Methods, apparatuses and software for providing the service control node with filter criteria

1. A method in a telecommunications network for triggering services provided to a user roaming in an external domain, said method comprising the steps of:

obtaining by a service control node in a home network of the user, filter criteria associated with the external domain, wherein the filter criteria are for local services provided to roaming users in the external domain;

selecting by the service control node, at least one filter criterion from the filter criteria associated with the external domain for use at the service control node based upon the criterion's relevance to the user, wherein the relevance is determined based upon at least one of:

the ability of the user to consume the service;

the user's location;

network-related information; and

the capabilities of the user's communication device; and

triggering a service provided to the user utilizing the at least one filter criterion.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one filter criterion associated with the external domain is associated with a Value Added Service Provider residing in the external domain.

3. A method in a service control node in a home telecommunications network of a user for triggering services provided to the user, said method comprising the steps of:

downloading by the service control node, filter criteria from a user profile of the user during a user registration process, the filter criteria defining which application servers are to be accessed for user services when the user is operating in the home network;

utilizing at least one of the downloaded filter criteria to provide the user with a requested service when the user is operating in the home network;

detecting by the service control node that the user has roamed to a visited network;

in response to detecting that the user has roamed to the visited network, obtaining by the service control node, filter criteria from the visited network, wherein the filter criteria from the visited network are for services provided to roaming users in the visited network; and

utilizing at least one of the filter criteria from the visited network to provide the user with a requested service when the user is operating in the visited network.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the network is an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and the service control node comprises a Serving Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF).

5. An apparatus in a home telecommunications network of a user for triggering services provided to the user when the user is operating in an external domain, wherein the apparatus is configured to:

detect that the user has roamed to the external domain;

in response to detecting that the user has roamed to the external domain, obtain filter criteria associated with the external domain, wherein the filter criteria are for local services provided to roaming users in the external domain;

select at least one filter criterion from the filter criteria associated with the external domain for use at a service control node based upon the criterion's relevance to the user, wherein the relevance is determined based upon at least one of:

the ability of the user to consume the service;

the user's location;

network-related information; and

the capabilities of the user's communication device; and

trigger a service provided to the user utilizing the at least one filter criterion.

6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the step of downloading the filter criteria from the user profile includes:

retrieving the filter criteria by a node other than the service control node; and

sending the retrieved filter criteria to the service control node.

7. An apparatus in a home telecommunications network of a user for triggering services provided to the user, wherein the apparatus is configured to:

download filter criteria from a user profile of the user during a user registration process, the filter criteria defining which application servers are to be accessed for user services when the user is operating in the home network;

utilize at least one of the downloaded filter criteria to provide the user with a requested service when the user is operating in the home network;

detect that the user has roamed to a visited network;

in response to detecting that the user has roamed to the visited network, obtain filter criteria from the visited network, wherein the filter criteria from the visited network are for services provided to roaming users in the visited network; and

utilize at least one of the filter criteria from the visited network to provide the user with a requested service when the user is operating in the visited network.