JP6986354B2 - Communication system and communication method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to communication systems and communication methods.

With the progress of globalization, the number of devices connected to computer networks such as the Internet has increased, and the idea of the Internet of Things, in which all things are networked, is spreading. Hereinafter, networked devices are referred to as "IoT devices". There are various network connection methods for IoT devices, but here we will focus on the case of utilizing a cellular network.

It is also common for IoT devices connected to networks via cellular networks to be exported across national borders, for example, SIM cards contracted with European mobile network operators (MNOs) or carriers are used at European factories. It is conceivable that it will be inserted into the product and imported to Japan.

When this IoT device tries to access a computer network in Japan, the SIM card is assigned an identification number such as IMSI, ICCID, etc., and the information for identifying the above European carrier, which is the home location, is the identification. Since it is associated with the number, the request to start the connection to the computer network will be forwarded to the European carrier via the Japanese carrier that has an interconnection relationship with the European carrier.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, when the wireless terminal 100 into which the SIM card contracted with the European carrier 110 is inserted is located in the Japanese carrier 120 and starts access to the IP network 130. First, the wireless terminal 100 is a gateway (SGSN for 3G, S-GW for LTE) deployed in the core network of the Japanese carrier 120 through a wireless base station, which is the entry point of the Japanese carrier 120 (hereinafter, "visiting gateway"). Also referred to as the "visiting carrier gateway"), it sends a connection initiation request, including IMSI.

Upon receiving the connection start request, the visiting gateway determines that the identification number is associated with the European carrier 110 other than the Japanese carrier 120, and determines that the information of the SIM card inserted in the European carrier 110 and the wireless terminal 100 is used. After authenticating whether or not there is a contract based on this, the DNS is referred to based on the APN (Access Point Name) received from the wireless terminal 100, and the IP address corresponding to the APN is acquired. The IP address indicates the gateway (GGSN for 3G, P-GW for LTE) (hereinafter also referred to as "home gateway" or "home carrier gateway"), which is the endpoint of the core network of the European carrier 110. The visiting gateway sends or forwards the connection start request to the home gateway on the C plane of the tunneling protocol such as GTP via a network for providing carrier-to-carrier interconnection such as GRX. A tunnel is formed between the visiting gateway of the Japanese carrier 120 and the home gateway of the European carrier 110. The communication of the wireless terminal 100 is transferred from the Japanese carrier 120 to the European carrier 110 through the tunnel, and is transferred from the European carrier 110 to an external IP network or the like.

Although it is possible to use communication services within the service area of the partner carrier even if it is outside the service area of the carrier that issued the SIM card by international roaming through the inter-carrier interconnection network such as GRX. As shown in the example of FIG. 1, access must be performed after passing through the home location, which causes a data communication delay due to an increase in communication distance and the number of network hops. This is a problem also called "triangular routing".

Similar problems occur, for example, when a SIM card issued by a European carrier is inserted into an IoT device such as an in-vehicle device and used all over the world.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, the first object of which is to have an identification number (directly or indirectly) for accessing a first network (eg, a European carrier). ) To provide a communication system or communication method for providing a stored wireless terminal with access to a network via a second network (for example, a Japanese carrier), which can suppress delay. It is in.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing a first network (for example, a European carrier) is stored with access to the network via itself. The purpose is to provide a network (for example, a Japanese carrier) or a communication method that can suppress delay.

In order to achieve such an object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing the first network is stored to access the network via the second network. Based on the receiving unit that receives the connection start request on the C plane from the wireless terminal and the network ID of the second network acquired in response to the connection start request. A selection unit that selects a gateway on the U-plane to the network connected to the second network, and a transmission unit that transmits the gateway ID of the selected gateway on the U-plane to the second network. It is characterized by having and.

Further, the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the acquisition is performed by the IP address of the second network.

Further, in the third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the network ID of the second network is acquired with reference to the association between the IP address range and the network ID based on the IP address. It is characterized by that.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second or third aspect, the IP address is the destination of the U plane included in the signaling from the second network.

Further, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the gateway on the U plane is based on the network ID and based on the distance from the network having the network ID. It is characterized by being selected.

Further, a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fifth aspect, the distance is a distance on a network.

Further, a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fifth aspect, the distance is a geographical distance.

