or until the MT-SM was successfully delivered. The needed and For this example, existing memory must be increased by a 10 Byte wide field can be expanded (max. Length of the calling address signal, HLR-GT, in extreme cases). For All affected MT-SMs should send the SMSC the sender address in this additional field (CgPty address) of the responding HLR. That still leaves everyone If the MT-SM is not successfully delivered, the target information immediately for the next Query before. If the MT-SM is successful the first time you try to deliver it delivered, the SM including this information will be deleted.

The other infrastructure in cellular networks is not affected by this invention.

An embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the drawing figure. Surrender themselves further features, advantages and possible uses of the invention.

1 shows schematically the process steps for the delivery of a short message to a ported number, the querying network supporting direct routing.

A cellphone subscriber 10 would like a short message to another mobile subscriber 11 send. Attendees 10 is with the querying network 12 registered. The short message is sent by an SMS center SMSC 13 of the network 12 received and temporarily stored there in a memory area of the so-called Short Message Handler (SMH) (step 1). The SMSC 13 transfers the short message to an SMS transfer switching center 14 (Step 2). The SMS-GMSC 14 generates a routing query for the delivery of the short message. Here is a MAP_Send_Routing_Information_For_SM - message to the MNP-SRF function 15 of the network 12 sent (step 3). This message contains the called party address (CdPty address) the MSISDN of the called party 11 , and as the CgPty address the address of the SMS-GMSC 14 ,

Once the MNP-SRF 15 receives the message, an MNP-SRF operation is triggered. The MNP-SRF functionality 15 analyzes the MSISDN in the CdPty address and determines that the MSISDN has been ported. This determination can be made in a known manner by querying a number portability database (not shown). With the information from the NP database, the CdPty address is modified and now contains a routing number (RN) or a combination of the routing number and MSISDN of the called subscriber 11 , The routing number points to the subscription network 16 of the called subscriber 11 ,

The MAP_Send_Routing_Information_For SM message with the modified CdPty address is used by the MNP-SRF function 15 of the network 12 to the MNP-SRF function 17 of the subscription network 16 sent (step 4).

After the MNP-SRF 17 of the network 16 an MNP-SRF operation is triggered again. The MNP-SRF functionality 17 analyzes the MSISDN in the CdPty address and uses a query from the NP database to determine that the MSISDN has been ported. The information from the NP database is used to modify the CdPty address and now contains the address of the relevant home register 18 (HLR) of the participant 11 ,

The MAP_Send_Routing_Information_For_SM message with the modified CdPty address becomes the responsible HLR 18 routed (step 5).

The HLR 18 replies to the routing request by sending back a MAP_Send_Routing_Information_For_SM Acknowledge message to the MSM-GMSC 14 , This message contains the IMSI and, as a rule, the address of the exchange responsible for the called subscriber 19 (VMSC), which are part of the visited (Visited) network 20 is in which the subscriber is logged in, and on the other hand, as the CgPty address, the HLR address of the HLR 18 (Step 6).

According to the SMS-GMSC 14 passed HLR address also to the SMSC 13 transmitted, assigned there to the short message to be delivered and saved in the Short Message Handler.

The SMS-GMSC 14 now tries the short message by means of a Forward_SMS message and the VMSC address to the VMSC 19 Deliver (step 7) from where they are to the participant 11 is forwarded (step 8). Is the delivery attempt successful? rich, so the short message and the associated HLR address in the SMSC 13 deleted from the memory of the SMH.

If the delivery attempt is unsuccessful, it is repeated after a certain time (retry).

With every retry required in the future, the SMSC 13 the short message and corresponding destination address (HLR address) of the HLR to be queried 18 without delay directly from the SMH and to the SMS-GMSC 14 to hand over. This can then be done directly via the SS7 route from the responsible HLR 18 query the Send_Routing_Information_For_SM (steps 2, 9 and 6) and start a delivery attempt. With each new delivery attempt, the previously necessary delivery steps 3, 4 and 5 are therefore omitted.

Claims (7)

Method for handling short messages in the case of number portability between several telecommunications networks, the subscriber numbers not permitting unambiguous assignment of the subscribers to the individual telecommunications network and where multiple delivery attempts are possible when delivering the short messages, characterized in that all or parts of the parameters belonging to the first delivery attempt or data, in particular destination information, are stored and used at least partially in subsequent further delivery attempts. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that in a participating SMS center SMSC ( 13 ) the short message to be delivered together with an HLR address determined in the first delivery attempt of a home location register HLR containing the necessary destination information ( 18 ) is saved temporarily. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for subsequent further delivery attempts the HLR ( 18 ) target information contained in the SMSC ( 13 ) stored HRL address directly from the HLR ( 18 ) can be queried. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the query of the HLR ( 18 ) via SS7 signaling. Arrangement for processing short messages with number portability between multiple telecommunications networks, the subscriber numbers no clear assignment of the participants to the individual telecommunications network allow and where several when delivering the short messages Delivery attempts possible are characterized in that a memory or storage part to include all or part of the first delivery attempt belonging Parameters or data, in particular target information, the buffer for the Recording of the short message is assigned. Arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that the memory or the storage part in a participating SMS center SMSC ( 13 ) is arranged. Arrangement according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the memory or the memory part within an SMS-GMSC ( 14 ) is arranged.