Roaming gateway for support of advanced voice services while roaming in wireless communications systems
A roaming gateway for support of advanced voice services while roaming in wireless communications systems. The roaming gateway supports push-to-talk (P2T) calls, or other advanced voice services, when P2T subscribers roam from their home network (i.e., a network operated by their service provider where the subscriber's profile resides) into a foreign network (i.e., a network operated by another service provider). The roaming gateway is a specialized version of a real-time exchange that is located in the home network and is connected to mobile switching centers in foreign networks, so that the mobile switching centers in the foreign networks need not be programmed for the advanced voice services.
1. An apparatus for providing group voice services in a wireless network, comprising:
a plurality of wireless networks for making calls between mobile units, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless networks and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile unit across bearer paths in the wireless networks;
a real-time exchange that interfaces to a first one of the wireless networks to provide group voice services therein, wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile units that use the group voice services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the first one of the wireless networks, and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the group voice services from an originating mobile unit to all terminating mobile units across the bearer paths in the wireless networks; and
a roaming gateway that interfaces to the real-time exchange and a second one of the wireless networks to provide group voice services for mobile units roaming in the second one of the wireless networks, wherein both the roaming gateway and the mobile units that use the group voice services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the second one of the wireless networks, and the roaming gateway switches the voice frames for the group voice services from an originating mobile unit to all terminating mobile units across the bearer paths in the wireless networks.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the group voice services comprise instant two-way half-duplex voice messaging within a group of users of the wireless networks.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the instant two-way half-duplex voice messaging comprises a Push To Talk (P2T) service.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first one of the wireless networks comprises a home network and the second one of the wireless networks comprises a foreign network.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the roaming gateway supports group voice services calls when mobile units roam from their home network into a foreign network.
6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the home network is a network operated by a subscriber's service provider and the foreign network is a network operated by another service provider.
7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the roaming gateway is connected to at least one mobile switching center within the foreign network, the mobile switching center within the foreign network routes a group voice services call to the roaming gateway, and the roaming gateway sets up the group voice services call.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein, when a mobile unit roaming in the foreign network wants to originate a group voice services call, the mobile unit originates the call using a number for the roaming gateway, and the mobile switching center within the foreign network establishes the call with the roaming gateway.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the roaming gateway authenticates the mobile unit and establishes a voice path with the mobile unit.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the roaming gateway identifies a group using information from the mobile unit and terminates the call with other group members.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the roaming gateway establishes a call with the real-time exchange and the real-time exchange terminates the call with other group members.
12. A method of providing group voice services in a wireless network, comprising:
connecting a plurality of wireless networks together for handling calls between mobile units in the wireless networks, wherein the calls are initiated by call setup and in-band signaling within the wireless networks and voice frames for the calls are switched between the mobile unit across bearer paths in the wireless networks;
interfacing a real-time exchange to a first one of the wireless networks to provide group voice services therein, wherein both the real-time exchange and the mobile units that use the group voice services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the first one of the wireless networks, and the real-time exchange switches the voice frames for the group voice services from an originating mobile unit to all terminating mobile units across the bearer paths in the wireless networks; and
interfacing a roaming gateway to the real-time exchange and a second one of the wireless networks to provide group voice services for mobile units roaming in the second one of the wireless networks, wherein both the roaming gateway and the mobile units that use the group voice services communicate with each other using the call setup and in-band signaling within the second one of the wireless networks, and the roaming gateway switches the voice frames for the group voice services from an originating mobile unit to all terminating mobile units across the bearer paths in the wireless networks.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the group voice services comprise instant two-way half-duplex voice messaging within a group of users of the wireless networks.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the instant two-way half-duplex voice messaging comprises a Push To Talk (P2T) service.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first one of the wireless networks comprises a home network and the second one of the wireless networks comprises a foreign network.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the roaming gateway supports group voice services calls when mobile units roam from their home network into a foreign network.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the home network is a network operated by a subscriber's service provider and the foreign network is a network operated by another service provider.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the roaming gateway is connected to at least one mobile switching center within the foreign network, the mobile switching center within the foreign network routes a group voice services call to the roaming gateway, and the roaming gateway sets up the group voice services call.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein, when a mobile unit roaming in the foreign network wants to originate a group voice services call, the mobile unit originates the call using a number for the roaming gateway, and the mobile switching center within the foreign network establishes the call with the roaming gateway.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the roaming gateway authenticates the mobile unit and establishes a voice path with the mobile unit.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the roaming gateway identifies a group using information from the mobile unit and terminates the call with other group members.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the roaming gateway establishes a call with the real-time exchange and the real-time exchange terminates the call with other group members.