Eighth aspect of the present invention is, in any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, the gateway on the U plane is one or more associated with a network having a plurality of network IDs and network IDs. It is characterized in that it is selected by referring to the gateway table that holds the association with the gateway on the U plane.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the gateway on the U plane is selected based on the network ID and the identification number.

Further, a tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the gateway on the U plane is composed of one or a plurality of instances on the cloud.

Further, in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the tenth aspect, the gateway on the U plane functions on the C plane so that the wireless terminal can access the network via the second network. It is characterized by not exhibiting.

Further, the twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eleventh aspects, it is composed of one or a plurality of instances on the cloud.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is, in any one of the first to twelfth aspects, on the U-plane in providing the wireless terminal with access to the network via the second network. It is characterized by not exerting its function.

Further, in the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, the first network is the network of the first MNO, and the second network is the first network. It is characterized by being a second MNO network different from the MNO.

Further, in the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the fourteenth aspect, one or a plurality of identification numbers are directly or indirectly stored in the wireless terminal, and the wireless terminal transmits a connection start request. It is characterized in that the identification number used at times is for accessing the first network.

Further, the 16th aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the 14th or 15th aspect, the identification number is the IMSI.

Further, the seventeenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the fourteenth to sixteenth aspects, the first network and the second network are interconnected.

Further, the eighteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the fourteenth to seventeenth aspects, the first network is connected to the first network via an interconnection system.

Further, in the 19th aspect of the present invention, in any one of the 1st to 18th aspects, the transmitting unit transmits a tunnel endpoint generation request to the selected gateway on the U plane. It is characterized by that.

A twentieth aspect of the present invention is a communication system for providing access to a network via a visiting gateway to a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing a home gateway is stored. The wireless terminal is connected to the visiting gateway based on the receiving unit that receives the connection start request on the C plane and the acquired network ID of the visiting gateway in response to the connection start request. It is characterized by including a selection unit for selecting a gateway on the U-plane to the network, and a transmission unit for transmitting the gateway ID of the selected gateway on the U-plane to the visiting gateway.

A 21st aspect of the present invention is a communication method for providing access to a network via a second network to a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing the first network is stored. , Connected to the second network based on the step of receiving the connection start request on the C plane from the wireless terminal and the acquired network ID of the second network in response to the connection start request. It is characterized by including a step of selecting a gateway on the U-plane to the network and a step of transmitting the gateway ID of the selected gateway on the U-plane to the second network.

A 22nd aspect of the present invention is a communication method for providing a computer with access to a network via a second network to a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing the first network is stored. The communication method is a step of receiving a connection start request on the C plane from the wireless terminal, and the network of the second network acquired in response to the connection start request. Based on the ID, the step of selecting a gateway on the U-plane to the network connected to the second network and the gateway ID of the selected gateway on the U-plane are directed to the second network. It is characterized by including a step of transmitting.

A 23rd aspect of the present invention is to communicate with a communication system for providing access to a network via a second network to a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing the first network is stored. In the second network to be performed, the connection start request is transmitted from the wireless terminal to the receiving unit that receives the connection start request and the APN on the C plane and the communication system instructed based on the APN. On a U-plane to the network connected to the second network, selected based on the network ID of the second network in response to the connection start request in the communication system. It is characterized in that it receives the gateway ID of the gateway of the above and establishes a communication path with the gateway on the U plane indicated by the gateway ID.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is to communicate with a communication system for providing access to a network via a second network to a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing the first network is stored. The communication method to be performed is the step of receiving a connection start request and an APN on the C plane from the wireless terminal, and the communication system instructed by an IP address determined by DNS based on the APN. The step of transmitting the connection start request and the network connected to the second network selected based on the network ID of the second network in response to the connection start request in the communication system. It is characterized by including a step of receiving a gateway ID of a gateway on the U plane and a step of establishing a communication path between the gateway on the U plane indicated by the gateway ID.

A 25th aspect of the present invention is a communication system for providing a computer with access to a network via a second network to a wireless terminal in which an identification number for accessing the first network is stored. It is a program for executing a communication method for communicating with, and the communication method is determined by DNS based on the step of receiving a connection start request and an APN on the C plane from the wireless terminal and the APN. The step of transmitting the connection start request to the communication system indicated by the IP address and the connection start request in the communication system are selected based on the network ID of the second network. The step of receiving the gateway ID of the gateway on the U plane to the network connected to the second network and the step of establishing a communication path between the gateway on the U plane indicated by the gateway ID. It is characterized by including and.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a gateway on the U plane connected to the visiting gateway is selected based on the network ID of the visiting gateway that functions on the C plane, and a communication path between the two is selected. By establishing, the delay caused by going through the home location can be suppressed.

