Selective roaming in wireless telecommunications networks
A telecommunications network provides selective roaming for user equipment (UE) devices registered to the network, allowing some UE devices to operate on a roaming network in some geographic regions and disallowing other UE devices to access roaming networks. The telecommunications network maintains mappings between UE devices and roaming permissions for each UE device. When a target UE device requests to attach to a roaming network, the roaming network passes the request, with an identifier of a particular geographic region in which the request was received, to the telecommunications network to query the mappings. If the mappings indicate the target UE device is authorized to access the roaming network in the particular geographic region, the telecommunications network allows the target UE device to attach to the roaming network.
1. A system comprising:
at least one hardware processor; and
at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the system to:
maintain mappings between respective identifiers of wireless devices and roaming permissions for each wireless device, the wireless devices being registered to operate on a home cellular network and the roaming permissions for a respective wireless device including:
an indication of whether the respective wireless device has authorization to access a roaming cellular network, and
identifiers of one or more geographic regions in which the respective wireless device is authorized to access the roaming cellular network;
receive a request from a target wireless device to attach to the roaming cellular network in a specified geographic region;
in response to the request, query the mappings for an identifier of the target wireless device;
in response to the mappings indicating that the target wireless device is authorized to access the roaming cellular network and is authorized in the specified geographic region, transmit a message to the roaming cellular network to cause the roaming cellular network to attach to the target wireless device; and
in response to the mappings indicating that the target wireless device is not authorized to access the roaming cellular network in the specified geographic region, transmit a message to the roaming cellular network to deny the request.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request is received via a diameter edge agent (DEA) associated with the home cellular network.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a copy of the request via a diameter edge agent (DEA) associated with the home cellular network.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a copy of the request via a home subscriber service (HSS) function associated with the home cellular network.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request comprises receiving an S6a message via a diameter edge agent (DEA) associated with the home cellular network.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request is received via a security edge protection proxy (SEPP) associated with the home cellular network.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a copy of the request from a security edge protection proxy (SEPP) associated with the home cellular network.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a copy of the request via a unified data management (UDM) function associated with the home cellular network.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request comprises receiving an S6a message from a security edge protection proxy (SEPP) associated with the home cellular network.
10. A computer-readable storage medium, excluding transitory signals and carrying instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor of a system, cause the system to:
maintain mappings between respective identifiers of user equipment (UE) devices and roaming permissions for each UE device,
wherein the mappings comprise:
an indication of whether the respective UE device has authorization to access a roaming cellular network, and
identifiers of one or more geographic regions in which the respective UE device is authorized to access the roaming cellular network;
process requests received from the UE devices to attach to a roaming telecommunications network in respective specified geographic regions; and
selectively enable the UE devices to access the roaming telecommunications network based on the mappings.
11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein selectively enabling the UE devices to access the roaming telecommunications network comprises:
transmitting a message to the roaming telecommunications network to deny a request by a target UE device to attach to the roaming telecommunications network if the mappings indicate the target UE device is not authorized to use the roaming telecommunications network.
12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein selectively enabling the UE devices to access the roaming telecommunications network comprises:
transmitting a message to the roaming telecommunications network to deny a request by a target UE device to attach to the roaming telecommunications network in a target geographic region if the mappings indicate the target UE device is not authorized to use the roaming telecommunications network in the target geographic region.
13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein selectively enabling the UE devices to access the roaming telecommunications network comprises:
transmitting a message to the roaming telecommunications network to approve a request by a target UE device to attach to the roaming telecommunications network in a target geographic region if the mappings indicate:
the target UE device is authorized to use the roaming telecommunications network, and
the target UE device is authorized to roam in the target geographic region,
wherein the roaming telecommunications network is configured to attach to the target UE device in response to the message.
14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the requests are received via a diameter edge agent (DEA) associated with the roaming telecommunications network.
15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the requests are received via a security edge protection proxy (SEPP) associated with the roaming telecommunications network.
16. A computer-readable storage medium, excluding transitory signals and carrying instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor of a system, cause the system to:
receive a request to update a location of a target user equipment (UE) device to attach the target UE device to a roaming telecommunications network;
transmit a message to a roaming controller associated with a home telecommunications network to which the target UE device is registered;
wherein the roaming controller is configured to query, in response to the message, a set of roaming permissions maintained for a plurality of UE devices and to selectively allow registration of the target UE device to the roaming telecommunications network based on the set of roaming permissions; and
enable attachment of the target UE device to the roaming telecommunications network when the roaming controller allows the registration.
17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein transmitting the message to the roaming controller comprises:
transmitting, to the roaming controller, a copy of the request to update the location of the target UE device.
18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein transmitting the message to the roaming controller comprises:
generating an S6a message based on the request to update the location of the target UE device; and
transmitting the generated S6a message to the roaming controller.
19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein transmitting the message to the roaming controller comprises:
transmitting the request to update the location of the target UE device to a home subscriber service (HSS) function associated with the home telecommunications network;
wherein the HSS function is configured to:
transmit, to the roaming controller, a copy of the request to update the location of the target UE device, or
transmit, to the roaming controller, an active S6A message based on the request to update the location of the target UE device.
20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein transmitting the message to the roaming controller comprises:
transmitting the request to update the location of the target UE device to a unified data management (UDM) function associated with the home telecommunications network,
wherein the UDM function is configured to:
transmit, to the roaming controller, a copy of the request to update the location of the target UE device, or
transmit, to the roaming controller, an active S6A message based on the request to update the location of the target UE device.