United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,349,695 B2 Oommen Et Al
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USOO7349695B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,349,695 B2 Oommen et al. (45) Date of Patent: Mar. 25, 2008 (54) MULTIMODE ROAMING MOBILE DEVICES 6,415,148 B1* 7/2002 Chiniga et al. ............. 455,434 2002fO160763 A1 10, 2002 Mittal et al. (75) Inventors: Paul Oommen, Irving, TX (US); 2003.0054809 A1 3, 2003 Bridges et al. Yichyun Mitch Tseng, Plano, TX (US) 2003, OO88539 A1 5/2003 Andrus et al. 2004/0043788 A1 3/2004 Mittal ........................ 455,558 2004/0203745 A1* 10/2004 Cooper ... ... 455,432.1 (73) Assignee: Nokia Corporation, Espoo (FI) 2004/0235475 A1* 11/2004 Ishii ........................ 455,435.3 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 154 days. Wo wo...A. S. (21) Appl. No.: 10/963,629 WO WO O2/O76131 A1 9, 2002 9 OTHER PUBLICATIONS (22) Filed: Oct. 14, 2004 Mazziotto, G., “The Subscriber Identity Module for the European (65) Prior Publication Data Digital Cellular System GSM', Jun. 26, 1990, pp. 1-9. US 2005/0282544 A1 Dec. 22, 2005 * c1tedcited bby examiner Primary Examiner Keith Ferguson (51) Int. Cl. (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, H04O 7/20 (2006.01) LLP. H04O 7/32 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. ............................... 455/432.1; 455/432.2: (57) ABSTRACT 455/435.2:455/435.1; 455/432.3:455/550.1; 455/551:455/422.1s Acations mobile networks SE EEin different geographicalE. regions communi 1s pro (58) Field of ClasgSt.el, 3.45 a. vided. The mobile device includes an interface configured to 455/.435 3 422 i 403 418 419 420 445. transmit and receive signals over a wireless channel accord 455/500 517 574 5501 552 1 553 1. 558. ing to a communication mode using one of a plurality of 455/551 414 i 4142 414 3 4144 access technologies. The device also includes a store holding See application file for com lete search histor a preferred roaming list having a common block holding pp p ry. data common to the plurality of access technologies, and a (56) References Cited set of access technology-specific blocks each holding chan nel acquisition data specific to one of the plurality of access U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS technologies for setting up the communication mode. 5.999,811 A * 12/1999 Molne ..................... 455,432.3 6,223,028 B1* 4/2001 Chang et al. ............... 455,419 27 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets RSG-1 of ME N U.S. Patent Mar. 25, 2008 Sheet 1 of 3 US 7,349,695 B2 Acirdox wee-ork o CDMAcoma F AT ME U.S. Patent Mar. 25, 2008 Sheet 2 of 3 US 7,349,695 B2 PRL FoR otité R Access teCavouacies : U.S. Patent Mar. 25, 2008 Sheet 3 of 3 US 7,349,695 B2 US 7,349,695 B2 1. 2 MULTIMODE ROAMING MOBILE DEVICES mobile device would have no information about a CDMA network in its geographical region or vice-versa. FIELD OF THE INVENTION So-called multimode devices are currently being devel oped which should be capable of roaming in heterogeneous This invention relates to multimode roaming mobile network environments. For example, a device originally devices. provisioned in a CDMA network should be capable of roaming in a GSM, WLAN (Wide Local Area Network), BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems) or any other network. Service providers set up roaming agreements with other 10 service providers in different geographic regions so that SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION when the user is in a region where the home service provider does not offer a service, nevertheless the service can be It is an aim of the invention to enable selection of provided by a different service provider who has a billing preferred access technology in a geographical region for arrangement with the home service provider. Any particular 15 multimode mobile devices and to improve OTA manage region may support different systems and networks. For ment of preferred roaming lists for differing access tech CDMA (Code Division Multiplex Access) networks, a Pre nologies. ferred Roaming List PRL which is stored at the mobile According to one aspect of the invention there is provided device provides information about which system/network is a mobile device for roaming between wireless communica preferred in the region for that device. Over-the-air (OTA) tions networks in different geographical regions, the mobile Management protocols allow data to be transmitted to device comprising: an interface adapted to transmit and mobile devices via wireless transmission media. One receive signals over a wireless channel according to a example of OTA Device Management is the re-program communication mode using one of a plurality of access ming of the Preferred Roaming List (PRL). When a mobile technologies; and a store holding a preferred roaming list user is abroad and switches on the mobile device for the first 25 having a common block holding data common to said time, the mobile device performs a search for all available plurality of access technologies, and a set of access tech networks. The mobile device then