MXPA97008847A - Method for providing a ubicuo service to mobile subscribers using a wireless switch inalambr - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing universal access to service features by subscribers of wireless telecommunications service providers, which comprises establishing a gate switch interconnected with a plurality of mobile switching centers maintained by other wireless service providers. Trunk connections and signaling links between each mobile switching center and gate switch allow the gateway switch to establish call connections and apply service characteristics. Advantageously, the gateway switch is responsible for applying service characteristics and establishing call connection for its subscribers and in this way results in predictable access to wireless telecommunications services.

Description

METHOD FOR PROVIDING A LOCAL SERVICE TO MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS USING A WIRELESS GATE SWITCH Field Of The Invention This invention relates to wireless telecommunications and, more particularly, to providing wireless telecommunications services to mobile subscribers. Background of the Invention The worldwide proliferation of telecommunications (or "mobile") services is a result of advances in substantial costs in mobile telecommunications terminals, more commonly known as "cordless telephones". The cellular principle has also contributed to the growth of wireless telecommunications by allowing voice and data to be transported over a radio spectrum allocated to cellular sites located across long-range geographic areas. Undoubtedly, mobile subscribers use their cordless phones almost everywhere, and expect accessible service features where the wireless service is provided. This expectation of easily available access to service features presents a significant problem for wireless telecommunications service providers. This is because all REF: 25823 wireless telecommunications systems do not share a common air interface protocol. Therefore, mobile subscribers of communication outside the domestic area (that is, those subscribers who access wireless services outside the geographic area served by their "domestic" system) must initiate the application of service characteristics, such as call forwarding or voice mail, using different procedures than those used in your home system. There is also the possibility that some wireless telecommunications systems do not offer all the service characteristics to which the communication mobile subscribes outside the domestic area. This inaccessibility to service features prevents optimal use of wireless telephones and causes inconvenience to the mobile subscriber. Therefore, there is a need in the art for providing subscribers of wireless telecommunications services with universal access to service features, where wireless telecommunications services are provided. Compendium of the Invention This need is addressed and a technological advance in the wireless telecommunications technique is achieved by a gate switch, to universally provide service characteristics and establish call connections. In the preferred embodiment, the gate switch is maintained by a wireless telecommunications service provider that does not maintain air interface systems. Mobile subscribers served by this wireless telecommunications service provider (then the "ubiquitous provider") access the gate switch via air interface systems (ie, mobile switching centers) of other wireless service providers. The gateway switch retrieves the subscriber-related information from a shared database and establishes all call connections for the mobile subscriber. More particularly, when a mobile subscriber of the ubiquitous provider originates a call, access is made to the mobile switching center serving the geographic area where the subscriber is currently located. The mobile switching center uses the call origin information to identify the mobile terminal as a service subscription of the ubiquitous provider, and notifies the gate gate switch via a supplied signaling link. Subsequently, a trunk connection is established between the mobile switching center and the gate switch. The mobile switching center acts as the air interface through which the ubiquitous provider establishes call connections and applies service characteristics. AdvantageouslySubscribers of the ubiquitous provider enjoy access to service features each time wireless service is provided, regardless of the capabilities of the wireless system that serves as the interface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless telecommunications system wherein the present invention can be practiced; and FIGURE 2 is a flow chart illustrating the steps that are performed in the wireless telecommunications system of FIGURE 1, when a subscriber of a ubiquitous provider originates a call. Detailed Description FIGURE 1 shows a simplified block diagram of a portion of a wireless telecommunications system where the preferred embodiment of the present invention can be practiced. More particularly, the wireless telecommunications system 100 includes equipment maintained by a plurality of wireless telecommunications service providers. In this example, a ubiquitous provider maintains a gate switch 110, a first wireless telecommunications service provider maintains the mobile switching center 120 and a second wireless telecommunications service provider maintains the mobile switching center 140. In alternate modes, The ubiquitous provider can also maintain an air interface system. The gate switch 110, the mobile switching center 120 and the mobile switching center 140 are all interconnected to the rest of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 101, by trunks supplied as described below. In the preferred embodiment, the gate switch 110 is the AUTOPLEX "" 1000 