WO2000010340A2

WO2000010340A2 - Method of decentralizing the management of network components in a telecommunication network

Info

Publication number: WO2000010340A2
Application number: PCT/FI1999/000664
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sami Ala-Luukko
Original assignee: Sonera Oyj
Priority date: 1998-08-10
Filing date: 1999-08-10
Publication date: 2000-02-24
Also published as: AU5292099A; WO2000010340A3

Abstract

Method and system for decentralizing the management of network components in a telecommunication system comprising a mobile subscriber network (MSN) and an intelligent network (IN) connected to it. A first (DB1) and a second (DB2) database external to the mobile subscriber network (1) and intelligent network (2) are created and the essential subscriber information is stored in them. The management of the first (DB1) and second (DB2) databases is separated from the management of the mobile subscriber network (1) and intelligent network (2). The first database (DB1) is connected to the mobile subscriber network (1) and the second database (DB2) is connected to the intelligent network (2), and services for mobile subscribers are provided by means of the databases (DB1, DB2) created, using existing mobile subscriber (1) and intelligent networks (2). In respect of their operation, the first external database (DB1) corresponds to the database part of the home location register HLR of the mobile subscriber network (1) and the second database (DB2) to the service data point (SDP) of the intelligent network. The interface (15) between the external databases (DB1, DB2) and the mobile subscriber network (1) and intelligent network (2) is formed by using a real-time database protocol, e.g. an X.500 protocol.

Description

METHOD FOR DECENTRALIZING THE MANAGEMENT OF NETWORK COMPONENTS IN A TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK

The present invention relates to telecommunication. In particular, the present invention relates 5 to a method and system for forming the interfaces between network elements and decentralizing the management of network elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

10 A mobile subscriber network (MSN) comprises various network components which are used to manage and control the operation of the mobile subscriber network. To implement services for the customers of the mobile subscriber network, it is necessary to

15 store certain information about the subscribers in certain databases. Subscriber information is generally stored in a home location register (HLR) . The subscriber information comprises subscriber service data and mobility control data.

20 It has been suggested that a service operator could buy the required network components, such as mobile switching centre (MSC) , home location register (HLR) and intelligent network (IN) service control point (SCP) , to be used in a mobile subscriber net-

25 work, e.g. GSM network (GSM, Global System for Mobile Communications) . This would allow the operator to act as a service operator in the framework of similar roaming agreements in both international and possibly also in national roaming traffic.

30 If a service operator acts in the manner specified above, it will not be dependent on any given network operator. On the other hand, owning the components of a mobile subscriber network and an intelligent network requires a profound knowledge and know-

35 how about the GSM system or other mobile communication system and its maintenance. In addition, standardiza- tion of the interfaces between network components is a very difficult task. Providing open interfaces may also constitute a safety risk for the network operator. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks referred to above or at least to significantly alleviate them.

A specific object of the invention is to disclose a method and system of a new type which will al- low the service operator-network operator interface to be implemented without the service operator owning the components of the mobile subscriber network. The service operator will only maintain databases, which are easy to manage. As for the features characteristic of the present invention, reference is made to the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The method of the invention aims at decen- tralizing the management of network components. In the method, a first and a second database external to the mobile subscriber network and intelligent network are created and the essential subscriber information is stored in these databases. The management of the first and second databases is separated from the management of the mobile subscriber network and intelligent network. Further, the first database is connected to the mobile subscriber network and the second database is connected to the intelligent network. In the present invention, services for mobile subscribers are provided by means of the databases created, using existing mobile subscriber and intelligent networks.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first external database is so configured as to make it equivalent to the database part of the home location register of the mobile subscriber network, and the second external database is so configured that its operation corresponds to the operation of the service data point (SDP) of the intelligent network.

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the in- vention, subscriber information is updated in the first and second external databases and read operations are performed in the first and second external databases .