reads from the PRL the nology-specific blocks each holding channel acquisition preferred networks and the order in which they should be data specific to one of the plurality of access technologies for offered to the user. Since preferred networks are constantly setting up said communication mode. changing as new roaming agreements are made, it is nec 30 Another aspect of the invention provides a method of essary to frequently update the PRL in the mobile device. selecting a communication mode for a mobile device roam This is achieved by downloading the revised PRL remotely ing between wireless communications networks in different using OTA technology. OTA protocols are defined for geographical regions, the method comprising the steps of example in the over-the-air service provisioning/parameter receiving network parameters identifying wireless commu administration (OTASP/OTAPA) and Open Mobile Alliance 35 nications networks in the region where the mobile device is (OMA) device management standards. located; comparing said parameters with preferences among Current protocols developed in OMA (Open Mobile Alli a plurality of access technologies and selecting one of said ance) DM (Device Management) provide an integrated access technologies; and Scanning channel acquisition data framework for OTA management of 3G mobile devices. The for the selected access technology to set up a communication existing OMA DM protocol defines a management frame 40 mode using the selected access technology. work and a set of messages exchanged between one mobile A further aspect of the invention provides a method of device and an entity in the network called the management managing a preferred roaming list of a mobile device server. A management session is set up between the man capable of transmitting and receiving signals using each of agement server and the mobile device, and an OTA message a plurality of access technologies, the method comprising: 45 transmitting a notification message from a mobile device to is constructed which is unique to the mobile device. a management server, said notification message including FIG. 1 illustrates the structure of a preferred roaming list parameters identifying the device and the access technology PRL for CDMA networks. There is a system table ST . of a current communication mode; and transmitting an ST, ... ST associated with each geographical region which contains a list of system descriptions keyed by System update message from the management server to the mobile 50 device according to said communication mode, for perform identifier/network identifier (SIN/NID) pairs and associated ing an update to access technology-specific blocks of a with an acquisition index. The acquisition index is used as preferred roaming list stored at the mobile device. a pointer to an acquisition table AT which contains an A further aspect of the invention provides a computer indexed list of RF channels for channel acquisition purposes program product comprising a code sequence which, when in the new network. 55 executed by a processor in a mobile device, carries out the According to the current standard, System acquisition can following steps: receiving network parameters identifying be carried out using frequency blocks with Personal Com wireless communications networks in the region where the munication Systems (PCS) assigned values, or by using mobile device is located; comparing said parameters with channel numbers with the highest priority channel first. preferences among a plurality of access technologies and To date preferred roaming lists are provided only in the 60 selecting one of said access technologies; and scanning context of CDMA operation, which includes system selec channel acquisition data for the selected access technology tion in analogue mode and CDMA mode. to set up a communication mode using the selected access Currently, for GSM mobile equipment, a list of preferred technology. Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) is stored in the A further aspect of the invention provides a method of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) of the mobile device. This 65 managing a preferred roaming list of a mobile device enables roaming through PLMN selection when the mobile capable of transmitting and receiving signals using each of equipment is outside the home network. However, a GSM a plurality of access technologies, the method comprising: US 7,349,695 B2 3 4 transmitting a notification message from a mobile device to the mobile station radio software can use this information to a management server, said notification message including access the preferred list and select a system in a region. parameters identifying the device and the access technology In a possible embodiment of the invention, the common of a current communication mode; and transmitting an update message from the management server to the mobile data block and the different preferred lists could be created device according to said communication mode, for perform and updated in the mobile station using over-the-air meth ing an update to a preferred roaming list stored at the mobile ods.