Method of communication of terminal devices via packet-switched mobile radio networks

description

A method of communicating over packet-switched mobile networks Endgeraten

The invention relates to a method for communication of Endgeraten over packet-switched mobile networks, each comprising a radio network and an access pending via an access node core network.

Moreover, the invention relates to a corresponding access node to the core network of a mobile network and a corresponding terminal device.

In mobile networks, always strong packet-switched transmission services Uber- come to use. Therefore, the mobile networks have an appropriate infrastructure, which data packets can receive from the radio network from a terminal device and forward in the core network or data packets from the core network can be transmitted to a terminal device in the wireless network.

In the use of packet switched mobile networks, it is desirable that a mobile terminal device, which moves away from its assigned home network, continue to packet-switched data transmissions drove through. Therefore, there are so-called roaming agreements between different network operators, which make it possible that a not in the home network befindliches terminal device communicates with the respective foreign network and here a data connec- fertil to another terminal device builds nowadays. The roaming services currently used is here established via the access node of the foreign network directly connecting through a tunnel to the home network and from there to the other terminal device. This can lead to long transmission paths and Verzogerun- gen drove, particularly if the foreign network and the home network are spatially far apart. It is therefore desirable that a terminal device in a foreign network for data tenubertragung possible also can use the local foreign network for data transmission.

In the area of ​​interaction between GPRS / UMTS networks with wireless networks, a mechanism is known in which a WLAN

Access point also allows the authentication of a terminal's when the Netzdomane for authentication to the wireless access point is not known. In this case, the wireless access point to the terminal device a list of possible mobile networks that enable authentication in the WLAN of the present access point is possible. The terminal device then uses based on the services provided by the wireless access point list of possible mobile networks a new Netzdomane for carrying out the identification and authentication. This known solution provides a terminal device information on Netzdomanen at your disposal, but no cellular connection of the terminal's in a packet-switched mobile data network is made possible so that the data transfer over the foreign network takes place.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method of communicating Endgeraten over packet-switched mobile networks, in which a terminal device for transmitting the data packets can be used to another terminal device and the local mobile radio network, in which the terminal device is currently located.

This object is achieved by the independent claims. Further developments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

In the inventive method sends in a step a) a first terminal device, which is associated in a first packet-switched mobile network, a first network ID for identifying a service area, a connection request including the first network identification for connecting to the network area according to the first network identification to an access node the core network of the second packet- termined mobile network. The term network area is here to be interpreted broadly and in particular corresponds to a network domain with a corresponding domain name or an address, which the domain is identifiable. In addition, the terms are radio network and core network in the well-known cellular technology terms, often being the English terms "radio access network" for radio network and "Co- re-Network" are used for the core network.

In a step b) of the inventive method detected Animal T the access node of the core network of the second packet-switched cellular network after receiving the connection request, the first network ID identifies a service area that belongs to someone other than the second packet-switched mobile network. Then sends the access node to the first terminal a response, in which an o- the plurality of second network identifications are included that identify network portions of the second packet-switched mobile network with which the first terminal is connected. By this inventive feature, it is possible that a terminal provided in a foreign, second packet-switched mobile network information network areas or network domains of the second packet-switched mobile network.

As a result, then select one of the second network identifications and then send a new connection request for connecting to the network area according to the selected second network ID to the access node of the core network of the second packet-switched mobile network, the first terminal in a step c). This means that the first terminal is now not the original network ID used from his home mobile radio network, but relies on a second network ID in the foreign network.

Finally, in a step d) after receiving the new connection request a connection through the network area according to the selected second network identification towards a second terminal is established. Through this connection through the second network area ensures that the packet-switched data transmission between the first and second terminal always on access of foreign, second mobile radio network to the packet-switched core network of the second mobile radio network takes place.

