KR20160039528A - System and method for providing roaming subscriber with additional service - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a method for easily providing various additional services capable of using in a country of a visited network without an additional request in the visited network by a mobile communications subscriber for roaming from a home network to the visited network. According to an aspect of the present invention, a roaming system to provide an additional service to a mobile communications terminal roaming from a home network to a visited network, comprises an authentication server for the home network for receiving an additional service authentication request on the mobile communications terminal registered in the visited network, and transmitting an authentication response on the request to the visited network.

Description

[0001] SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING ROADING SUBSCRIBER [0002]

The present invention relates to a roaming service of a mobile communication service, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing an additional service to a subscriber roaming from a home network to a visited network.

In a mobile communication service, when a subscriber of a mobile communication service visits overseas, or when a user visits a mobile communication service provider area of another area, the subscriber can be notified of a mobile communication service A service providing a service is called a roaming service.

In the roaming service, the international roaming gateway system and the international roaming charge settlement system should be established through mutual agreement between the home network and the mobile communication service providers of the visited network. When a subscriber who subscribes to a home network provider's mobile communication service visits a service area of a home network operator, the subscriber is referred to as an inbound roaming subscriber in the context of the visited network.

In international roaming, a provider of a visited network can obtain an income according to the communication usage portion of the inbound roaming subscribers roaming through its own network when using the communication service of the visited network. However, in most international roaming, when a mobile subscriber roams from a home network to a visiting network, the visiting network operator is promoting promotional SMS such as welcome SMS in order to promote utilization. As a representative example, domestic patent publication 10-2011-0023579 is exemplified.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2011-0023579

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile communication subscriber roaming from a home network to a visited network, And to provide a system and a method for easily providing to a subscriber.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto. It will also be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a roaming system for providing an additional service to a mobile communication terminal roaming from a home network to a visited network, the roaming system including: And an authentication server of the home network receiving a request from the visited network and transmitting an authentication response to the visited network.

The authentication server may receive the additional service authentication request from the location registration processing device of the visited network when the mobile communication terminal performs the initial location registration in the visited network.

The authentication server may transmit the authentication response to the location registration processing device.

The authentication server may receive the supplementary service authentication request from a service server providing an additional service in the visited network when the mobile communication terminal registers the initial location in the visited network.

Wherein the service server receives the information of the mobile communication terminal from the location registration processing device of the visited network when the mobile communication terminal performs the initial location registration in the visited network, Lt; / RTI >

The authentication server may approve the supplementary service when the mobile communication terminal subscribes to the data roaming service and may disallow the supplementary service if the mobile communication terminal does not subscribe to the data roaming service.

The authentication server may transmit an authentication response including information on a different additional service right according to the type of the data roaming service to which the mobile communication terminal subscribes.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing an additional service in a visited network to a mobile communication terminal roaming from a home network to a visited network, Transmitting an additional service authentication request for the mobile communication terminal to an authentication server of the home network upon receiving the location registration request from the home server; The location registration processing device receiving an authentication response from the authentication server and transmitting the authentication response to a service server of the visited network; And providing, by the service server, an additional service to the mobile communication terminal based on the authentication response.

In the step of transmitting the supplementary service authentication request, the location registration processing device may transmit the supplementary service authentication request when the location registration request is the first location registration request after roaming.

When the mobile communication terminal is subscribed to the data roaming service in the home network, the authentication response includes information on the approval of the supplementary service, and when the mobile communication terminal does not subscribe to the data roaming service, information on the disapproval of the supplementary service may be included.

The approval information of the supplementary service may include information of a differential supplementary service right according to the type of the data roaming service to which the mobile communication terminal subscribes.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing an additional service in a visited network to a mobile communication terminal roaming from a home network to a visited network, Transmitting information of the mobile communication terminal to a service server of a visited network upon receiving a location registration request from the terminal; Transmitting, by the service server, an additional service authentication request to the mobile communication terminal to an authentication server of a home network; And the service server receiving an authentication response from the authentication server and providing an additional service to the mobile communication terminal based on the received authentication response.

