Telecommunications network and method of transferring user data in signaling messages from a communication unit to a data processing centre

1. A method of transferring data from a communication module to a machine-to-machine server over a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

receiving a wireless signalling message from said communication module at a signalling termination node of the telecommunications network, said received wireless signalling message having inserted in it non-signalling application data generated for a machine-to-machine function by the communication module, wherein wireless signalling messages of the telecommunications network are of a message type specified for carrying signalling data for managing connections in the telecommunications network;

retrieving said non-signalling application data from the received wireless signalling message; and

terminating further transmission of the received wireless signalling message and transferring said retrieved non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless signalling message is a network attach request message.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said network attach request message is a location updating request message with a location updating type information element indicating an IMSI attach.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said network attach request message is an attach request with an attach type information element indicating a GPRS request or a combined GPRS/IMSI attach.

5. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

transmitting a network attach accept message to the communication module;

transmitting further data to and/or receiving further data from the communication module; and

receiving a network detach message from the communication module.

6. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising transmitting an attach reject message to said communication module, said attach reject message comprising data for said communication module.

7. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said communication module is not authenticated in said telecommunications network.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein normal location updating procedure is not performed in said communication module.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said received wireless signalling message contains address information indicative of said machine-to-machine server.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-signalling application data comprises alarming data.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-signalling application data comprises measurement data.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the communication module comprises one or more sensors, and wherein the measurement data comprises measurement data obtained using the one or more sensors.

13. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein said method is a method of transferring non-signalling data from the communication module to the machine-to-machine server over the telecommunications network in a machine-to-machine communications setting; and

wherein transferring said non-signalling application generated for a machine-to-machine function by the communication module to said machine-to-machine server comprises transferring said non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server while avoiding to establish a complete circuit-switched or packet-switched connection between said communication module and said telecommunications network.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said received wireless signalling message comprises data derived from a sensor of the communication module.

15. A telecommunications network for transferring data from a communication apparatus to a machine-to-machine server, said telecommunications network comprising:

a signalling termination node; and

one or more processors for carrying out operations including:

receiving a wireless signalling message from said communication apparatus at the signalling termination node, said received wireless signalling message having inserted in it non-signalling application data generated for a machine-to-machine function by the communication apparatus, wherein wireless signalling messages of the telecommunications network are of a message type specified for carrying signalling data for managing connections in the telecommunications network;

retrieving said non-signalling application data from the received wireless signalling message; and

terminating further transmission of the received wireless signalling message and transferring said retrieved non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server.

16. The telecommunications network of claim 15 , wherein said telecommunications network is configured for transferring non-signalling data from the communication apparatus to the machine-to-machine server in a machine-to-machine communications setting; and

wherein transferring said non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server comprises transferring said non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server while avoiding to establish a complete circuit-switched or packet-switched connection between said communication apparatus and said telecommunications network.

17. A node in a telecommunications network, said telecommunications network being configured for transferring data from a communication apparatus to a machine-to-machine server, said node being comprising:

one or more processors for carrying out operations including:

receiving a wireless signalling message from said communication apparatus, said received wireless signalling message having inserted in it non-signalling application data generated for a machine-to-machine function by the communication apparatus, wherein wireless signalling messages of the telecommunications network are of a message type specified for carrying signalling data for managing connections in the telecommunications network;

retrieving said non-signalling application data from the received wireless signalling message; and

terminating further transmission of the received wireless signalling message and transferring said retrieved non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server.

18. A node according to claim 17 , wherein the node is a serving GPRS support node.

19. A node according to claim 17 , wherein the node is a signalling monitor.

20. The node of claim 17 , wherein the telecommunications network is configured for transferring non-signalling application data from the communication apparatus to the machine-to-machine server in a machine-to-machine communications setting; and

wherein transferring said non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server comprises transferring said non-signalling application data to said machine-to-machine server, while avoiding to establish a complete circuit-switched or packet-switched connection between said communication apparatus and said telecommunications network.

21. A communication device comprising:

a transmitter; and

a processor for causing the communication device to carry out operations including:

(i) generating non-signalling application data for a machine-to-machine function, (ii) encapsulating said non-signalling application data in one or more signalling messages from said communication device over a telecommunications network to a machine-to-machine server, wherein wireless signalling messages of the telecommunications network are of a message type specified for carrying signalling data for managing connections in the telecommunications network, and (iii) transmitting, via the transmitter, said signalling messages containing said non-signalling application data to a signalling termination node of said telecommunications network for termination of said signalling messages and transfer of said non-signalling application data to the machine-to-machine server.

22. A communication device according to claim 21 , wherein the non-signalling application data comprises alarming data.

23. The communication device according to claim 21 , wherein the non-signalling application data comprises measurement data.

24. The communication device according to claim 23 , further comprising one or more sensors, wherein the measurement data comprises measurement data obtained using the one or more sensors.

25. The communication device of claim 21 ,

wherein the processor is configured for generating non-signalling application data in a machine-to-machine communications setting run by the communication device; and

wherein the transmitter is configured for transmitting said signalling messages containing said non-signalling application data to said telecommunications network, while avoiding to establish a complete circuit-switched or packet-switched connection between said communication device and said telecommunications network.