manufactured by Lucent Technologies, and serves the geographic region represented by the telecommunications system 100. The gate switch 110 comprises the processor 111 interconnected by data links 112, the switching module 113 for establishing connections of call, the trunk connection installation 115 to establish connections to digital switches of mobile switching centers and the advertisement circuit 117 to send messages to the calling subscribers. As is known in the art, the processor 111 includes a limited amount of memory for storing data. The gateway switch 110 is also interconnected with the shared database 119 by the data link 114. The shared database 119 is accessed by gateway switches that are maintained by the ubiquitous provider, and stores information of related service features. Subscriber and subscriber location information. In alternate modes, the database 119 can be integrated with the gate switch. In the preferred embodiment, the ubiquitous provider has many gateway switches located across a wide geographical area (e.g., across the US) and maintains many shared subscriber databases that are interconnected to the shared database 119 by a direct link, such as a data link 102, or by indirect links through other signal transfer points. Gate switch 110 is illustrated with bi-directional trunk connections established 116, 118 to PSTN 101. It is also illustrated on signaling link 129 which interconnects the gate switch with mobile switching center 120 and bidirectional trunk connections 123 and 127 interconnected to the digital switch 130. Although bi-directional trunk connections are illustrated, other modalities may employ a plurality of uni-directional trunk connections as is known in the art. The gate switch 110 also maintains the signaling link 149 to the mobile switching center 140 and the bi-directional trunk connections 143, 147 to the digital switch 150. The signaling links 129 and 149 relay messages between the gate switch 110 and mobile switching centers and are sometimes used to initiate applications of service characteristics. The bi-directional trunks 123, 127, 143 and 147 are used to establish call connections and may also be employed by the gate switch 110 for service feature applications. In this example, the shared database 119 maintains information on service characteristics related to the subscriber and subscriber location data as described below. The mobile switching center 120 comprises the processor 122 interconnected to the database 124 by the data link 125. The digital switch 130 is interconnected to the PSTN 101 by the bi-directional trunk 133 and the mobile switching center by the trunk Bi-directional 131. The digital switch 130 is also interconnected to the gate switch 110 by bi-directional trunks 123, and 127. In this example, the mobile switching center 120 supports the base stations 132, 134, 136 and 138. All mobile subscribers (i.e., subscribers for which the mobile switching center 120 is the "domestic" wireless system and within the geographical area the communication subscribers outside their home area, which are technologically compatible with the mobile switching center 120) receive the air interface service by the aforementioned base stations.

In this embodiment, the mobile switching center 140 is maintained by a second provider of wireless telecommunications services and may or may not be located in a geographical area distant from the mobile switching center 120. Mobile switching center 140 comprises processor 142 interconnected to database 144 by data link 145. Also illustrated is digital switch 150 interconnected to PSTN 101 by bi-directional trunk 153 and to the mobile switching center 140 by the bi-directional trunk 151. The digital switch 150 is also interconnected to the gate switch 110 by bi-directional trunks 143 and 147. The mobile switching center 140 serves the base stations 152, 154, 157 and 158 and more particularly to the cordless telephone 160 interconnected to the mobile switching center 140 by the base station 158. In the preferred embodiment, the wireless telephone user 160 subscribes to services that are provided by the ubiquitous provider that maintains gate switch 110. In this example, there is no "domestic" air interface system associated with the ubiquitous provider and therefore no "domestic" air interface service serving the mobile subscriber. The gate switch 110 establishes all call connections and applies appropriate service characteristics to the cordless telephone 160. The database 124 of the mobile switching center 120 and the database 144 of the mobile switching center 140 maintain identification data that they allow these systems to recognize mobile subscribers (more particularly mobile terminal directory numbers) served by the ubiquitous provider. In alternate implementations with multiple ubiquitous providers, each mobile switching center must maintain data to identify the mobile terminals of each provider. When a ubiquitous provider terminal is recognized, a trunk is established which interconnects the gate switch with the digital switch of a mobile switching center as is known in the art. The trunk connection between the gate switch 110 and the digital switch allows the gate switch to establish call connections and applies service characteristics to the mobile terminals served by the ubiquitous provider. FIGURE 2 illustrates the steps performed in the wireless telecommunications system 100 when a subscriber of the ubiquitous provider originates a call. For clarity, continuing with the example of the subscriber using the wireless telephone 160 served by the base station 158 of the mobile switching center 140. The process begins in step 200 in which the subscriber originates a call in the mobile switching center 140 As is known in the art, the subscriber originates a call by dialing