In the step of transmitting the information of the mobile communication terminal, the location registration processing device may transmit the information of the mobile communication terminal to the service server when the location registration request is the first location registration request after roaming.

The present invention can provide information such as cultural information, restaurant information, and shopping information in a visited network country to a mobile communication subscriber who roams from a home network to a visited network, and can provide information such as entrance, And can provide a ticketing service.

In particular, when a mobile communication subscriber roaming from a home network to a visited network registers an initial location in a visited network, the mobile communication subscriber authenticates in the home network whether the mobile communication subscriber is a subscriber who can receive additional services in the visited network, The communication subscriber can easily provide the additional service to the mobile communication subscriber in the visited network even if the communication subscriber does not separately request from the visiting network or the home network.

In the present invention, when a mobile communication subscriber joins a data roaming service in a home network and roams to a visited network, the mobile communication subscriber also subscribes to a data roaming service, Can be promoted.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a roaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing an additional service in a roaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing additional services in a roaming system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: There will be. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a roaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the roaming system includes a mobile communication terminal 110, a visited network 120, and a home network 130. The mobile communication terminal 100 is a terminal roaming from the home network 130 to the visited network 120 and is connected to the home network 120 and the home network 130 to perform a conventional voice communication and data communication And may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a personal communication service (PCS) phone, a hand-held PC, a CDMA-2000 phone, a WCDMA phone, a portable multimedia player (PMP) Portable, and MBS (Mobile Broadband System) phones. That is, the mobile communication terminal 110 can be any terminal capable of performing voice communication and data communication by roaming from the home network 130 to the visited network 120 as a subscriber terminal subscribed to the home network 130. [

The mobile communication service providers of the home network 130 and the visited network 120 provide a roaming service in cooperation with the international roaming gateway system and the international roaming charge settlement system through bilateral agreements. At this time, when a subscriber who subscribes to the mobile communication service of the home network 130 roams to the service area of the visited network 120, the terminal can define the corresponding terminal as an inbound roaming terminal on the basis of the visited network 120, ), The terminal can be defined as an outbound roaming terminal.

The visited network 120 is a roaming network of the mobile communication terminal 110 and is basically connected to the mobile communication terminal 110 by radio to perform services such as a voice communication service, a wireless data service, a video call or a message service And performs all the functions to make it possible.

The visited network 120 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an exchange 122, a gateway location register (GLR) 124, and a service server 126. Here, the exchange 122 and the GLR 124 can be understood as a location registration processing device in the present invention. The exchange 122 may include equipment such as a gateway switch or a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) / Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) in a WCDMA system, and an MME (Mobility Management Entity) in an LTE system. In the embodiment of the present invention, it is described that the visited network 120 includes only the exchange 122, the GLR 124, and the service server 126. However, Those skilled in the art will recognize that the visited network 120 may include a base station transmitter, a base station controller, and a mobile communication terminal 110 for providing mobile communication services, ), And a charging device for roaming charge settlement with the home network 130, and the like.

The exchange 122 may perform basic and supplementary service processing for providing a voice communication service, incoming and outgoing call processing of a subscriber, location registration procedure and handoff procedure processing, interworking with other networks, Authentication and registration when the mobile communication terminal 110 is connected and ensures mobility when the mobile communication terminal 110 moves between the base stations. The exchange 122 receives the location registration message from the mobile communication terminal 110 roaming inbound from the home network 130 to the visited network 120 and transmits the location registration message to the GLR 124.

The exchange 122 may know the country and the carrier of the home network 130 of the mobile communication terminal 110 from the identification information of the inbound roaming mobile communication terminal 110, for example, an IMSI (Intranet Mobile Subscriber). The IMSI is a subscriber identification number of 15 or fewer digits. The IMSI is an MCC (Mobile Contry Code) for identifying a 3-digit country, an MNC (Mobile Network Code) for identifying a 2 to 3 digit network, a MSISDN (Mobile Subscriber Identification Number).