a dynamic process with the inventive method thus for any other networks set the ensured that the terminal can establish a data connection via the foreign mobile network. It no longer have to advance static agreements between operators of individual networks are closed, to determine how the packet-switched data transmission of a Endge- chine is to take place in a foreign network, but it can be decided dynamically as the data transfer is to take place. The inventive process permits rather by providing information regarding appropriate network areas in the foreign network connecting the Endge- chine on the foreign network without a tunnel to the home network intervenes in the data transmission. Specifically, when the home network and foreign network are far apart, thereby delays in data transmission are avoided.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the inventive method the radio network of this mobile network is used in addition to the core network of the second packet-switched mobile radio network, that is, the communication between see the first terminal and the access node of the second packet-switched mobile radio network takes place with the interposition of the radio network of the second mobile radio network.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the inventive method a known infrastructure of a packet-switched mobile communications network is used to implement the method. This infrastructure is used as an access node of the core network of the second packet-switched Mobile telephone network a so-called SGSN (SGSN = Serving GPRS Support Node), which establishes a connection towards the second terminal via a GGSN (VN-GGSN) of the second packet-switched mobile radio network, wherein the connection is made towards to the second terminal via the GGSN. SGSN and GGSN are well known in the packet-switched transmission in mobile networks nodes that coordinate packet-based data transfer between radio network and core network.

In another particularly preferred embodiment of the achieved findungsgemaßen method using both the first and the second packet-switched mobile network as the network protocol IP protocol, in particular the Mobile IP protocol and extensions of this protocol, preferably Mobile IPv4 and / or Mobile IPv6 and / or Hierarchical Mobile IPv6 (HMIPvβ) and / or fast handover Mobile IPv6 (FMIPvβ). These protocols offer the advantage that an existing wireless connection between the first and second terminal a seamless transition of the first Endge- may Board carried from the home network to a foreign network, without the data connection to be interrupted. The mechanisms of Mobile IP protocols, with which such a seamless transition without data interruption is ensured, are well known from the prior art and are therefore not explained in greater detail at this point. When using Mobile IP access node of the second packet-switched mobile network checks in step b) and d) of the method, first, whether the first terminal and Mobile IP used. Should this not be the case, the process is terminated as special in this

Embodiment of the method provides only the use of Mobile IP.

The information that the first terminal Mobile IP is used, is preferably transmitted in the connection request in step a) or in the new connection request in step c). In particular, this information is contained in the first and / or second network identification. In a further, particularly preferred embodiment of the method the transfer of the connection requests and the responses as part of a loan herkomm- PDP context activation process is performed. This means that the connection request in step a) and the new connection request of the inventive method Activate PDP Context Request in step c) and the response of the access node of the core network of the second packet-switched mobile radio network is an Activate PDP Context Response. The PDP Context Activation and the corresponding commands are sufficiently known from the prior art and are therefore not explained here more closely. PDP stands for the Packet Data Protocol.

In a further embodiment of the method of the access node of the core network of the second packet-switched mobile network leads in step b) before sending the response an authentication process, in particular the well-known from the prior art AAA-

Process through. The AAA process is carried out via a competent for the first terminal authentication node in the first packet-switched mobile network. In the authentication process is used to check whether the first Endge- is authenticated advice to use the second packet-switched mobile network, only in case of a successful authentication, that is, only when the first terminal actually must also use the second mobile network, further steps in the process be performed.

The inventive method is suitable for the GPRS mobile networks as well as UMTS networks. The second terminal must in this case be no Mobilfunkgerat, in particular, it can be any terminal device in an IP network, in particular in an IPv6 network, be.

Besides the method described above, the invention also relates to an access point to the core network of a mobile network, in particular an SGSN, wherein the access node is configured such that it can take over the function of the access node of the second packet-switched mobile network in carrying out the process. In addition, the invention relates also a terminal for packet-switched mobile networks, wherein the terminal is configured such that it can take over the function of the first terminal when carrying out the inventive method. That is, both the access node and the terminal according to the invention must be designed such that they generate or interpret the connection requests or responses of the inventive process used. The terminal is in this case for example a mobile terminal, especially a mobile phone and / or a mobile computer and / or a PDA (PDA = Personal Digital Assistant).

Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying figures.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of the interaction of two packet-switched mobile networks, in which procedure an embodiment of the method according to the invention for connecting two terminals can be inserted; and

Fig. 2 is a message flow diagram illustrating the exchange of messages onsverbindung for producing a communication reproducing according to an embodiment of the inventive method.

