Abstract: A method and cell broadcast center (CBC) system are described for issuing an emergency alert message containing at least one hyperlink corresponding to content stored on a web server. The operations performed by the CBC include receiving an emergency alert message. The emergency alert message includes a hyperlink to web content. The CBC processes the emergency alert message by: issuing a request to a web server for a content corresponding to the hyperlink, and issuing an emergency broadcast request to carrier networks. The emergency broadcast request includes both: the emergency alert message, and the content corresponding to the hyperlink. The issuing the emergency broadcast request, causes delivery of the content corresponding to the hyperlink to a browser cache on a user equipment without user selection of the hyperlink on the user equipment.

Abstract: The described embodiments of the present invention include a method for controlling authorization of a multimedia service requested by a user device. In one embodiment, the method includes examining an identity of an access network associated with the user device and an identity of the service requested to determine whether the service is supported; authorizing resources in the access network required by the service if the service is supported; rejecting the service if the service is not supported and if a policy associated with the access network requires unsupported services to be rejected; and authorizing a default level of resources in the access network if the service is not supported and if the policy associated with the access network does not require unsupported services to be rejected.

Abstract: A method and cell broadcast center (CBC) system are described for issuing an emergency alert message containing at least one hyperlink corresponding to content stored on a web server. The operations performed by the CBC include receiving an emergency alert message. The emergency alert message includes a hyperlink to web content. The CBC processes the emergency alert message by: issuing a request to a web server for a content corresponding to the hyperlink, and issuing an emergency broadcast request to carrier networks. The emergency broadcast request includes both: the emergency alert message, and the content corresponding to the hyperlink. The issuing the emergency broadcast request, causes delivery of the content corresponding to the hyperlink to a browser cache on a user equipment without user selection of the hyperlink on the user equipment.

Abstract: A system includes redundantly configured resources designated as active geo-redundant nodes (AGNs) and standby geo-redundant nodes (SGNs), a set of covered agents (CAs) that rely upon the redundantly configured resources, and a geographic redundancy coverage issuer (GRCI) configured to manage the geo-redundant nodes. The GRCI maintains a CA list identifying a set of subscribers to redundancy management services supported by the GRCI, an AGN list identifying a set of active geo-redundant nodes, and an SGN list identifying a set of standby geo-redundant nodes. The GRCI provides the AGN list and the SGN list to subscriber CAs. In response to receiving a message identifying a failed AGN, the GRCI updates the AGN list to reflect a failed status for the failed AGN and issues an update message to CAs reflecting the failed status for the failed AGN and a transition of an activated SGN to the AGN list.

Abstract: A system and method are described that enable policy-implementing modules in a mobile wireless network to identify the location of a user and render policy-based (e.g., quality of service, accounting, throttling, etc.) decisions based upon a variety of additional information such as: home network availability in a market, user class, time of day, network congestion, application type, etc. The system renders policy decisions, based upon geo-spatial location information, by receiving a mobile wireless data message including a geospatial identifier. Thereafter, a policy engine renders a data service policy decision by applying a policy to the geospatial identifier. The potential classifications identified by the data service policy decision include an in-market roaming mode wherein a data usage is treated as non-roaming, even though associated with a roaming data session, based upon an in-market location specified by the geospatial location information.

Abstract: An apparatus is described for managing mobile network services. The apparatus includes a service authorization and utilization control function (SAUCF) element configured to authorize a mobile network service request by acting as a service manager configured to centrally coordinate service authorizations for multiple network services associated with an individual subscriber account by evaluating a service policy defining user access spanning the multiple network services. The service policy includes (a) communication authorization controls affecting permission for a user associated with the subscriber account to access a mobile network service in accordance with one or more criteria applicable to a bundled service category; and (b) charging controls for determining whether a subscriber account includes sufficient credits to use the mobile network service. A real time utilization interface is configured to transmit messages between the SAUCF element and a subscriber service utilization account.

Abstract: An apparatus is described for managing mobile network services. The apparatus includes a service authorization and utilization control function (SAUCF) element configured to authorize a mobile network service request by acting as a service manager configured to centrally coordinate service authorizations for multiple network services associated with an individual subscriber account by evaluating a service policy defining user access spanning the multiple network services. The service policy includes (a) communication authorization controls affecting permission for a user associated with the subscriber account to access a mobile network service in accordance with one or more criteria applicable to a bundled service category; and (b) charging controls for determining whether a subscriber account includes sufficient credits to use the mobile network service. A real time utilization interface is configured to transmit messages between the SAUCF element and a subscriber service utilization account.

Abstract: A system includes redundantly configured resources designated as active geo-redundant nodes (AGNs) and standby geo-redundant nodes (SGNs), a set of covered agents (CAs) that rely upon the redundantly configured resources, and a geographic redundancy coverage issuer (GRCI) configured to manage the geo-redundant nodes. The GRCI maintains a CA list identifying a set of subscribers to redundancy management services supported by the GRCI, an AGN list identifying a set of active geo-redundant nodes, and an SGN list identifying a set of standby geo-redundant nodes. The GRCI provides the AGN list and the SGN list to subscriber CAs. In response to receiving a message identifying a failed AGN, the GRCI updates the AGN list to reflect a failed status for the failed AGN and issues an update message to CAs reflecting the failed status for the failed AGN and a transition of an activated SGN to the AGN list.

Abstract: A system and method are described that enable policy-implementing modules in a mobile wireless network to identify the location of a user and render policy-based (e.g., quality of service, accounting, throttling, etc.) decisions based upon a variety of additional information such as: home network availability in a market, user class, time of day, network congestion, application type, etc. The system renders policy decisions, based upon geo-spatial location information, by receiving a mobile wireless data message including a geospatial identifier. Thereafter, a policy engine renders a data service policy decision by applying a policy to the geospatial identifier. The potential classifications identified by the data service policy decision include an in-market roaming mode wherein a data usage is treated as non-roaming, even though associated with a roaming data session, based upon an in-market location specified by the geospatial location information.

