Database management

A method for management of a database of a visitor location register in a telecommunication network, said database having a predetermined storage capacity and being adapted to contain a plurality of data sets, each data set containing subscriber data associated with an individual subscriber of said telecommunication network or with another telecommunication network, said individual subscribers having at least once registered within a geographical area of said telecommunication network corresponding to said visitor location register, said method comprising the steps of:

• selecting subscriber data of said database to be deleted from said database,
• monitoring an available storage capacity of said predetermined storage capacity of said database;
• and
• deciding whether said available storage capacity is below a predetermined threshold value of available capacity;
• wherein said selection is based on portions of said subscriber data upon which a roaming behavior of an associated subscriber can be determined and based on a special information element associated with a respective subscriber, the information element indicating that the subscriber visits at least one particular visitor location register a plurality of times, and wherein said selecting step is performed if said available storage capacity is below said predetermined threshold value.

A visitor location register device for a telecommunication network, comprising:

• a memory device for storing subscriber data in a database, the database having a predetermined storage capacity;
• a determination means for determining a roaming behavior of a subscriber having at least once registered to the visitor location register device;
• a selection means responsive to a determination made by said determination means, and adapted to select subscriber data for deletion from said memory device;
• a deletion means adapted to delete the selected subscriber data;
• and
• a decision means adapted to control said determination means and said deletion means based on results of monitoring said memory device,
• wherein said decision means is adapted to monitor an available storage capacity of said predetermined storage capacity of said database, to decide whether said predetermined storage capacity is below a predetermined threshold value of available storage capacity, and to select subscriber data for deletion from the memory device if said predetermined storage capacity of said database is below said predetermined threshold value, and
• wherein said selection is based on a frequency of presence of a respective subscriber within said geographical area of said telecommunication network corresponding to said visitor location register (VLR) determined by the determination means.

A visitor location register device for a telecommunication network, comprising:

• a memory device for storing subscriber data in a database, the database having a predetermined storage capacity;
• a determination means for determining a roaming behavior of a subscriber having at least once registered to the visitor location register device;
• a selection means responsive to a determination made by said determination means, and adapted to select subscriber data for deletion from said memory device;
• a deletion means adapted to delete the selected subscriber data, and
• a decision means adapted to control said determination means and said deletion means, based on results of monitoring said memory device,
• wherein said decision means is adapted to monitor an available storage capacity of said predetermined storage capacity of said database, to decide whether said available storage capacity is below a predetermined threshold value of available storage capacity, and to select subscriber data for deletion from the memory device if said available storage capacity is below said predetermined threshold value, and
• wherein said selection is based on a special information element associated with a respective subscriber and determined by the determination means, the information element indicating that the subscriber visits at least one particular visitor location register a plurality of times.