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first database hardware configuration is connected via a database interface to the mobile subscriber network. Further, a second database hardware configuration is connected via a database interface to the intelligent network. A preferred embodiment of the system of the invention for decentralizing the management of network components in a telecommunication system comprises a mobile subscriber network and an intelligent network connected to it. Moreover, the system comprises a first database hardware configuration and a second database hardware configuration, both external to the mobile subscriber network and intelligent network, the first database hardware configuration being connected to the mobile subscriber network and the second data- base hardware configuration to the intelligent network to permit the storage and retrieval of essential subscriber-speci ic information.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in respect of its operation, the first exter- nal database corresponds to the database part of the home location register of the mobile subscriber network, and the second external database corresponds in respect of its operation to the service data point of the intelligent network. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the interfaces between the external databases and the mobile subscriber network and intelligent network are formed by using a real-time database protocol, such as X.500 or LDAP (LDAP, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) .

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the in- vention, the mobile subscriber network comprises means for updating the first database and means for performing read operations in the first database. The intelligent network comprises means for updating the second database and means for performing read operations in the database.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the system comprises means for connecting the first database hardware configuration to the mobile subscriber network and means for connecting the second database hardware configuration to the intelligent network.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the home location register and/or service control point comprises/comprise means for performing write operations in the first and/or second databases/database. In addition, the home location register and/or the service control point comprise/comprises means for performing read operations in the first and/or second databases/database. Fur- ther, the first and second databases comprise means for the storage and retrieval of data.

The invention makes it unnecessary for the service operator to maintain anything else but service data. Both the service operator and the network opera- tor only maintain their own systems, utilizing previously known standard database interfaces. Moreover, thanks to the invention, the service operator does not have to own the trunk-line components of the mobile subscriber network but only maintain the required da- tabases. The invention also reduces the safety risks faced by the network operator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the invention will be described in detail by the aid of a few examples of its embodiments, wherein Fig. 1 presents the present invention as a skeleton diagram, and

Fig. 2 presents an embodiment of the system of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 presents a system according to the present invention, comprising a mobile subscriber network 1 and an intelligent network 2 connected to it. Moreover, the system comprises a first and a second database DBl and DB2, which are external to the mobile subscriber network 1 and the intelligent network 2. The mobile subscriber network 1 comprises means 3 for updating the first database DBl and means 4 for performing read operations in the first database DBl. The intelligent network 2 comprises means 5 for updating the second database DB2 and means 6 for performing read operations in the second database DB2.

The external databases DBl and DB2 comprise means 13 and 14 for the storage and retrieval of in- formation. Moreover, the system comprises means 7 for connecting the first database DBl to the mobile subscriber network 1 and means 8 for connecting the second database DB2 to the intelligent network 2. The interface 15 between the mobile subscriber network 1 and the intelligent network 2 is formed by using a realtime database protocol.

The means 3 - 6, 13 and 14 in Fig. 1 are implemented in a manner known in itself, e.g. as program blocks used by a computer, and they will therefore not be described in detail. The system presented in Fig. 2 comprises a mobile subscriber network 1 and an intelligent network 2, which in this example comprise a total of four components. The mobile subscriber network 1 comprises a home location register HLR and a mobile switching centre MSC connected to it. Moreover, intelligent network services are provided by means of a service control point SCP of the intelligent network 2 and a service switching point SSP of the intelligent network 2, the SSP being connected to the SCP. According to the invention, two databases, a first database HLR-DB and a second database SDP, are connected to the system. The home location register HLR comprises means 9 and 11 for performing write and read operations in the first database HLR-DB. The home location register HLR of the mobile subscriber network 1 is connected to the first database HLR-DB, which is updated by the HLR and to which the latter sends queries to obtain the required subscriber information. The service control point SCP of the intelligent network 2 is connected to the second database SDP and it comprises means 10 and 12 for performing write and read operations in the second database SDP. In this example, the service control point SCP receives the information it needs from the second database SDP. The interface 15 between the first database HLR-DB and the home location register HLR and the interface 15 between the second database SDP and the intelligent network 2 can be formed using a real-time database protocol. The database protocol may be e.g. an X.500 protocol.

