Granted Patent B2

US 8,891,447 · App. 13/144,327 · Granted Nov 18, 2014

Abstract

Claims (28)

1. A method for a mobile terminal located in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN) to discover a generic access node controller (GANC) in a Circuit Switched Services over Long Term Evolution using Generic Access Network CSoLTEvGAN) architecture, the method comprising:

establishing a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection with a first default GANC in a home public land mobile network (HPLMN);

sending a register request, for a serving GANC to serve the mobile terminal, to the first default GANC;

receiving from the first default GANC an address to a second default GANC located within the same VPLMN as the mobile terminal; and

storing the address to the second default GANC and assigning said second default GANC as the GANC to which the mobile terminal will send future registration requests for a serving GANC to serve the mobile terminal while in the VPLMN as long as the mobile terminal is connected to or camped on the same VPLMN as the second default GANC.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the mobile terminal, system information about a cell by which the mobile terminal is served, and determining, by the mobile terminal, the first default GANC based on the system information.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cell is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRAN) cell.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving from the first default GANC an address to a second default GANC located within the same VPLMN as the mobile terminal comprises receiving a register redirect message from the first default GANC comprising the address.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the address in an IP address of the second default GANC.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the IP address of the second default GANC is determined based on a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) string sent to a Domain Name System (DNS) server, wherein the DNS server resolves the FQDN string to an IP address to the second default GANC.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the address to a second default GANC located within the same VPLMN as the mobile terminal comprises received from the first default GANC comprises a register redirect message received from the first default GANC comprising the address.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein the address in an IP address of the second default GANC.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8 , wherein the IP address of the second default GANC is determined based on a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) string sent to a Domain Name System (DNS) server, wherein the DNS server resolves the FQDN string to an IP address to the second default GANC.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the system information comprises any of the following or a combination thereof: a tracking area code TAC value; and an identification of the VPLMN.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the system information further comprises preconfigured information stored in a subscriber identity module (SIM) in the mobile terminal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the preconfigured information stored in the SIM comprises an operator identity string.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the system information further comprises a standardized string comprising a fixed domain name.

14. A mobile terminal adapted to discover a generic access node controller (GANC) in a Circuit Switched Services over Long Term Evolution using Generic Access Network (CSoLTEvGAN) architecture, the mobile terminal comprising:

a processor; and

a signaling interface coupled to the processor and adapted to establish a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection with a first default GANC in a home public land mobile network (HPLMN), and

wherein the signaling interface is further adapted to send a register request, for a serving GANC to serve the mobile terminal, to the first default GANC and to receive from the first default GANC an address to a second default GANC located within the same visited public land mobile network (VPLMN) as the mobile terminal, and

wherein the processor is further adapted to store the address to the second default GANC and to assign said second default GANC as the GANC to which the mobile terminal, as long as it is connected to or camped on the same VPLMN as the second default GANC, will send future registration requests for a serving GANC to serve the mobile terminal.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to determine system information about a cell by which the mobile terminal is served, and to determine the first default GANC based on the system information.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15 , wherein the cell is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRAN) cell.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 15 , wherein the system information comprises any of the following or a combination thereof: a tracking area code TAC value; and an identification of the VPLMN.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17 , wherein the system information further comprises preconfigured information stored in a subscriber identity module (SIM) in the mobile terminal.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18 , wherein the preconfigured information stored in the SIM comprises an operator identity string.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 17 , wherein the system information further comprises a standardized string comprising a fixed domain name.

Assignments (8)