It is a figure which shows the conventional international roaming. It is a figure which shows the communication network which includes the communication system which concerns on one aspect of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the signal in the communication network in one aspect of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detail of the communication system in one aspect of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Outline of the present invention)
FIG. 2 shows a communication network including a communication system according to one aspect of the present invention. For convenience, the first network 210 is a network of European carriers whose service area is a predetermined area in Europe, and the second network 220 is a network of Japanese carriers whose service area is a predetermined area in Japan. Will be described as an example. It is assumed that the SIM card inserted in the wireless terminal 100 is contracted with a European carrier as in FIG. 1, and holds an identification number for accessing the European carrier.

It is possible that two or more IMSIs are stored in the SIM card inserted in the wireless terminal 100, and further, not only stored in the physical SIM card of the wireless terminal 100, but also wirelessly. One or more IMSIs are stored on a semiconductor chip (also called "eSIM") embedded in the terminal 100, software is installed in a secure area in the module of the wireless terminal 100, and one or more is mounted on the software. It is possible to store a plurality of IMSIs, and there are various possible modes in which the wireless terminal 100 directly or indirectly holds the identification number.

Here, the communication system 200A is connected to the first network 210 directly or via an intercarrier interconnection network such as GRX. The communication system 200A for providing a wireless communication service to an end user by using the wireless communication infrastructure for the first network 210 which is an MNO is a part of the network of a virtual mobile network operator (MVNO). A third network 200B for the wireless terminal 100 requesting access to the network 130 such as an IP network to form a tunnel is selected from a plurality of networks, which will be described in more detail below. It can be said that such a configuration is possible only when the same operator tries to operate the communication system 200A and the third network 200B across national borders, which is a new idea that has never existed before.

In the following description, it is assumed that the communication system 200A is a network separate from the first network 210, but the spirit of the present invention is, for example, to use the communication system 200A as a part of the first network. It is added that it can be applied even when it is constructed on the same network as the first network.

First, the wireless terminal 100 transmits a connection start request to the second network 220 in order to access the computer network 130 (S301). The second network 220 that has received the connection start request determines whether or not the carrier associated with the identification number is the second network 220 based on the identification number such as IMSI included in the connection start request. If the second network 220 is not the second network 220, that is, if the second network 220 is a visiting gateway for the wireless terminal 100, there is a contract between the first network 210 and the wireless terminal 100 (SIM card inserted in). After performing authentication such as, an inquiry is made to the DNS that maintains the association between the APN and the IP address of the gateway based on the APN received from the wireless terminal 100 (S302). DNS transmits the IP address of the access destination server corresponding to the APN to the second network 220 based on the received APN (S303).

The DNS can be part of the communication system 200A and can also be located at a location accessible from the communication system 200A or the second network 220. One IP address does not necessarily correspond to each APN, but multiple IP addresses are associated with each other, and when the APN is received, it is allocated by the round robin method, or it is used as an identification number such as IMSI. It is possible to select according to the IP address of the visiting gateway of the second network 220 or the second network 220.

The second network 220 then requests the connection start request (in the present specification, the "connection start request") to the communication system 200A or the server in the communication system 200A designated by the IP address corresponding to the APN. It shall also include the request transmitted by the second network 220, which substantially corresponds to the connection start request received by the second network 220) or the identification number included in the connection start request, and the second. The IP address of the visiting gateway of the network 220 or the second network 220 is transmitted (S304). The signaling on the C plane transmitted from the second network 220 includes the IP address of the visiting gateway of the second network 220 or the second network 220 as the destination of the U plane, and this IP address is used as the destination. It can be used. This IP address may also be visible as part of the connection initiation request.

In addition to the IP address, the second network 220 further provides auxiliary information to assist the wireless terminal 100 in selecting the gateway for establishing a connection in the communication system 200A or the third network 200B including the gateway. It may be transmitted to 200A.

In the communication system 200A, it is possible to refer to the association between the IP address range and the network ID of the network having the IP address included in the IP address range, and more specifically, the IP address range table that holds the IP address range. , The network ID of the second network 220 can be acquired or inferred from the acquired or received IP address of the second network 220. Here, the IP address range table may be stored in the storage unit of the communication system 200A or in a storage device or storage medium accessible to the communication system 200A. Alternatively, guessing by reverse lookup, which translates an IP address to a domain name, guessing by a Whois query, which provides registrant information for a domain associated with an IP address, can be mentioned. ..

