Methods & systems for providing information to a home system regarding a wireless unit roaming in a visited system

An international gateway for use in obtaining communication services for a wireless unit that is roaming in a visited system, the international gateway comprising:

• A. an interface operative to receive a registration message with respect to the wireless unit from the visited system;
• B. a translator functionally connected to the interface and operative
• i. to determine a home system for the wireless unit based on the registration message,
• ii. to substitute a point code for an element of the home system as a destination point code in the registration message, and
• iii. to cause the registration message to be routed to the home system;
• C. the interface also operative to receive from the home system a response to the registration message, the response including validation information and originating and/or terminating service (OCOS/TCOS) information with respect to the wireless unit;
• and
• D. the translator also operative
• i. to substitute a point code for an element of the visited system as a destination point code in the response, and
• ii. to cause the response to be routed to the element of the visited system,
• whereby the communication services for the wireless unit are obtained based on the validation information and on the OCOS/TCOS information regarding the wireless unit through an exchange of messages and responses among the visited system, the international gateway, and the home system.

A system to provide a home system with information about a wireless unit that is roaming in a visited system based on registration information the wireless unit provides to the visited system, the system comprising:

• A. a mobile switching center of the visited system (MSC-V) operative to receive the registration information and in response to route a registration message to an international gateway;
• B. the international gateway operative to receive the registration message, and in response, to create a new registration message including an identification of the MSC-V, the identification being other than a point code for the MSC-V, and to route the new registration message to a home mobile switching center (MSC-H) in the home system of the wireless unit;
• and
• C. the MSC-H operative to receive the new registration message,
• whereby the home system is provided with the information about the wireless unit including the identification of the MSC-V serving the wireless unit.

In a communications environment wherein a wireless unit has a registration with a first visited mobile switching center (MSC), and wherein the wireless unit moves to an area served by a second visited MSC, a method for validating the wireless unit with the second visited MSC without checking with a home system of the wireless unit, comprising:

• A. receiving at the second visited MSC registration information from the wireless unit;
• B. in response to receiving the registration information causing the second visited MSC to route the registration information to an international gateway;
• C. in response to receiving the registration information, causing the international gateway to make a determination that an authorization period assigned to the wireless unit for provision of communication services is in effect;
• and
• D. in response to the determination, causing the international gateway to send a validation with respect to the wireless unit to the second visited MSC.