digits that initiate a series of messages (including the home telephone directory number) that are sent by the wireless telephone 160 to the mobile service switching center by means of the base station that serves. In step 202, the mobile switching center 140 recognizes (by the telephone directory number transmitted during the call origination process) that the cordless telephone 260 is a subscriber attended by the ubiquitous provider. Although ubiquitous provider subscribers are recognized by directory numbers in this modality, those skilled in the art can derive other methods to recognize a ubiquitous provider's subscriber. The process continues in step 204 wherein the mobile switching center 140 extends a signaling message to the gate switch 110 via the signaling link 149 indicating that the wireless telephone 160 has originated a call in the mobile switching center 140. In In step 206, the gate switch 110 receives the call origin information and recognizes the air interface system (i.e., the mobile switching center 140) from which the message is received using the identity of the signaling link. In decision step 208, the gate switch determines whether the shared database 119 is to be updated to reflect that the mobile switching center 140 is the air interface system (in register) serving the subscriber using the service. wireless 160. Updating the database is unnecessary if the gateway switch 110 processor 111 recognizes that the air interface system serving the mobile subscriber is unchanged from the "in register" system stored in the processor memory since the last time this particular subscriber tried to originate a call. If the result of the addition step 208 is a determination "YES" (YES), the process continues to step 209 wherein the gate switch 110 accesses the shared database 119 by the data link 102 to update the contained data before proceeding to the step 210 described below. If the result of the decision step 208 is a "NO" determination, the process continues directly to step 210, wherein a trunk connection between the mobile switching center 140 and the gate switch 110 is established as known in FIG. the specialty. In step 212, the gate switch 110 establishes a call connection from the subscriber in the cordless telephone 160 to a called party, and applies service features applicable to the cordless telephone 160 either through the established trunk connection or the ange system. air interface that gives service. The serving air interface system applies service characteristics directed by the gate switch with messages sent on signaling link 149.

Advantageously, subscribers of the ubiquitous provider have universal service to service characteristics. This is because the mobile switching centers of other wireless telecommunications service providers are primarily used as air interfaces and provide minimal substantive processing of call connections or service features. Although the present invention has been described with respect to the preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art can design numerous other assemblies without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS 1.- In a wireless telecommunications network comprising a gate switch interconnected with a plurality of air interface systems, a method for providing wireless telecommunications services characterized in that it comprises the steps of: identifying trunks to interconnect the gate switch with each air interface system; store data of service characteristics related to the subscriber in a database that is accessed by the gateway switch; establish a trunk connection between the gate switch and at least one air interface system; and using the gateway switch to apply service characteristics according to data contained in the service characteristics database.
2. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of using the gateway switch to apply service characteristics comprises the step of: applying service characteristics on a trunk connection that interconnects the gateway switch with the system of air interface.
3. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of using the gate switch to apply service characteristics comprises the step of: applying service characteristics on a signaling link interconnecting the gate switch with the system of air interface.
4. 4. - The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of: an air interface system that recognizes a subscriber served by the gate switch; and the air interface system retransmits subscriber information to the gate switch.
5. 5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that it further comprises the step of: the gateway switch updates data in a shared database to reflect another air interface system serving the subscriber.
6. 6. A gateway switch for providing wireless telecommunications services, characterized in that it comprises: storage means for storing data relating to service characteristics to the subscriber and subscriber location; interconnection means for establishing connections between the mobile switching centers and the gate switch; and processor means for managing call connections and trunk connections between at least one mobile switching center and the gate switch.
7. 7. - The gate switch according to claim 6, characterized in that it also comprises signaling means for retransmitting messages between the gate switch and at least one mobile switching center.
8. 8. - The gate switch according to claim 6, characterized in that the interconnection means are trunk connections used to establish call connections.
9. 9. The gate switch according to claim 6, characterized in that the interconnection means are used to apply service characteristics.
10. 10. The gate switch according to claim 7, characterized in that the signaling means are used to apply service characteristics.