Subsequently the interaction according to the invention of two packet-switched mobile networks based on FIG. 1 and 2 is described. The packet-switched mobile networks may in this case (= Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service UMTS) be GPRS networks (GPRS = General Package Radio Service) or UMTS mobile networks. In Fig. 1, these two mobile radio networks called HN for home network and VN for "Visited Network" or foreign network. Both networks HN and VN are hereby administered by corresponding network service providers NSP. FIG. 1 shows a scenario in which a first rat Endge- UEL, which may be a mobile phone, with a second terminal UE2, which is a terminal device in an IPv6 network, connect liked.

The terminal device UEL here is a network area or a network Domane in the home PLMN mobile network HN mapped (PLMN = Public Land Mobile Network). The information posted for the associated Netzdomane is a so-called APN (APN = Access Point Name) stored in the terminal device UEL. The APN case consists of two components, namely a Netziden- fication and an operator identification. The network ID is usually an Internet domain name, such as. B. maschine.domain.de that uniquely identifies the IP network in the home network HN, with which the device UEL usually always connects when the device UEL also located in the home network HN. The operator identification in the APN is usually a string, such. As Operator. country. gprs, specifying clearly the operator of the corresponding Netzdomane.

The home network HN includes network components commonly used in packet-switched mobile networks, in particular an HN-SGSN (SGSN = Serving GPRS Support Node), which represents the access node towards the core network of the mobile network. In particular, the SGSN is responsible for routing and delivery of packets to the appropriate Endgerate in the coverage area of ​​the SGSN. The SGSN acts here with a corresponding HN GGSN in the home network together (GGSN = Gateway GPRS Support Node).

The HN-GGSN provides the necessary for the handling of data traffic gateway functions at your disposal. The two components GGSN and SGSN are sufficiently the prior are known art and therefore not described in detail here.

the terminal device UEL is in its home network HN, sends it its APN to the HN-SGSN via the so-called PDP

Context Activation (PDP = Packet Data Protocol). The method of the PDP Context Activation on is also sufficiently well known from the prior art and will therefore not be further described. After receiving the APN through the SGSN of the HN HN-SGSN lost on this APN and thereby preserving the IP address of the HN-GGSN. The dissolution of the APN is done here, for example via a DNS request (DNS = Domain Name Service).

then after carrying out the known PDP Context Activation achieved followed by a packet-based data transport via the home network HN between the first and second Mobilfunkgerat UEL Mobilfunkgerat UE2, with the device UEL liked to exchange data. In the scenario of FIG. 1 is, for example, the device UE2 part of another data network, a packet-data network ketbasierten which uses the network protocol IPv6. The transport takes place then the interposition of the home network HN over HN-SGSN and HN GGSN in the network HN and from there via the router (ER = Edge Router) in the IPv6 network where the device UE2 is located.

The present invention relates to the problem of the so-called roaming, in which the first terminal UEL moved out of the home network HN and is located in a foreign packet-switched mobile network VN. The scenario of roaming, that is, the movement of the UEL network HN to the UN network is indicated here by the arrow P. The foreign network is analogous to the home network HN and contains the same components, namely a corresponding UN SGSN and GGSN UN and a router ER toward the IPv6 network the second terminal's UE2 with which might connect UEL.

To enable seamless roaming in the transition of the first terminal's UEL of the network HN to the network VN, is in of the presently described embodiment of the invention, the known from the prior art Mobile IPv6 protocol. This protocol allows the use of two IP addresses for the UEL, namely the IPv6 address of the UEL in the home network HN and the IPv6 address of the UEL in UN foreign network. Is there a connection between the UEL and the UE2 in the home network HN, a transition of the UEL in the network VN is the Mobile IPv6 protocol enables without interrupting the connection, since data packets sent to the IP address in the home network HN of the UE2 will be diverted with the help of Mobile IPv6 to the new IP address in the visited network VN.

It proves to be a roaming scenario as problematic that advance must be set through which GGSN, ie whether to be exchanged over the HN-GGSN or the UN GGSN, data packets between the terminal device UEL and the terminal device UE2 when the UEL in UN foreign network is. This static definition to use for the GGSN can often lead to long Datenubertragungswegen. This occurs particularly when it is determined in advance that the UEL always connects only to the HN GGSN in the home network. Typically, this is effected by a corresponding GTP tunnel (GTP = GPRS Tunneling Protocol). This tunnel is established via one or more intermediate networks IN with corresponding Border Gateway BG between the UN SGSN in the foreign network VN and the HN-GGSN in the home network HN and is indicated in Fig. 1 by a dashed line. If the networks HN and VN spatially very far apart, the use of a GTP tunnel may lead to unnecessary delays in data transmission.