In the communication system 200A, a gateway table that holds the association between the network ID and the gateway on the associated U-plane of the network having the network ID is stored, and the wireless terminal 100 is stored based on the acquired network ID. Can select a gateway for establishing a connection or a third network 200B containing it. In addition, the communication system 200A also requests the selected third network 200B or its gateway to generate a tunnel endpoint (TE) ID in response to the received connection start request, if necessary. (S305).

The communication system 200A receives the tunnel endpoint ID (TEID) from the third network 200B (S306) and transmits it to the second network 220 together with the gateway ID (S307). The gateway ID is, for example, the IP address of the gateway on the selected U-plane. When the gateway of the third network 200B has two or more servers connectable to the second network 220, the IP address of any one of them is selected as the gateway ID.

The second network 220 that has received the gateway ID and TEID forms a tunnel between the visiting gateway of the second network 220 and the gateway of the third network 200B indicated by the gateway ID (S308). ..

In the conventional international roaming, it is always required to return to the first network 210 which is a home carrier to perform communication, which causes a delay. However, according to the present invention, it is a visiting carrier. The wireless terminal 100 can form a U-plane tunnel with the gateway of the third network 200B associated with the second network 220, and can shortcut the home location, so that the delay is significantly improved. Will be done.

Examples of the network to be accessed by the wireless terminal 100 include an IP network such as the Internet and a non-IP network. In addition to public systems, private systems can also be mentioned. In addition to the on-premises private system, when at least a part of the third network 200B is realized on the cloud, different IP networks on the same cloud or IP networks on different clouds are included in the private system, and the third network The network 200B and these private systems can be connected by a dedicated line or a virtual dedicated line.

Further, if there is no description of "only" such as "based on XX only", "according to XX only", and "in the case of XX only", additional information is provided in the present specification. It should be noted that it is naturally assumed that also can be taken into consideration.

(Details of communication system)
FIG. 4 shows the details of the server included in the communication system according to one aspect of the present invention. Each of one or more servers 400 included in the communication system 200A has a communication unit 401 such as a communication interface that receives a connection start request on the C plane from the wireless terminal 100, and a second acquired in response to the connection start request. Based on the network ID of the network 220, the gateway table stored in the storage unit 402 including a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk or a storage medium is referred to, and the computer network 130 connected to the second network 220 is connected to the computer network 130. It can be a server including a processor for selecting a gateway, a processing unit 403 such as a CPU, and the like. The communication unit 401 transmits the gateway ID of the selected gateway to the second network 220. If the communication unit 401 has received the ID of the tunnel endpoint generated by the selected gateway, it also transmits the ID to the second network 220.

The server is not limited to a physically single server, but may be a plurality of accessible servers, and the storage unit 402 may be a storage device accessible from the server on a computer network. Further, the operation in one or both of the communication unit 401 and the processing unit 403 can be realized by executing one or a plurality of programs for causing the computer to perform the operation, and the program can be read by the computer. It can be recorded on a storage medium to be a non-transient program product.

The server 400 can be an instance on a public cloud or a private cloud. Here, the term "cloud" as used herein refers to a system capable of dynamically provisioning and providing computing resources such as CPU, memory, storage, and network bandwidth according to demand on the network. For example, the cloud can be used by AWS or the like.

The communication system 200A performs a function on the C plane at the start of connection in providing the wireless terminal 100 with access to the network 130 via the second network 220, but does not perform the function on the U plane. can do. The function on the U plane can be performed in the third network 200B whose service area is outside or outside the service area of one or both of the first network 210 and the communication system 200A, such as overseas. When the third network 200B is outside the service area or the service area of the communication system 200A, it does not necessarily mean outside the country. The third network 200B shall perform a function on the U plane but not a function on the C plane in providing the wireless terminal 100 with access to the computer network 130 via the second network 220. be able to.

(Details of gateway table)
The gateway table held or accessible by the communication system 200A defines the correspondence relationship between the network ID and the gateway or server associated with the network having the network ID or the network including the gateway or server.