Abstract: The described embodiments of the present invention include a method for controlling authorization of a multimedia service requested by a user device. In one embodiment, the method includes examining an identity of an access network associated with the user device and an identity of the service requested to determine whether the service is supported; authorizing resources in the access network required by the service if the service is supported; rejecting the service if the service is not supported and if a policy associated with the access network requires unsupported services to be rejected; and authorizing a default level of resources in the access network if the service is not supported and if the policy associated with the access network does not require unsupported services to be rejected.

Abstract: An apparatus is described for managing mobile network services. The apparatus includes a service authorization and utilization control function (SAUCF) element configured to authorize a mobile network service request by acting as a service manager configured to centrally coordinate service authorizations for multiple network services associated with an individual subscriber account by evaluating a service policy defining user access spanning the multiple network services. The service policy includes (a) communication authorization controls affecting permission for a user associated with the subscriber account to access a mobile network service in accordance with one or more criteria applicable to a bundled service category; and (b) charging controls for determining whether a subscriber account includes sufficient credits to use the mobile network service. A real time utilization interface is configured to transmit messages between the SAUCF element and a subscriber service utilization account.

Abstract: The described embodiments of the present invention include a method for controlling authorization of a multimedia service requested by a user device. In one embodiment, the method includes examining an identity of an access network associated with the user device and an identity of the service requested to determine whether the service is supported; authorizing resources in the access network required by the service if the service is supported; rejecting the service if the service is not supported and if a policy associated with the access network requires unsupported services to be rejected; and authorizing a default level of resources in the access network if the service is not supported and if the policy associated with the access network does not require unsupported services to be rejected.

Abstract: Subscriber travel behavior is defined using cellular call location data. The defined travel behavior is used to segment the customer population. In a further aspect of the disclosed principles, a method to consolidate numerous of price plans is disclosed wherein price plans are grouped using cluster analysis. In the context of this disclosure, the term “cluster analysis” encompasses a number of different algorithms and methods for grouping objects of similar kind into respective categories to thus organize observed data into meaningful structures. In this context, cluster analysis is a data analysis process for sorting different objects into groups in a way that the degree of association between two objects is maximal if they belong to the same group and minimal otherwise.

Abstract: The described embodiments of the present invention outline two solutions to the problems described above regarding simple IP data access for pre-paid subscribers. The first solutions includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a point of attachment in an access network capable of providing an IP network access to a home network remote authentication server which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) and receiving in the point of attachment an access request response from the home network remote authentication server. The second solution includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a Mobile Station (MS) which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) to a home network remote authentication server and receiving in the MS an access request response from the home network remote authentication server.

Abstract: The described embodiments of the present invention outline two solutions to the problems described above regarding simple IP data access for pre-paid subscribers. The first solutions includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a point of attachment in an access network capable of providing an IP network access to a home network remote authentication server which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) and receiving in the point of attachment an access request response from the home network remote authentication server. The second solution includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a Mobile Station (MS) which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) to a home network remote authentication server and receiving in the MS an access request response from the home network remote authentication server.

Abstract: The described embodiments of the present invention outline two solutions to the problems described above regarding simple IP data access for pre-paid subscribers. The first solutions includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a point of attachment in an access network capable of providing an IP network access to a home network remote authentication server which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) and receiving in the point of attachment an access request response from the home network remote authentication server. The second solution includes a method for providing pre-paid simple IP data service to a subscriber in a network, including: sending an access request from a Mobile Station (MS) which deploys a Pre-Paid Client (PPC) to a home network remote authentication server and receiving in the MS an access request response from the home network remote authentication server.

Abstract: The described embodiments include a system for controlling communications between a first network and a second network including a plurality of in-line security devices, the in-line security devices being configured to manage communication between the first network and the second network, and including a state server connected to the plurality of in-line security devices, the state server being configured to receive state information about the state of the connections established by a first one of the in-line security devices and to communicate the state information to at least a second one of said in-line security devices. In one embodiment, the in-line security devices are firewalls. In another embodiment, state server communicates the state information received from the first one of the firewall devices and communicates the state information to every other one of the plurality of firewall devices.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to methods and systems for monitoring network usage according to predetermined rules and calculating user charges based on the network usage. The described technique includes receiving a data packet, extracting parameters from the data packet and determining whether the extracted parameters match at least one rule in a rules engine. Charges for the data packet are calculated based on the matched rules. The data packet is forwarded on to its destination.

Abstract: The invention increases billing options for a wireless service provider by allowing the provider to make billing decisions based upon what a client or mobile station application does both on and off the network. This type of billing, based on context, generates a billing record of events whether or not a particular client accesses the wireless network or not. The invention also provides transmission quality data allowing the wireless network provider to improve user experience in a wireless network. The invention captures the context, including content, quantity, and/or quality of data processed by a mobile station using a client-based application rather than a network-based application. The client-based application causes the mobile station to transmit a billing record corresponding to the captured context to a user monitoring server. The user monitoring server processes the billing record for determining billing and for generating engineering reports.

Abstract: A system and method for measuring and recording latency in data networks. The system and method can be used to measure and record latency in a Simple IP network or a Mobile IP network. One embodiment of the present invention is a system and method for measuring latency between a first device and a second device, the first and second devices communicating in accordance with a communications specification. The system and method comprises the second device transmitting, during a communication session, a message to the first device; receiving a response message from the first device; computing an elapsed time from transmission of the message to receipt of the response message to determine the latency; and recording the latency in a latency parameter. The message and the response message are provided by the communications specification.