Cross network authentication method and system
The described embodiments concern one or more methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer readable mediums storing processor-executable process steps to authenticate mobile subscribers for using a foreign application when they are outside of their home telecom carrier's mobile network zone (“foreign zone”). A mobile subscriber can be authenticated through data roaming service, voice roaming service, and/or WiFi service. After cross network authentication, a mobile subscriber can use the foreign application to provide the same or similar services in a foreign zone, such as foreign country, through the home services in connection with the subscriber's home telecom carrier in a similar manner like he/she can use in his/her home zone, such as home country.
1. A method of authenticating a mobile device at a foreign zone, by a home telecom carrier associated with the mobile device, to use a foreign application installed on the mobile device and supported by a foreign application server in a network of a foreign telecom carrier in communication with a network of the home telecom carrier, the method comprising:
(a) establishing a data transmission connection between the mobile device and the network of the home telecom carrier;
(b) identifying through the foreign application or a foreign authentication server in the network of the foreign telecom carrier the home telecom carrier by checking a global IP (Internet Protocol) address of the home telecom carrier generated by the network of home telecom carrier; and
(c) receiving a subscriber authentication token from the network of the home telecom carrier through the foreign application, the foreign application server, and a home authentication server in the network of the home telecom carrier, after the home telecom carrier is identified and the mobile device is authenticated.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, at step (b), the global IP address is translated by the network of the home telecom carrier from a data packet sent originally from the mobile device located at a foreign zone to query an identify of the home telecom carrier.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the data packet is sent originally from the mobile device, through a foreign telecom carrier's mobile network and a GPRS tunneling protocol user plane tunnel, to a home telecom carrier's mobile network, and then sent to an internet after the global IP address is translated.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein, at step (a), the data transmission connection between the mobile device and the home telecom carrier is established by data roaming.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises:
(c1) sending an authentication request, by the foreign application or the foreign application server, to the home authentication server;
(c2) receiving a Mobile Subscriber International Subscriber Directory Number (“MSISDN”) by the home authentication server to validate the subscriber by checking the MSISDN against a subscriber database; and
(c3) sending the subscriber authentication token, by the home authentication server, to the foreign application or the foreign application server.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein step (c1) comprises:
(c11) sending an authentication request, by the foreign application, to the foreign application server; and
(c12) receiving the authentication request, by the home authentication server, from the foreign application server, via redirection of the foreign application.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein step (c2) comprises:
(c21) sending a subscriber information request, by the home authentication server, to a home telecom carrier's mobile subscriber number (“MSN”) management server (“MS”), via redirection of the foreign application;
(c22) sending a subscriber information, by the home telecom carrier's MSN MS, to the home authentication server, via redirection of the foreign application;
(c23) sending the subscriber information, by the home authentication server, directly to the home telecom carrier's MSN MS;
(c24) receiving the MSISDN, by the home authentication server, directly from the home telecom carrier's MSN MS; and
(c25) validating the subscriber, by the home authentication server checking the MSISDN against the subscriber database.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein step (c3) comprises:
(c31) sending a subscriber authentication response with an authentication code, by the home authentication server, to the foreign application server, via redirection of the foreign application;
(c32) sending the subscriber authentication response with the authentication code, by the foreign application server, to the home authentication server;
(c33) receiving the MSISDN and the authentication token, by the foreign application server, directly from the home authentication server; and
(c34) sending the authentication token, by the foreign application server, to the foreign application.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the foreign application is a foreign wallet application and the foreign application server is a foreign wallet server.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
(d) receiving a remittance request, by the foreign wallet server, from the foreign wallet application installed on the mobile device located at the foreign zone;
(e) receiving the remittance request, by a home wallet server, from the foreign wallet server;
(f) submitting the remittance request to a home telecom carrier's node of a distributed transaction consensus network to transfer digital property from a home virtual wallet to a target foreign wallet; and
(g) recording the remittance in a distributed ledger.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein, at step (e), the remittance request is sent by the foreign wallet server, to the home wallet server, via a foreign wallet application's authentication gateway and a home telecom carrier's authentication gateway.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein, at step (g), the distributed ledger has a blockchain data structure.