The GLR 124 is a gateway location register for performing a location registration process of the mobile communication terminal 110 roaming from the home network 130 to the visited network 120. The GLR 124 registers location registration requests from the mobile communication terminal 110 And requests the location registration to the home location register 132 of the home network 130 that receives the mobile communication terminal 110. Although the GLR 124 is shown only in the visited network 120 in the present embodiment, the gateway location register may be located in the home network 130 or in both the home network 120 and the home network 130 And may be interconnected.

The home location register 132 (HLR) is a database that stores a service profile related to information of the mobile communication subscriber. The home location register 132 stores a mobile identification number (MIN), a terminal identification number (ESN) An electronic serial number), information on the type of subscription service, and the like. The home location register 132 may be understood to include a home subscriber server (HSS) in an LTE system. The home location register 132 performs a location registration procedure of the mobile communication terminal 110 roaming to the visited network 120 using the location registration message received from the GLR 124 of the visited network 120. The home location register 132 stores and manages subscriber profiles and location information for all mobile communication terminals registered in its network.

The GLR 124 receives the subscriber profile from the home location register 132 of the home network 130 and transmits the subscriber profile to the exchange 122 of the visited network 120. The GLR 124 may also be used for routing between the home location register 132 of the home network 130 and the exchange 122 of the visited network 120 or between the home location register of the visited network 120 and the exchange of the home network 130. [ Relays the exchange of information.

The GLR 124 or the switching center 122 of the home network 130 transmits the location registration request to the authentication server of the home network 130 when the mobile communication terminal 110 performs location registration by roaming from the home network 130 to the visited network 120 134 to send an additional service authentication request in the visited network 120 and receive an authentication response thereto. Here, the supplementary service provides cultural information, restaurant information, shopping information, and the like of the landing network 120 to the mobile communication terminal 110 roaming from the home network 130 to the landing network 120, ) It is a service that provides various national shopping malls, cultural spaces, concerts, coupons, and tickets.

When the communication service provider of the home network 130 stores the information of the mobile communication subscribers applying for the above-mentioned additional service in the authentication server 134 and the authentication server 134 receives the supplementary service authentication request from the communication network of the other country And transmits the authentication success or authentication failure response to the communication network of the corresponding country based on the additional service subscription information. Here, the supplementary service subscription information may be general roaming service subscription information.

For example, in the case of KT, various data roaming services such as data roaming unlimited, data roaming automatic unlimited, data roaming 10,000 won, data roaming 30,000 won, and the like are provided as a roaming service. The subscriber may be automatically subscribed to the above-mentioned supplementary service when the subscriber subscribes to the data roaming service in the home network 130. [ That is, the mobile communication subscriber does not need to subscribe to the above-mentioned additional service, and joins the above-mentioned additional service only by subscribing to the general data roaming service. Accordingly, the authentication server 134 may be a device for storing subscriber information of the data roaming service. When a service provider subscribes to a data roaming service, the service provider notifies that the additional service is automatically provided and can market the data roaming service. In the present embodiment, data roaming is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other goods may be selected as a condition for providing additional services according to the policy of the communication provider. Such as joining a monthly subscription to a genie music service, or purchasing an advance fee product.

The GLR 124 or the switch 122 transmits the information of the mobile communication terminal 110 to the service server 126 of the visited network 120 when the authentication success response is received from the authentication server 134 of the home network 130 send.

Alternatively, according to another embodiment, the GLR 124 or the switch 122 may not send an additional service authentication request to the authentication server 134 of the home network 130, May send an additional service authentication request to the authentication server 134 and receive an authentication response accordingly. The GLR 124 or the switching center 122 may be configured such that when the mobile communication terminal 110 is found to roam from the home network 130 to the visited network 120, To the service server 126.

