Patent ID: 6067452
Filing Date: 2000-05-23
Classification: H04B,H04W

Abstract:
In a mobile satellite communications system employing a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, said GSM network comprising a satellite and a plurality of gateways, each of said gateways comprising a mobile switching center (MSC) and a land earth station (LES) subsystem, a method of achieving least cost call routing in said mobile satellite communications system for calls between a mobile terminal and a fixed user terminal, said method comprising the following steps:selecting, as a home MSC for said mobile terminal, one of said mobile switching centers based on a likelihood that said home mobile switching center will be closest to said fixed user terminal, so as to register said mobile terminal with said home MSC even when said mobile terminal moves from one area covered by said satellite to another area covered by said satellite;maintaining registration of said mobile terminal with said home MSC wherein said home MSC for each mobile terminal is selected based on a geographical relationship between said home MSC and said fixed user terminal, which maintains registration of said mobile terminal; andmaintaining a record of each home MSC for each mobile in a home location register (HLR) and identifying a visitor location register (VLR) of the current location of each mobile assigned to each of said mobile switching centers.