Circuit switched fallback for mobile terminated calls

1. A node for preventing a mobile terminated, MT, call to a user equipment, UE, from being lost, said node comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores processor-executable instructions where the processor interfaces with the memory and executes the processor-executable instructions to:

receive a paging message from a mobility management entity, MME, where the paging message identifies suitable location areas, the paging message is sent because a first mobile switching center, MSC 1 , received a MT call request for the UE;

determine that there are no 2G/3G cells belonging to the suitable location areas based on a current location of the UE;

identify a target 2G/3G cell in a location area associated with the current location of the UE but not part of the 2G/3G cells belonging to the suitable location areas; and

enable a signaling connection to be established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via a second mobile switching center, MSC 2 , where the second MSC 2 interfaces with a base station controller, BSC 2 , or a radio network controller, RNC 2 , that manages the target 2G/3G cell, where the signaling connection allows the MT call to be established with the UE.

2. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor further executes the processor-executable instructions to perform the enabling operation by:

sending a paging redirect message which identifies the target 2G/3G cell to the MME, where the MME forwards the paging redirect message to the first MSC 1 which triggers an inter-MSC handover towards the target 2G/3G cell which results in the signaling connection being established between the first MSC 1 and the BSC 2 /RNC 2 via the second MSC 2 ;

sending a relocation request message to the MME, where the MME triggers an inter-domain handover towards the target 2G/3G cell managed by the BSC 2 /RNC 2 ; and

sending a handoff command to the UE, where the UE then sends a paging response message to the BSC 2 /RNC 2 which forwards the paging response message on the signaling connection to the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 which enables the MT call to be established with the UE.

3. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor further executes the processor-executable instructions to perform the enabling operation by:

sending a relocation request message to the MME, where the relocation request message identifies the 2G/3G target cell and the suitable location areas associated with the 2G/3G target cell, where the MME then triggers an inter-domain handover towards the target 2G/3G cell managed by the BSC 2 /RNC 2 ;

sending a handoff command to the user equipment, where the UE then sends a paging response message to the BSC 2 /RNC 2 which at this point the signaling connection is established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 by having the BSC 2 /RNC 2 forward the paging response message along with the suitable location areas associated with the 2G/3G target cell to the second MSC 2 , where the second MSC 2 then establishes a signalling connection to some MSCX associated with the suitable location areas associated with the 2G/3G target cell where if the MSCX is the first MSC 1 then the signaling connection established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 is used to terminate the MT call with the UE.

4. The node of claim 3 , wherein if the MSCX is not the first MSC 1 then the MSCX would establish another signaling connection to the first MSC 1 such that the signal connection is subsequently established between the first MSC 1 and the second MSC 2 which enables the MT call to be established with the UE.

5. The node of claim 3 , where the suitable location areas included in the relocation request message identifies the first MSC 1 or a MSC-pool associated with the first MSC 1 , and where the relocation request message also includes a network resource identifier, NRI, which uniquely identifies the MSC 1 in case a MSC-pool is associated with the suitable location areas, where the paging response messages sent to the second MSC 2 would also include the suitable location areas and the NRI.

6. The node of claim 1 , wherein the processor further executes the processor-executable instructions to perform the enabling operation by:

sending a relocation request message to the MME, where the relocation request message includes an identifier indicating the 2G/3G target cell and an identifier indicating the first MSC 1 , where the MME then triggers an inter-domain handover towards the target 2G/3G cell managed by the BSC 2 /RNC 2 ;

sending a handoff command to the user equipment, where the user equipment then sends a paging response message to the second MSC 2 which at this point the signaling connection is established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the BSC 2 /RNC 2 and the second MSC 2 by having the BSC 2 /RNC 2 forward the paging response message along with the identifier indicating the first MSC 1 to the second MSC 2 , where the second MSC 2 then establishes a signalling connection to the first MSC 1 where the signaling connection established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 is used to terminate the MT call with the UE.

7. The node of claim 1 , wherein the node is an eNodeB.

8. A method implemented by a node for preventing a mobile terminated, MT, call to a user equipment, UE, from being lost, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a paging message from a mobility management entity, MME, where the paging message identifies suitable location areas, the paging message is sent because a first mobile switching center, MSC 1 , received a MT call request for the UE;

determining that there are no 2G/3G cells belonging to the suitable location areas based on a current location of the UE;

identifying a target 2G/3G cell in a location area associated with the current location of the UE but not part of the 2G/3G cells belonging to the suitable location areas; and

enabling a signaling connection to be established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via a second mobile switching center, MSC 2 , where the second MSC 2 interfaces with a base station controller, BSC 2 , or a radio network controller, RNC 2 , that manages the target 2G/3G cell, where the signaling connection allows the MT call to be established with the UE.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the enabling step further includes the steps of:

sending a paging redirect message which identifies the target 2G/3G cell to the MME, where the MME forwards the paging redirect message to the first MSC 1 which triggers an inter-MSC handover towards the target 2G/3G cell which results in the signaling connection being established between the first MSC 1 and the BSC 2 /RNC 2 via the second MSC 2 ;

sending a relocation request message to the MME, where the MME triggers an inter-domain handover towards the target 2G/3G cell managed by the BSC 2 /RNC 2 ; and

sending a handoff command to the UE, where the UE then sends a paging response message to the BSC 2 /RNC 2 which forwards the paging response message on the signaling connection to the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 which enables the MT call to be established with the UE.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the enabling step further includes the steps of:

sending a relocation request message to the MME, where the relocation request message identifies the 2G/3G target cell and the suitable location areas associated with the 2G/3G target cell, where the MME then triggers an inter-domain handover towards the target 2G/3G cell managed by the BSC 2 /RNC 2 ;

sending a handoff command to the user equipment, where the UE then sends a paging response message to the BSC 2 /RNC 2 which at this point the signaling connection is established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 by having the BSC 2 /RNC 2 forward the paging response message along with the suitable location areas associated with the 2G/3G target cell to the second MSC 2 , where the second MSC 2 then establishes a signalling connection to some MSCX associated with the suitable location areas associated with the 2G/3G target cell where if the MSCX is the first MSC 1 then the signaling connection established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 is used to terminate the MT call with the UE.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein if the MSCX is not the first MSC 1 then the MSCX would establish another signaling connection to the first MSC 1 such that the signal connection is subsequently established between the first MSC 1 and the second MSC 2 which enables the MT call to be established with the UE.

12. The method of claim 10 , where the suitable location areas included in the relocation request message identifies the first MSC 1 or a MSC-pool associated with the first MSC 1 , and where the relocation request message also includes a network resource identifier, NRI, which uniquely identifies the MSC 1 in case a MSC-pool is associated with the suitable location areas, where the paging response messages sent to the second MSC 2 would also include the suitable location areas and the NRI.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the enabling step further includes the steps of:

sending a relocation request message to the MME, where the relocation request message includes an identifier indicating the 2G/3G target cell and an identifier indicating the first MSC 1 , where the MME then triggers an inter-domain handover towards the target 2G/3G cell managed by the BSC 2 /RNC 2 ;

sending a handoff command to the user equipment, where the user equipment then sends a paging response message to the BSC 2 /RNC 2 which at this point the signaling connection is established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the BSC 2 /RNC 2 and the second MSC 2 by having the BSC 2 /RNC 2 forward the paging response message along with the identifier indicating the first MSC 1 to the second MSC 2 , where the second MSC 2 then establishes a signalling connection to the first MSC 1 where the signaling connection established between the UE and the first MSC 1 via the second MSC 2 is used to terminate the MT call with the UE.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the node is an eNodeB.