Service-based inter-system handover

A method for controlling handover of a radio connection between a GSM mobile radio communication system including a GSM supporting mobile services switching center coupled to at least one base station controller (BSC) controlling plural radio base stations and a UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) mobile radio communication system including a UTRAN supporting MSC coupled to at least one radio network controller (RNC) controlling plural radio base stations, comprising:

• for a radio connection between one of the GSM and UTRAN mobile radio communications system and a user equipment (UE) established using an anchor-MSC, processing a handover request for the UE connection from one of the BSC and the RNC to the other of the GSM and UTRAN mobile radio communications systems;
• the anchor-MSC providing service handover information for the UE to a non-anchor MSC in the other mobile radio communications system, where the handover information is based on UE subscription information for a subscriber associated with the UE and mobile radio communications system operator information representing rights of the subscriber associated with the UE regarding changing between different types of radio access technologies and where the handover information includes a GSM handover information element relating to handover of the connection from the GSM mobile radio communications system to the UTRAN mobile radio communications system and a UTRAN handover information element relating to handover from the UTRAN mobile radio communications system to the GSM mobile radio communications system;
• using the provided UE handover information to determine whether to permit a subsequent handover of the connection from the other mobile radio communications system to the one mobile radio communications system without having to contact the UE or use statistical cell-related information, wherein when the UE handover information indicates that a requested handover is not permitted, preventing the requested handover even though there may be sufficient resources to support the requested handover;
• and
• sending the UE handover information from the anchor MSC to the non-anchor MSC in a mobile application part (MAP) protocol handover request message,
• wherein the MAP handover request message includes (1) a base station subsystem mobile application part (BSSMAP) protocol handover request message having a BSSMAP service handover information element as the GSM handover information element, and (2) an radio access network application part (RANAP) protocol service handover information element as the UTRAN handover information element.

ln the context of a communications network where handover of a user equipment (UE) radio connection established using an anchor node in a first mobile radio communication system is possible between the first mobile radio communication system and a second mobile radio communication system that uses a different type of radio access technology, a non-anchor node operable in the second mobile radio communication system, comprising:

• electronic circuitry configured to receive from the anchor node and store handover information for the UE, where the handover information is based on UE subscription information for a subscriber associated with the UE and mobile radio communications system operator information representing rights of the subscriber associated with the UE regarding changing between different types of radio access technologies and where the handover information includes first handover information indicating whether handover of the connection from the first mobile radio communications system to the second mobile radio communications system is permitted and second handover information indicating whether handover from the second mobile radio communications system to the first mobile radio communications system is permitted;
• wherein the UE handover information is useable by the non-anchor node or provided to another node to determine whether to permit a handover of the connection from the first mobile radio communications system to the second mobile radio communications system and from the second mobile radio communication system to the first mobile radio communications systems without having to contact the UE or use statistical cell-related information, wherein when the UE handover information indicates that a requested handover is not permitted, the non-anchor node or the another node is configured to prevent the requested handover even though there may be sufficient resources to support the requested handover;
• and
• wherein the UE handover information includes a first handover information element formatted in accordance with a first format employed in the first mobile radio communications system and a second handover information element formatted in accordance with a second format employed in the second mobile radio communications system.

A communications system comprising:

• a GSM mobile radio communication system including a GSM supporting mobile services switching center (MSC) coupled to at least one base station controller (BSC) controlling plural radio base stations;
• a UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) mobile radio communication system including a UTRAN supporting MSC coupled to at least one radio network controller (RNC) controlling plural radio base stations;
• and
• each radio base station capable of communicating with one or more mobile radio user equipments (UEs) over a radio interface;
• wherein an ancho-MSC is configured to assist in establishing a radio connection between a first one of the GSM and UTRAN mobile radio communications systems and a user equipment (UE) and to process a handover of the UE connection from one of the BSC and the RNC to a second one of the GSM and UTRAN mobile radio communications systems;
• wherein a non-anchor-MSC is configured to receive service handover information for the UE from the non-anchor MSC, where the UE service handover information is based on UE subscription information for a subscriber associated with the UE and a-mobile radio communications system operator information representing rights of the subscriber associated with the UE regarding changing between different types of radio access technologies and where the UE service handover information includes a GSM service handover information element indicating whether handover of the connection from the GSM mobile radio communications system to the UTRAN mobile radio communications system is permitted and a UTRAN service handover information element indicating whether handover from the UTRAN mobile radio communications system to the GSM mobile radio communications system is permitted;
• wherein the non-anchor MSC is configured either to use the UE service handover information or to provide to another node the UE service handover information in order to determine whether to permit a subsequent handover of the connection for the second mobile radio communications system to the first mobile radio communications system without having to contact the UE or use statistical cell-related information, and wherein when the UE service handover information indicates that a requested handover is not permitted, the non-anchor MSC or the another node is configured to prevent the requested handover even though there may be sufficient resources to support the requested handover;
• and
• wherein the anchor MSC is configured to send the UE service handover information to the non-anchor MSC in a mobile application part (MAP) protocol handover request message and wherein the MAP handover request message includes (1) a base station subsystem mobile application part (BSSMAP) protocol handover request message having a BSSMAP service handover information element as the GSM service handover information element and (2) a radio access network application part (RANAP) protocol service handover information element as the UTRAN service handover information element.