Supporting user equipment attachment to a mobile virtual network operator packet gateway via a sponsor mobile wireless network operator routing agent

A mobile network operator (MNO) core component comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate the MNO core component carrying out a method supporting connection signaling between a user equipment and core network components of a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to which an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) block has been allocated to the MVNO in accordance with a sponsoring relationship between the primary MNO and the MVNO, wherein the user equipment has a leased IMSI value within a range of IMSI values of the IMSI block, and wherein the method comprises:
• receiving, by the MNO core component, an update location answer (ULA) message issued by an MVNO core component, wherein the ULA message specifies a leased IMSI value of the user equipment;
• determining, by the MNO core component, that the leased IMSI value of the user equipment falls within a range of the IMSI block allocated to the MVNO in accordance with the sponsoring relationship between the primary MNO and the MVNO;
• generating, by the MNO core component in accordance with the determining, a modified ULA including a changed access point name (APN);
• and
• forwarding the modified ULA to a mobility management entity (MME) component,
• wherein the modified ULA is used by the MME component to generate a create session request (CSR) message, and
• wherein the changed APN of the modified ULA causes the MME component to send the CSR message to a GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) proxy of the primary MNO.

A system comprising:

• a Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) component;
• a mobility management entity (MME) component;
• and
• a GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) proxy component,
• wherein the DRA, MME and GTP proxy are configured to cooperatively operate to carry out a method for supporting connection signaling between a user equipment and core network components of a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to which an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) block has been allocated to the MVNO in accordance with a sponsoring relationship between the primary MNO and the MVNO, wherein the user equipment has a leased IMSI value within a range of IMSI values of the IMSI block, and
• wherein the method comprises:
• receiving, by the DRA, an update location answer (ULA) message issued by an MVNO core component, wherein the ULA message specifies a leased IMSI value of the user equipment;
• determining, by the DRA, that the leased IMSI value of the user equipment falls within a range of the IMSI block allocated to the MVNO in accordance with the sponsoring relationship between the primary MNO and the MVNO;
• generating, by the DRA in accordance with the determining, a modified ULA including a changed access point name (APN);
• and
• forwarding the modified ULA to the MME component;
• generating, by the MME in accordance with the modified ULA, a create session request (CSR) message, and
• sending, by the MME in accordance with the changed APN of the modified ULA, the CSR message to the GTP proxy of the primary MNO.