Telecommunications network emergency-call handover

1. A telecommunications network, comprising:

a computer-readable memory;

an access device comprising:

a transceiver communicatively connectable with an access network of a selected type; and

a processor of the access device configured to, via the transceiver of the access device, receive a handover request associated with an emergency communication session of user equipment and, in response, initiate a session transfer of the emergency communication session;

a plurality of Emergency Access Transfer Function (EATF) network devices, each comprising:

a respective transceiver communicatively connectable with a core network device; and

a respective processor configured to, via the respective transceiver, proxy signaling traffic for one or more communication sessions; and

the core network device comprising:

a transceiver of the core network device communicatively connectable with the plurality of EATF network devices; and

a processor of the core network device configured to:

query the computer-readable memory using an address of the user equipment to determine whether the address of the user equipment is stored in the computer-readable memory;

determine respective addresses of the plurality of EATF network devices in response to the initiated session transfer; and

transmit respective handover queries to the EATF network devices via the transceiver of the core network device using the determined respective addresses in response to the initiated session transfer and to the address of the user equipment not being stored in the computer-readable memory;

wherein the respective processor of each EATF network device is further configured to, in response to the respective handover query, provide a respective indication of whether the emergency communication session is being proxied by that EATF network device; and

wherein the respective processor of at least one of the EATF network devices is configured to store address(es) of user equipment device(s) in the computer-readable memory in association with an address of the at least one of the EATF network devices.

2. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , the core network device further comprising a second computer-readable memory storing the respective addresses of the EATF network devices, wherein the processor of the core network device is further configured to retrieve the respective addresses from the second computer-readable memory and transmit the handover queries to the respective retrieved addresses.

3. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , wherein the processor of the core network device is further responsive to a positive indication from a first EATF network device of the plurality of EATF network devices to transmit an invitation message to the first EATF network device via the transceiver.

4. The telecommunications network according to claim 3 , wherein each handover query includes a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) INFO request and the invitation message includes a SIP INVITE request.

5. The telecommunications network according to claim 3 , wherein the processor of the core network device is further configured to:

receive, via the transceiver of the core network device, a transfer acknowledgement from the first EATF network device; and

in response, transmit a session-transfer acknowledgement.

6. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , wherein each handover query includes a SIP INVITE request.

7. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , further comprising a second access device communicatively connected with a second access network of a selected second type, the second access device comprising:

a transceiver of the second access device; and

a processor of the second access device configured to receive a handover indication from the user equipment via the transceiver of the second access device and, in response, provide the handover request to the access device.

8. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , wherein the processor of the access device is further configured to allocate access network resources for the emergency communication session in response to the handover request.

9. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , wherein the access device comprises at least a mobile switching center (MSC) or MSC server (MSS) and the core network device comprises an Interrogating Call Session Control Function (I-CSCF).

10. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , wherein the handover request includes an emergency session transfer number-single radio (E-STN-SR).

11. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , wherein:

the respective indication associated with a particular EATF network device comprises a positive indication if the emergency communication session is being proxied by that EATF network device; and

the processor of the core network device is further configured to determine that only a first one of the EATF network devices has provided the positive indication.

12. The telecommunications network according to claim 1 , the core network device further comprising a second computer-readable memory, wherein the processor of the core network device is further configured to, before transmitting the respective handover queries, determine that an address of the user equipment is not stored in the second computer-readable memory.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

first operations comprising:

receiving a handover request associated with an emergency communication session of user equipment; and

in response, initiating a session transfer of the emergency communication session;

second operations comprising:

querying a computer-readable memory using an address of the user equipment to determine whether the address is stored in the computer-readable memory;

determining respective addresses of Emergency Access Transfer Function (EATF) network devices in response to the initiated session transfer; and

transmitting respective handover queries to the EATF network devices using the determined respective addresses in response to the initiated session transfer and to the address of the user equipment not being stored in the computer-readable memory; and

third operations comprising:

storing address(es) of user equipment device(s) in the computer-readable memory in association with an address of the at least one of the EATF network devices;

proxying signaling traffic for one or more communication sessions; and

in response to a first handover query of the handover queries, providing an indication of whether the emergency communication session is being proxied by at least one of the one or more processors.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 13 , the second operations further comprising retrieving the respective addresses from the computer-readable memory.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 13 , the second operations further comprising:

receiving a positive indication from a first EATF network device of the EATF network devices; and

transmitting an invitation message to the first EATF network device.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 15 , wherein the second operations further comprise:

determining the respective handover queries including respective Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) INFO requests; and

determining the invitation message including a SIP INVITE request.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 13 , wherein the second operations further comprise determining the respective handover queries including respective SIP INVITE requests.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 13 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform fourth operations comprising:

receiving a handover indication from the user equipment; and

in response, transmitting the handover request.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 13 , the first operations further comprising allocating access network resources for the emergency communication session in response to the handover request.

20. A method, comprising, under control of one or more processors:

storing address(es) of user equipment device(s) in a computer-readable memory in association with an address of at least one of a plurality of Emergency Access Transfer Function (EATF) network devices;

receiving a handover request associated with an emergency communication session of user equipment;

in response, initiating a session transfer of the emergency communication session;

querying the computer-readable memory using an address of the user equipment to determine whether the address of the user equipment is stored in the computer-readable memory;

determining respective addresses of at least some EATF network devices of the plurality of EATF network devices in response to the initiated session transfer;

transmitting respective handover queries to the at least some EATF network devices using the determined respective addresses at least in response to the address of the user equipment not being stored in the computer-readable memory;

proxying signaling traffic for one or more communication sessions; and

in response to a first handover query of the respective handover queries, providing an indication of whether the emergency communication session is being proxied by at least one of the one or more processors.