In one aspect, the gateway table is located in the vicinity of the network having the network ID (that is, the second network 220) or the gateway among the networks scattered in various places or the gateway thereof with respect to the network ID. It defines the correspondence with a plurality of gateways or a network including them (that is, a third network 200B). Here, the "distance" to the gateway can be the distance on the network measured by the delay time. The distance on the network can be calculated, for example, by the number of hops. In addition, it can be said that they are located in the vicinity in order from the one with the closest geographical distance.

In another aspect, the network ID may be associated with one or more gateways outside the service area of the network having the network ID (that is, the second network 220) or a network including the gateways. can.

Further, for example, it is possible to associate a plurality of gateways or a network including them with one network ID, and determine which gateway is associated with the identification number such as IMSI included in the connection start request. .. Then, for a specific identification number, regardless of the distance, a specific service on the U-plane can be associated with an available gateway or a network including the gateway, and as an example, only the identification number can be used on the U-plane. You can select the gateway.

Also, in communication system 200A or a server accessible from it, the processing capacity metrics of each of the plurality of U-plane gateways associated with the second network 220 are monitored, and the gateway with the lower processing load is selected. May be good. Examples of the metrics to be monitored include CPU load, memory utilization rate, disk read, disk write, network traffic reception amount, network traffic transmission amount, and the like. The server of each gateway associated with the second network 220 can be an instance on a public cloud or a private cloud. In the selection of gateways on the U-plane based on the distance described above, it is also useful to finally select the one with the lower processing load when a plurality of equivalent gateways exist.

In another aspect, the communication system 200A may receive the auxiliary information from the second network 220. As a specific example, there may be one or a plurality of servers serving as exits for connections between the second network 220 and the third network, and the IP address of each server may be received as auxiliary information. In this case, in the communication system 200A, the gateway to be connected or the third network 200B including the gateway is selected based on each server, and the distance between the second network 220 and the third network 200B is set. You may choose the shortest combination.

(Details of the second network)
The second network 220 has one or more servers as in the communication system 200A, and each server has a communication unit such as a communication interface, a storage unit such as a memory and a hard disk, and a storage unit including a storage medium. , A processor, a CPU, and other processing units are provided, and the above-mentioned data transmission and / or reception is performed by the communication unit, and necessary processing is performed by the processing unit. The storage unit may be a storage device accessible from the server on the computer network, and the operation in one or both of the communication unit and the processing unit may be one or a plurality of programs for causing the computer to perform the operation. It can be realized by executing the program, and the program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium to be a non-transient program product. Further, one or more servers included in the second network 220 can be an instance on a public cloud or a private cloud.

100 Wireless terminal 110 European carrier 120 Japanese carrier 130 IP network 200A Communication system 200B Third network 210 First network 220 Second network 400 Server 401 Communication unit 402 Storage unit 403 Processing unit

Claims (3)

Communication for providing access to a network other than the first network via the second network, which is a visiting carrier, to the wireless terminal in which the identification number for accessing the first network is stored. The method is that the computer connected to the first network
A step of receiving a connection start request on the C plane from the wireless terminal via the second network, including the IP address of the second network or its visiting gateway.
In response to the connection start request, on the basis of the network ID obtained by IP address, the connected to the second network, a gateway on the U-plane in the third network to the network, the selecting a service area of the gateway of the first network,
A step of transmitting the gateway ID of the selected gateway on the U plane to the second network is included. The computer is provided with access to a network other than the first network via the second network, which is a visiting carrier, to the wireless terminal in which the identification number for accessing the first network is stored. It is a program for executing the communication method for the above, and the communication method is a computer connected to the first network.
A step of receiving a connection start request on the C plane from the wireless terminal via the second network, including the IP address of the second network or its visiting gateway.
In response to the connection start request, on the basis of the network ID obtained by IP address, the connected to the second network, a gateway on the U-plane in the third network to the network, the selecting a service area of the gateway of the first network,
A step of transmitting the gateway ID of the selected gateway on the U plane to the second network is included. Communication for providing access to a network other than the first network via the second network, which is a visiting carrier, to the wireless terminal in which the identification number for accessing the first network is stored. It ’s a system,
A connection start request on the C plane, including the IP address of the second network or its visiting gateway, is received from the wireless terminal via the second network.
In response to the connection start request, on the basis of the network ID obtained by IP address, the connected to the second network, a gateway on the U-plane in the third network to the network, the select the out of range of gateway of the first network,
The gateway ID of the selected gateway on the U plane is transmitted to the second network.

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