Patent ID: 6539237
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
A method for allowing a Mobile Station (MS) to communicate in a wireless communication system, the wireless communication system comprising a plurality of Private Base Transceiver Stations (P-BTS), the P-BTSs having radio transceivers that communicate data and signaling information with the MSs, the P-BTSs also having Mobility Management (MM) protocol and call control processing layers contained within them, the P-BTSs interconnected by a packet data network, thereby eliminating the need for the P-BTS to connect to central call management facilities over wireline circuit switched telephony networks, the method comprising the steps of:receiving a call control message at the P-BTS and passing the call control message to the Mobility Management (MM) layer resident within the P-BTS, without forwarding the call control message to a Base Station Controller (BSC), the call control message including a control function identifier and a Mobile Station Identifier (MSI); forwarding the call control message internally within the P-BTS to a packet interface layer in the P-BTS, the packet interface layer providing communication between the P-BTS and other nodes connected to the packet data network; at the packet interface layer, formatting an external control message intended for transmission over the packet data network, the formatted external control message indicating an alias identifier corresponding to the MSI; forwarding the external control message across the packet data network; receiving the external control message at a wireless system gatekeeper; at the wireless system gatekeeper, formulating a response message to the external control message, and forwarding said response message back over the packet switched network to the packet interface layer associated with the P-BTS; and at the P-BTS, receiving the response message and reformatting the response message as a reformatted internal message at the packet interface layer; and forwarding the reformatted response message to the MM layer associated with the P-BTS.