The service server 126 may push various cultural information, restaurant information, shopping information, coupons, etc. to the SMS 110, the SMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) or the MMS have. In addition, the service server 126 can perform access authentication, ticketing authentication, traffic settlement service, and the like, in cooperation with various shopping malls, cultural spaces, and venues in the country of the visited network 120. That is, when a subscriber tags an access system in a shopping mall, a cultural space, or a venue using the NFC / QR code function of the mobile communication terminal 110, the access system transmits an authentication request to the service server 126, If you receive it, allow access. Examples of cultural information include museum audio guides and the like.

The authentication server 134 of the home network 130 may transmit an authentication response including the rights information to which the rights to use the supplementary service can be differentiated. For example, KT provides a variety of data roaming services such as data roaming unlimited, data roaming automatic unlimited, data roaming 10,000 won, data roaming 30,000 won, and so on. Differentiate the use rights of the service. For example, subscribers who use 10,000 won data roaming can provide free access to 3 museums and subscribers who use 30,000 won data roaming can give free access to museums without restriction. The authentication response may include information on supplementary service approval or disapproval, and information on differential authorization when the authorization is granted.

In addition, the authentication server 134 of the home network 130 can allocate the additional service use right in a customized manner according to the existing service pattern of the subscriber and transmit the authentication response accordingly.

When a subscriber of the home network 130 roams to the landing network 120 and uses the additional service as described above, he / she can receive a reward for the roaming charge subscription of the subscriber 130 in the visited network 120 Settle it. To this end, the international roaming charge settlement system of the home network provider 130 provides a portion of the roaming service charges to the operator of the visited network 120 according to the rate negotiated with the operator of the visited network 120.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing an additional service in a roaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mobile communication subscriber of the home network 130 subscribes to the roaming data service in the home network 130 before moving to the visited network 120. The carrier of the home network 130 stores the roaming data service subscription information of the mobile communication subscriber in the authentication server 134.

The mobile communication subscriber carries the mobile communication terminal 110 and moves from the home network 130 to the visited network 120. The mobile communication terminal 110 performs location registration in the visited network 120. That is, the mobile communication terminal 110 transmits a location registration request to the exchange 122 of the visited network 120 (S201). The switch 122 transmits a location registration request to the GLR 124 (S203).

The GLR 124 checks the country information of the mobile communication subscriber and the carrier information of the home network 130 based on the identification information of the mobile communication terminal 110 included in the location registration request, And transmits a location registration request to the register 132 (S205).

In addition, the GLR 124 transmits an additional service authentication request to the authentication server 134 of the home network 130 (S207). At this time, the supplementary service authentication request includes identification information of the mobile communication terminal 110, for example, IMSI and / or MSISDN.

The authentication server 134 of the home network 130 uses the identification information of the mobile communication terminal 110 included in the supplementary service authentication request to check whether the mobile communication subscriber is the supplementary service target, 124 (S209). For example, when the mobile communication subscriber is subscribed to the data roaming service, the mobile communication subscriber determines that the mobile communication subscriber is a supplementary service target.

At this time, the authentication server 134 can differentiate the use rights of the supplementary service with respect to the mobile communication subscriber and can transmit the authentication response accordingly. For example, KT provides a variety of data roaming services such as data roaming unlimited, data roaming automatic unlimited, data roaming 10,000 won, data roaming 30,000 won, and so on. Differentiate the use rights of the service. For example, subscribers who use 10,000 won data roaming can provide free access to 3 museums and subscribers who use 30,000 won data roaming can give free access to museums without restriction.

