Packet radio system and methods for a protocol-independent routing of a data packet in packet radio networks

A method for a protocol-independent routing of packets between a mobile station and a party connected to an external network in a packet radio network, said packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

• utilizing an internal protocol of said packet radio network towards said internal packet network at each of said plurality of support nodes;
• utilizing at least one of said plurality of support nodes that serves at least one mobile station, which uses a radio interface link protocol towards a radio interface at said support nodes which serve said at least one mobile station;
• utilizing a protocol of an external network towards said external network at a gateway support node, which interfaces said packet radio network to at least one said external network;
• encapsulating data packets received from said mobile station or from said external network, according to a protocol of said packet radio network;
• routing an encapsulated data packet in said packet radio network, according to said protocol of said packet radio network;
• stripping said encapsulation according to said protocol of said packet radio network away, when said data packet is transferred from said packet radio network to said external network;
• maintaining in a database, information which maps at least one network address of said mobile station with dynamic roaming information;
• and
• inserting said dynamic roaming information into a mobile terminating data packet encapsulated according to an internal protocol of said packet radio network in order to enable routing of said mobile terminating data packet to one of said support nodes within an area in which said mobile station is located.

A method for routing a mobile terminated data packet when a mobile station is located outside its home packet radio network, and routing between packet radio networks is required, each packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

• sending, by a sending party, a data packet according to a first protocol, said data packet containing a network address according to said first protocol for said mobile station;
• routing said data packet via at least one external network to a gateway support node of a home packet radio network of said mobile station by using a routing according to said first protocol;
• encapsulating, by said gateway support node, said data packet of said first protocol according to an internal protocol of said home network packet radio;
• sending, by said gateway support node, said encapsulated data packet to a home support node of said mobile station;
• determining by said home support node of said mobile stations a roaming number of said mobile station by said network address of said first protocol for said mobile station, said roaming number indicating a node of another packet radio network;
• routing, by said home support node, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said home network;
• stripping, by said gateway support node of said home network encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said home network, and encapsulating a data packet of said first protocol according to a protocol used in inter-network traffic between said home packet radio network and said another packet radio network;
• routing, by said gateway support node of said home network, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said other packet radio network;
• stripping, by said gateway support node of said other packet radio network, encapsulation away according to an inter-network protocol, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to said internal protocol of said other packet radio network;
• routing, by said gateway support node of said other packet radio network, said encapsulated data packet to said support node indicated by said roaming number in said other packet radio network;
• stripping, by said support node of said other packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said other packet radio network, and sending a data packet over a radio interface to said mobile station encapsulated according to a radio link protocol;
• and
• stripping, by said mobile station encapsulation away according to said radio link protocol.

A method for routing a mobile originated data packet via an external data network to a receiving party when a mobile station is located outside a home packet radio network in a first packet radio network, which does not support a first protocol used by said mobile station, each packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

• encapsulating, by said mobile stations a data packet of said first protocol according to a radio link protocol, said data packet containing a network address according to said first protocol for said receiving party;
• sending, by said mobile station, said data packet encapsulated according to said radio link protocol over a radio interface to a support node serving said mobile station in said first packet radio network;
• stripping, by a serving node, encapsulation away according to said radio link protocol, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an internal protocol of said first packet radio network;
• routing, by said serving node, said encapsulated data packet to a gateway support node of said first packet radio network, according to said internal protocol;
• stripping, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said first packet radio network, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an inter-network protocol used in inter-network traffic between said first packet radio network and said home packet radio network of said mobile station;
• routing, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said home packet radio network;
• stripping, by said gateway support node of said home packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said inter-network protocol, and
• routing, by said gateway support node of said home packet radio network supporting said first protocol, said data packet to an external data network of said first protocol by using a routing mechanism according to said first protocol.

A method for routing a mobile originated data packet via a first packet radio network and an external data network to a receiving party when a mobile station is located outside a home packet radio network in said second packet radio network, which does not support a first protocol used by said mobile station, each packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

• encapsulating, by said mobile station, a data packet of said first protocol according to a radio link protocol, said data packet containing a network address according to said first protocol for said receiving party;
• sending, by said mobile station, said data packet encapsulated according to a radio link protocol over a radio interface to a support node serving said mobile station in said first packet radio network;
• stripping, by a serving node encapsulation away according to said radio link protocol, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an internal protocol of said first packet radio network;
• routing, by said serving node, said encapsulated data packet to a gateway support node of said first packet radio network according to said internal protocol;
• stripping, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said first packet radio network, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an inter-network protocol used in inter-network traffic between said first packet radio network and said second packet radio network, said second packet radio network supporting said first protocol;
• routing, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said second packet radio network;
• stripping, by said gateway support node of said second packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said inter-network protocol and
• routing, by said gateway support node of said second packet radio network, supporting said first protocol, said data packet to an external data network of said first protocol by using a routing mechanism according to said first protocol.