Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed which allows for optimization of calls using satellite resources by moving a Mobile Station's (MSs) registration to an optimum Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR) within the area visible to the satellite. This can be accomplished by sending the Called Party Number (CPN) to a Call Optimization Server (COS), which performs a pre-analysis on the CPN to determine the optimum MSC/VLR, e.g., the MSC/VLR with the closest connection to the called subscriber. Thereafter, the address of the optimum MSC/VLR is returned to the MS, which can then register with the indicated MSC/VLR and send a SETUP message to the new MSC/VLR to complete the call. This optimization can also be performed for mobile terminated calls, from either another Mobile Station or from a caller within the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) (wireline network).

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method for allowing calls to and from mobile terminals to be handled directly by a remote terminal without the need for trunk lines between the remote terminal and the network. This is accomplished by tunneling the signaling messages between the remote terminal (RT) and the network (Mobile Services Center/Visitor Location Register), for example, via the Transfer Communication Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which is a communications link of the type used by the Internet. The remote terminal preferably consists of a traffic channel controller for allocation and release of traffic channels over the satellite, an interworking function for speech coding and for signaling via, for example, the TCP/IP, and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) interface. These main three components function together to provide cost-effective cellular coverage to remote villages.

Abstract: A protocol enhancer (PE) is interfaced between a home location register (HLR) associated with a home mobile telecommunications network and a serving mobile switching center/visitor location register (MSC/VLR) associated within a visited mobile telecommunications network. Whenever a mobile station associated with the home network roams into the visited network, the PE down-loads subscriber data associated with the mobile station from the HLR. The down-loaded subscriber data are then combined with additional subscriber data unique to the visited network. Such data, for example, enable the roaming mobile station to utilize additional subscriber features not provided by the first network. The combined subscriber data are then communicated to the serving MSC/VLR. The serving MSC/VLR then utilizes the combined subscriber data to provide otherwise unavailable subscriber features to the roaming mobile station.

Abstract: A communication network and associated method, which includes a plurality of switches, routes a call from a receiving switch to a destination switch either directly or through an alternate switch. Either the receiving switch or the destination switch, or both, analyze the contents of a store to determine whether the calling party or the called party is marked for alternate routing. The call may be routed to the alternate switch either from the receiving switch or the destination switch if the call is marked for alternate routing.

Abstract: A call is originated from a mobile station being served by a visited mobile switching center (MSC) and associated with a particular MSC as a home MSC. A base station subsystem (BSS) connected to the visited MSC dynamically establishes an A-interface with an application module within the home MSC transparently through the visited MSC. Thereinafter, all subscriber transmitted data are routed from the serving BSS to the home MSC. The application module within the home MSC then processes the data to provide mobile service to the mobile station.

Abstract: A mobile station communication network includes a high penetration network which schedules high transmission power level paging to reach a mobile station for which an acknowledgment signal is not received. A home location register stores mobile station high penetration network (HPN) subscriber feature information. The HPN analyzes mobile station class to determine an appropriate response when a mobile station fails to acknowledge a page request. The HPN further maintains a record of short message service (SMS) time out (timer) values and examines the ID of the center that generated the message to determine when the SMS center will time out. Just prior to the time out, the HPN will send a "user unavailable" signal to the originating SMS center to avoid unnecessary paging request retries by the SMS center.