The means 9 - 12 in Fig. 2 are implemented in a manner known in itself, e.g. as program blocks used by a computer, and they will therefore not be described in detail. The present invention is not restricted to the examples of its embodiments described above, but many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive idea defined in the claims

Claims

1. Method for decentralizing the management of network components in a telecommunication system, which comprises a mobile subscriber network (MSN) and an intelligent network (IN) connected to it, cha ra ct e ri z ed in that a first (DBl) and a second (DB2) database external to the mobile subscriber network (1) and intelligent network (2) are created, the essential subscriber in- formation being stored in said databases; the management of the first (DBl) and second (DB2) databases is separated from the management of the mobile subscriber network (1) and intelligent network (2) ; the first database (DBl) is connected to the mobile subscriber network (1) ; the second database (DB2) is connected to the intelligent network (2) ; services for mobile subscribers are provided by means of the databases (DBl, DB2 ) created, using existing mobile subscriber (1) and intelligent networks (2) .

2. Method as defined in claim 1, cha r a ct e r i z ed in that the first external database (DBl) is so configured as to make it equivalent to the database part of the home location register (HLR) of the mobile subscriber network (1) , and the second external database (DB2) is so configured that its operation corresponds to the operation of the service data point (SDP) of the intelligent network (2) .

3. Method as defined in claims 1 - 2, cha ra ct e r i z ed in that subscriber information is updated in the first (DBl) and second (DB2) external databases.

4. Method as defined in claims 1 - 3, chara ct e r i z ed in that read operations are performed in the first (DBl) and second (DB2) external databases .

5. Method as defined in claims 1 - 4, characteri zed in that a first database hard- ware configuration (DBl) is connected via a database interface (15) to the mobile subscriber network (1) .

6. Method as defined in claims 1 - 5, characteri zed in that a second database hardware configuration (DB2) is connected via a database interface (15) to the intelligent network (2) .

7. System for decentralizing the management of network components in a telecommunication system comprising a mobile subscriber network (1) and an intelligent network (2) connected to it, c h a r a c - t e r i z e d in that the system comprises a first database hardware configuration (DBl) and a second database hardware configuration (DB2), both external to the mobile subscriber network (1) and intelligent network (2) , said first database hardware configuration (DBl) being connected to the mobile subscriber network (1) and the second database hardware configuration (DB2) to the intelligent network (2) to permit the storage and retrieval of essential subscriber-specific information.

8. System as defined in claim 7, characteri zed in that, in respect of its operation, the first external database (DBl) corresponds to the database part of the home location register (HLR) of the mobile subscriber network (1) .

9. System as defined in claims 7 and 8, characteri zed in that, in respect of its operation, the second external database (DB2) corresponds to the service data point (SDP) of the intelligent network (2) .

10. System as defined in claims 7 - 9, characteri zed in that the interface (15) between the external databases (DBl, DB2) and the mobile subscriber network (1) and intelligent network (2) is formed by using a real-time database protocol.

11. System as defined in claims 7 - 10, cha ra ct e r i z ed in that the real-time database protocol is an X.500 protocol.

12. System as defined in claims 7 - 11, cha racteri z ed in that the real-time database protocol is the LDAP protocol.

13. System as defined in claims 7 - 12, cha ract e r i z ed in that the mobile subscriber network (1) comprises means (3) for updating the first database (DBl) and means (4) for performing read operations in the first database (DBl) .

14. System as defined in claim 7 - 13, cha racte r i z e d in that the intelligent network

(2) comprises means (5) for updating the second database (DB2) and means (6) for performing read operations in the second database (DB2).

15. System as defined in claims 7 - 14, cha ract e r i z e d in that the system comprises means (7) for connecting the first database configuration (DBl) to the mobile subscriber network (1) .

16. System as defined in claims 7 - 15, cha racteri zed in that the system comprises means (8) for connecting the second database configuration (DB2) to the intelligent network (2) .

17. System as defined in claims 7 - 16, characteri zed in that the home location register (HLR) and/or the service control point (SCP) comprise/comprises means (9,10) for performing write operations in the first database (DBl) and/or the second database (DB2) .

18. System as defined in claims 7 - 17, charact e r i z ed in that the home location reg- ister (HLR) and/or the service control point (SCP) comprise/comprises means (11, 12) for performing read operations in the first database (DBl) and/or the second database (DB2) .

19. System as defined in claims 7 - 18, characteri zed in that the first (DBl) and the second database configurations (DB2) comprise means (13, 14) for storing and retrieving information.