Neighboring cell paging at border mobile switching center
View Patent ↗A method is provided for paging a mobile station ( 40 ) served by a wireless telecommunications network (A). The method includes: remembering a last known location of the mobile station ( 40 ), and implementing a first paging strategy for the mobile station ( 40 ) within a first collection of cells ( 32 ) served by a first mobile switching center ( 20 ). If a response to the first paging strategy is not received by the first mobile switching center ( 20 ), then the method further includes: selecting one or more cells ( 32 ) served by a second mobile switching center ( 22 ) based upon the last known location of the mobile station ( 40 ); identifying the selected cells ( 32 ) in an intersystem paging request; forwarding the intersystem paging request from the first mobile switching center ( 20 ) to the second mobile switching center ( 22 ); and, in response to the second mobile switching center ( 22 ) receiving the intersystem paging request, paging the mobile station ( 40 ) in those cells ( 32 ) served by the second mobile switching center ( 22 ) which are identified in the intersystem paging request.
1. A wireless telecommunications network serving a mobile station (MS), said network comprising:
a first mobile switching center (MSC) serving a first collection of cells; and,
a second MSC serving a second collection of cells;
wherein the first MSC implements a first paging strategy for the MS when the MS is being sought by the network and if a response to the first paging strategy is not returned from the MS, then:
the first MSC selects one or more cells served by the second MSC based upon a last known location of the MS;
the selected cells are identified in an intersystem page request (IPR) that is forwarded to the second MSC; and,
the second MSC pages the MS in the cells identified in the IPR.
2. The network of claim 1 , wherein the last known location of the MS is a last known cell served by the first MSC which the MS last used to access the network.
3. The network of claim 2 , wherein the selected cells are those cells served by the second MSC that are neighboring the last known cell served by the first MSC.
4. The network of claim 3 , said network further comprising:
a location database (DB) in which is recorded the last known location of the MS.
5. The network of claim 4 , said network further comprising:
a hand-off information DB provisioned to aid in the negotiation of hand-offs between cells served by the first and second MSCs.
6. The network of claim 5 , wherein the first MSC selects the cells to identify in the IPR by accessing the hand-off information DB to find cells served by the second MSC which are nearest to the last known location of the MS recorded in the location DB.