The GLR 124 transmits the authentication response received from the authentication server 134 of the home network 130 to the service server 126 (S211). The service server 126 provides additional services to the roaming mobile communication terminal 110 according to the information included in the received authentication response (S213). If the authentication response includes information indicating that the service is not an additional service target, the service server 126 does not provide the additional service. Here, the supplementary service may be provided by pushing various cultural information, restaurant information, shopping information, coupons and the like to an SMS (Short Message Service), a multimedia message (MMS) or a dedicated application to the mobile communication terminal 110, 120) It is possible to provide access authentication, ticketing authentication, traffic settlement service, etc. in cooperation with systems of various shopping malls, cultural spaces, and theaters in the country. The service server 126 can provide differentiated services to the mobile communication terminal 110 differentially according to the rights information included in the authentication response when the right to use additional services is different for each subscriber. The authentication response may include information on supplementary service approval or disapproval, and if authorization, information according to authority may be included.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing additional services in a roaming system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3, the mobile communication subscriber of the home network 130 subscribes to the roaming data service in the home network 130 before moving to the visited network 120. The carrier of the home network 130 stores the roaming data service subscription information of the mobile communication subscriber in the authentication server 134.

The mobile communication subscriber carries the mobile communication terminal 110 and moves from the home network 130 to the visited network 120. The mobile communication terminal 110 performs location registration in the visited network 120. That is, the mobile communication terminal 110 transmits a location registration request to the exchange 122 of the visited network 120 (S301).

Upon receiving the location registration request, the switch 122 confirms whether it is the inbound roaming and the initial location registration based on the identification information (e.g., IMSI) of the mobile communication terminal 110 included in the location registration request (S303). When the mobile communication terminal 110 is the first roaming location registration, the exchange 122 transmits the information of the mobile communication terminal 110 to the service server 126 (S309). The information of the mobile communication terminal 110 includes, for example, IMSI and / or MSISDN.

Meanwhile, regardless of whether the exchange 122 transmits the information of the mobile communication terminal 110 to the service server 126, the location registration procedure proceeds normally. That is, the exchange 122 transmits a location registration request to the GLR 124 (S305). Then, the GLR 124 transmits the location registration to the home location register 132 of the home network 130 (S307).

The service server 126 receiving the information of the mobile communication terminal 110 from the exchange 122 transmits an additional service authentication request to the authentication server 134 of the home network 130 based on the information of the mobile communication terminal 110 (S311). The identification of the mobile communication terminal 110 is included in the supplementary service authentication request.

The authentication server 134 of the home network 130 uses the identification information of the mobile communication terminal 110 included in the supplementary service authentication request to check whether the mobile communication subscriber is the supplementary service target, (Step S313). For example, when the mobile communication subscriber is subscribed to the data roaming service, the mobile communication subscriber determines that the mobile communication subscriber is a supplementary service target.

At this time, the authentication server 134 can differentiate the use rights of the supplementary service with respect to the mobile communication subscriber and can transmit the authentication response accordingly. For example, KT provides a variety of data roaming services such as data roaming unlimited, data roaming automatic unlimited, data roaming 10,000 won, data roaming 30,000 won, and so on. Differentiate the use rights of the service. For example, subscribers who use 10,000 won data roaming can provide free access to 3 museums and subscribers who use 30,000 won data roaming can give free access to museums without restriction.

The service server 126 provides additional services to the roaming mobile communication terminal 110 according to the information included in the received authentication response (S315). If the authentication response includes information indicating that the service is not an additional service target, the service server 126 does not provide the additional service. Here, the supplementary service may be provided by pushing various cultural information, restaurant information, shopping information, coupons and the like to an SMS (Short Message Service), a multimedia message (MMS) or a dedicated application to the mobile communication terminal 110, 120) It is possible to provide access authentication, ticketing authentication, traffic settlement service, etc. in cooperation with systems of various shopping malls, cultural spaces, and theaters in the country. The service server 126 can provide differentiated services to the mobile communication terminal 110 differentially according to the rights information included in the authentication response when the right to use additional services is different for each subscriber. The authentication response may include information on supplementary service approval or disapproval, and if authorization, information according to authority may be included.

