System and method for authorizing access to an IP-based wireless telecommunications service
A system for providing an IP-based wireless telecommunications device with access to an IP-based wireless telecommunications service provided by a carrier network includes an access point that sets up a radio link with the IP-based wireless telecommunications device and couples the IP-based wireless telecommunications device to the network. The system also includes a network controller in communication with the carrier network and the access point. The network controller is configured to receive data packets corresponding to the IP-based wireless telecommunications device at the access point. The network controller is also configured to accept/reject the provision of the IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the IP-based wireless telecommunications device based on an IP address or other unique identifier associated with the access point. In other examples, the system further includes a data store that associates IP addresses of access points (or other identifiers) with an indicator of a black or whitelisted status. Other features and systems are also disclosed.
1. A computer implemented method performed by a network controller associated with an internet protocol (IP) network, the method comprising:
receiving at least one data packet from a mobile device;
identifying by the network controller an access point configured to provide the mobile device with access to the IP network;
retrieving by the network controller one or more quality of service metrics associated with active or idle communications connected to the IP network via the access point, wherein the retrieved one or more quality of service metrics are stored in a data store of the network controller or other network element, and
wherein the retrieved one or more quality of service metrics correspond to one of the following (a) or (b):
(a) a blacklist status determined by the network controller that is indicative of whether communications associated with the access point should be rejected and that is based on the quality of service metrics associated with the active or idle communications not satisfying threshold quality of service metrics, or
(b) a whitelist status determined by the network controller that is indicative of whether communications associated with the access point should be accepted and that is based on the quality of service metrics associated with the active or idle communications satisfying the threshold quality of service metrics; and
provisioning an IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the mobile device via the access point based on the one or more retrieved quality of service metrics.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IP-based wireless telecommunications service is an unlicensed mobile access (UMA) service.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is a dual-mode device that can provide voice communication over both a licensed network and an unlicensed IP-based network.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying an access point configured to provide the mobile device with access to the IP network includes identifying a MAC address or an IP address associated with the access point.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network controller communicates with the access point via a computer network.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network controller is associated with a wireless service provider of the IP-based wireless telecommunications service.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein retrieving one or more quality of service metrics associated with the access point and stored in a data store of the network controller includes performing a lookup operation in the data store regarding two or more access points configured to provide the mobile device with access to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein provisioning an IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the mobile device via the access point based on the one or more quality of service metrics includes allowing the mobile device access to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service via the access point when the download or upload link quality of the access point satisfies a threshold link quality.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein provisioning an IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the mobile device via the access point based on the one or more quality of service metrics includes rejecting access to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service via the access point when a number of idle communications associated with the access point are above a threshold number of idle communications.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein provisioning an IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the mobile device via the access point based on the one or more quality of service metrics includes rejecting access to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service via the access point when a number of active communications associated with the access point are above a threshold number of active communications.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein provisioning an IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the mobile device via the access point based on the one or more quality of service metrics includes rejecting access to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service via the access point when information stored in the data store indicates the access point is actively blacklisted.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein provisioning an IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the mobile device via the access point based on the one or more quality of service metrics includes allowing the mobile device access to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service via the access point when information stored in the data store indicates the access point is actively whitelisted.
13. A system for providing IP-based wireless telecommunications service to at least one IP-based wireless telecommunications device, the system comprising:
a carrier network; and
at least one network controller in communication with the carrier network and an access point, the network controller being configured to:
retrieve one or more quality of service metrics associated with active or idle communications connected to the carrier network via the access point;
compare the one or more quality of service metrics to threshold quality of service metrics for communications using the access point;
accept or reject a provision of the IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the IP-based wireless telecommunications device via the access point based on the comparison of the quality of service metrics, wherein the information indicating a quality of service at the access point corresponds to one of the following (a) or (b):
(a) a blacklist status indicative of whether communications associated with the access point should be rejected and based on the access point failing to satisfy the threshold quality of service metrics, or
(b) a whitelist status indicative of whether communications associated with the access point should be accepted and based on the access point satisfying the threshold quality of service metrics, and
wherein the information indicating a quality of service at the access point is retrieved from a data store associated with the network controller or other network element.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the network controller is configured to accept or reject the provision of the IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the IP-based wireless telecommunications device via the access point based on information contained in the data store that identifies a download or upload link quality of the access point.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the network controller is configured to accept or reject the provision of the IP-based wireless telecommunications service to the IP-based wireless telecommunications device via the access point based on information contained in the data store that identifies a black list or white list status of the access point.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the IP-based wireless telecommunications service includes an unlicensed mobile access (UMA) service.
17. A method performed by a network controller for managing access to an IP-based wireless telecommunications service, the method comprising:
receiving data packets from an access point providing access to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service and having a whitelist status associated with provisioning access for mobile devices to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service via the access point;
blacklisting the access point when a download or upload link quality of the access point for active or idle communications connected to the IP-based wireless telecommunications service via the access point does not satisfy a threshold link quality for communications using the access point,
wherein the blacklisting comprises storing an indicator of a blacklist status associated with the access point in a dataset of the network controller; and
communicating to the access point or a mobile device at the access point the stored indicator of a blacklist status of the access point.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the IP-based telecommunications service includes an unlicensed mobile access (UMA) service.
19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
restoring the whitelist status of the access point when the download or upload link quality of the access point satisfies the threshold link quality.