Instead of a GTP tunnel between the UN SGSN and build the HN-GGSN, alternatively by an agreement of the sawn-seater of the terminal's uel with the operators of the networks HN and VN be determined that the UEL always on the UN SGSN connects with the UN GGSN when is the UEL in UN foreign network. However, also in this case takes place Establishing the position to be used GGSN static for a predetermined external network VN.

In contrast to the known solutions described above, a mechanism is with the process of the invention provided that it enables the terminal UEL effort always connects with the UN GGSN any external network VN, if the UEL is in the foreign network, namely without advance static arrangement between the holder of the UEL and the individual networks HN and VN are closed. According to the presently described embodiment of the method is in the case that the UEL in the UN network is located, a connection to the relevant UN GGSN caused by an expansion in the process of PDP context activation. This is described below with reference to the message flow in FIG. 2.

The UEL, located in the foreign network VN, first sends an Activate PDP Context request R to activate the PDP context to the UN SGSN. This request includes the APN of the UEL. As already mentioned above, the APN includes the network identification of the network domain, which is associated with the UEL. In the embodiment described herein, the network identification includes an additive, which indicates that the UEL Mobile IPv6 uses and therefore wants to use the UN GGSN. This can be achieved for example by a string of the form "machine. Domain. De # MIPv6". In a step

51 receives the VN SGSN the APN and detected due to the addition in the network ID that the UEL Mobile IPv6 uses. Further, the VN-SGSN detects that the network ID of the UEL is not associated with the foreign network VN. Accordingly, the VN-SGSN performs authentication AAA in step

52 (AAA = Authentication Authorization Accounting) with a corresponding authentication server AAA HN-in through the home network. The AAA process is sufficiently from the prior

known technology and enables the network operator can identify the UEL and also can determine which Services are provided to the UEL and to what extent these services are used for the purpose of billing.

In the AAA process is reviewed, inter alia, whether the terminal device UEL is authorized to use the visited network VN, that is, whether a corresponding roaming agreement between the operators of the home network HN and the external network VN is. In the event that the terminal UEL is authorized to use the visited network VN, represents the UN SGSN in a next step S3, a list of domain names available that are located in UN foreign network and which permit that the UEL connects with these domains. The VN-SGSN sends this list of domain names then in a modified PDP context activation response message R2 to the UEL. The UEL then generated in step S4 a new APN based on the information in the message R2, that is, the UEL select a domain from the Domain list, and use the network identification of this domain in the new APN. The selection may be effected by any criteria, it may for example be random or it will always be the domain used, which stands at the top of the list.

The new APN is then in the form of a new actinide vate PDP Context request R3 det of the UEL to the UN SGSN Trans-. In a step S5, the VN-SGSN receives this APN, the network ID of APN in turn provides an appropriate addition that the terminal UEL Mobile IPv6 uses. Analog to step Sl detected the UN SGSN in step S5 that the UEL MIPv6 used. Unlike step Sl the UN SGSN is now clear, however, that the new APN includes a network ID, which is assigned to the external network VN. This means that due to the new network identification has now connect through the UN GGSN of the foreign network possible. Consequently, the UN selects SGSN in step S6 the UN GGSN of the foreign network as the access point for data transmission, and it is then the usual, well-known from the prior art PDP context activation performed, so that finally a movement of such data connection is established between the first terminal and the second terminal UE2 UEL.

With the described in the foregoing embodiment of the method is achieved that a

Terminal device, which is located in a foreign network can dynamically connect with the GGSN of the foreign network and here on building up the data connection to another terminal device. Further, since the Protocol Mobile IPv6 is used, moreover, the continuity of an existing data connection is to the effect ensured that a terminal device between the home network and a foreign network can be changed without the data connection is interrupted.

Thus a connection is ensured by the GGSN of any foreign network when the terminal device enters the foreign network, without this having to be explicitly defined for a particular foreign network in the data of the network operator in advance with the inventive method. There are also long transmission paths and associated delays avoided, since it can no longer be a case that the terminal device combines the foreign network with a possibly distant GGSN in the home network. This is the quality of data transmission at approximately verzoge- sensitive applications such. B. Videoubertragungen improved.