2 and 3, the service provider of the home network 130 transmits a reward for the roaming charge subscription to the visited network 120 to the mobile communication terminal 110, Settle it to the business operator. To this end, the international roaming charge settlement system of the home network provider 130 provides a portion of the roaming service charges to the operator of the visited network 120 according to the rate negotiated with the operator of the visited network 120.

While the specification contains many features, such features should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention or the scope of the claims. In addition, the features described in the individual embodiments herein may be combined and implemented in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described herein in a single embodiment may be implemented in various embodiments individually or in a suitable subcombination.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the drawings.

110: mobile communication terminal
120: Visiting Network
130: home network
122:
124: GLR
126: service server
134: Authentication server

Claims (15)

1. A roaming system for providing an additional service to a mobile communication terminal roaming from a home network to a visited network,
And an authentication server of the home network that receives an additional service authentication request for the mobile communication terminal registered in the visited network from the visited network and transmits an authentication response to the visited network. The method according to claim 1,
The authentication server includes:
Wherein the mobile communication terminal receives the additional service authentication request from the location registration processing device of the visited network when the mobile communication terminal performs the initial location registration in the visited network. 3. The method of claim 2,
The authentication server includes:
And transmits the authentication response to the location registration processing device. The method according to claim 1,
The authentication server includes:
Wherein the mobile communication terminal receives the supplementary service authentication request from a service server providing an additional service in the visited network when the mobile communication terminal performs an initial location registration in the visited network. 5. The method of claim 4,
The service server,
When the mobile communication terminal performs an initial location registration in the visited network, receives the information of the mobile communication terminal from the location registration processing device of the visited network and transmits the additional service authentication request to the authentication server accordingly . 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The authentication server includes:
Wherein the mobile communication terminal approves the supplementary service when the mobile communication terminal subscribes to the data roaming service and disables the supplementary service if the mobile communication terminal does not subscribe to the data roaming service. The method according to claim 6,
The authentication server includes:
Wherein the mobile communication terminal transmits an authentication response including information on a different additional service right according to the type of the data roaming service to which the mobile communication terminal subscribes. A method of providing an additional service in a visited network to a mobile communication terminal roaming from a home network to a visited network,
Transmitting an additional service authentication request for the mobile communication terminal to an authentication server of a home network upon receiving a location registration request from the mobile communication terminal;
The location registration processing device receiving an authentication response from the authentication server and transmitting the authentication response to a service server of the visited network; And
And the service server providing an additional service to the mobile communication terminal based on the authentication response. 9. The method of claim 8,
In the step of transmitting the supplementary service authentication request,
Wherein the location registration processing device transmits the supplementary service authentication request when the location registration request is the first location registration request after roaming. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
Wherein when the mobile communication terminal is subscribed to the data roaming service in the home network, the authentication response includes information on approval of the supplementary service, and when the mobile communication terminal does not subscribe to the data roaming service, . 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the approval information of the supplementary service includes information of a differential supplementary service right according to the type of the data roaming service to which the mobile communication terminal subscribes. A method of providing an additional service in a visited network to a mobile communication terminal roaming from a home network to a visited network,
Transmitting information of the mobile communication terminal to a service server of a visited network upon receiving a location registration request from the mobile communication terminal;
Transmitting, by the service server, an additional service authentication request to the mobile communication terminal to an authentication server of a home network; And
The service server receiving an authentication response from the authentication server and providing an additional service to the mobile communication terminal based on the received authentication response. 13. The method of claim 12,
In the step of transmitting the information of the mobile communication terminal,
Wherein the location registration processing apparatus transmits the information of the mobile communication terminal to the service server when the location registration request is the first location registration request after roaming. The method according to claim 12 or 13,
Wherein when the mobile communication terminal is subscribed to the data roaming service in the home network, the authentication response includes information on approval of the supplementary service, and when the mobile communication terminal does not subscribe to the data roaming service, . 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the approval information of the supplementary service includes information of a differential supplementary service right according to the type of the data roaming service to which the mobile communication terminal subscribes.

Images