Femtocell communication system, apparatus, control method, and program

Abstract

A Femtocell base station has a determination means and a transmission means. The determination means, upon receiving a location update request message from UE (User Equipment), determines whether a first message that prompts the UE to again attempt a location update should be transmitted to the UE, whether a second message that prompts the UE to divert to another network should be transmitted to the UE, or whether a third message that notifies the UE that the location update request is accepted should be transmitted to the UE. The transmission means transmits to the UE either the first message, or the second message, or the third message in accordance with the determination of the determination means.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A control apparatus in a communication system provided with a Femtocell base station, wherein said control apparatus acquires subscriber information of UE (User Equipment) that is registered in an HLR (Home Location Register) of a core network that is connected to the communication system and manages said subscriber information of said UE that was acquired; said control apparatus comprising:
 a determination unit that transmits, to said HLR, information that specifies said UE from said Femtocell base station that has received a location update request message from said UE; and based on the information that relates to said UE that was received from the HLR, determines whether the subscriber information of said UE is subscriber information of a user that is subscribed to a service not offered in that communication system; and   a control unit that, when said determination means determines that the subscriber information of said UE is subscriber information of a user that is subscribed to a service not offered in that communication system, implements control such that said Femtocell base station transmits to said UE a message prompting said UE to divert to another network.   
     
     
         2 . The control apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said control unit, when it is determined that said UE subscriber information is subscriber information of a user that is subscribed to a service not offered in that communication system, transmits to said Femtocell base station a request failure message. 
     
     
         3 . A Femtocell communication system that is connected to UE (User Equipment) by a Femtocell, said Femtocell communication system comprising:
 a Femtocell base station that: holds regulation information for determining in a base station that a UE is a UE that should divert to another network; upon receiving a location update request from a UE, transmits to that UE a second message prompting diversion if that UE corresponds to said regulation information; transmits information that specifies that UE to a core network side that is connected to said Femtocell communication system if that UE does not correspond to said regulation information; and subsequently, transmits to that UE a first message prompting the UE to again attempt a location update if said Femtocell base station receives an authentication failure message; and transmits to that UE said second message if said Femtocell base station receives a request failure message;   an authentication apparatus that: based on information and that specifies said UE that is transmitted from said Femtocell base station, carries out authentication of said UE, and if authentication of said UE fails, transmits to said Femtocell base station an authentication failure message; and   a control apparatus that: is linked to an HLR (Home Location Register) of said core network, transmits to said HLR information that specifies said UE and that is transmitted from said Femtocell base station, and if, based on information relating to said UE received from said HLR, said control apparatus determines that the subscriber information of said UE is subscriber information of a user that is subscribed to a service not offered in said Femtocell communication system, transmits said request failure message to said Femtocell base station.   
     
     
         4 . A control method that is implemented in a control apparatus in a communication system provided with a Femtocell base station, wherein said control apparatus acquires subscriber information of UE (User Equipment) that is registered in an HLR (Home Location Register) of a core network connected to said communication system and manages said acquired subscriber information of said UE; said control method comprising steps of:
 transmitting to said HLR information that specifies said UE from said Femtocell base station that has received an update location request message from said UE, and, based on information relating to said UE received from said HLR, determining whether subscriber information of said UE is subscriber information of a user that is subscribed to a service not offered in that communication system; and   implementing control such that, when the subscriber information of said UE is determined to be subscriber information of a user subscribed to a service not offered in that communication system, said Femtocell base station transmits to said UE a message that prompts said UE to divert to another network.   
     
     
         5 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a program that causes a computer of a control apparatus in a communication system provided with a Femtocell base station, said control apparatus acquiring subscriber information of UE (User Equipment) that is registered in an HLR (Home Location Register) of a core network that is connected to said communication system and managing the subscriber information of said UE that was acquired, to execute processes of:
 transmitting to said HLR information that specifies said UE from said Femtocell base station that received a location update request message from said UE, and determining based on the information relating to said UE and that was received from said HLR whether the subscriber information of said UE is subscriber information of a user that is subscribed to a service not offered in that communication system; and   implementing control such that, when it is determined that subscriber information of said UE is subscriber information of a user that is subscribed to a service not offered in said communication system, said Femtocell base station transmits to said UE a message that prompts said UE to divert to another network.