HK1111839A - Method and apparatus for supporting enhanced international dialing in cellular telecommunications systems - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for supporting enhanced international dialing in a cellular telecommunications system

Compliance with 35 U.S.C. § 119 priority requirements

The present patent application claims priority from U.S. provisional application No. 60/635,913 entitled "Method and Apparatus for supporting Enhanced International Dialing in Cellular Systems" (Method and Apparatus for supporting Enhanced International Dialing in Cellular Systems) filed on 12, 13/2004, assigned to the assignee of the present application and expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Background

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to communications, and more specifically to systems and techniques for supporting simultaneous international dialing while roaming across multiple network platforms in a wireless communication system.

Background

Roaming refers to the ability to make and receive calls outside of a user's home network. More specifically, international roaming is the ability to make and receive calls from a foreign country using the user's own handset and the foreign country's wireless network. Typically, international roaming requires a subscriber to dial an international access code to reach a telephone number outside the country in which the subscriber is located. The international access code is specific to each country and in some cases the carrier supporting the call to its network is fixed. For example, a user in the united states must dial "011" on their handset to use the international roaming feature to make an international call. A user in france will dial "00", "40" or "70" or another international access code (depending on which carrier he chooses to utilize) to make an international call from france. Frequently traveling users must remember various international access codes to make telephone calls in different countries using their handsets. Since many countries have different international access codes, and since international access codes within a single country may vary from carrier to carrier, accurate knowledge of these codes can be a heavy burden for travelers.

"+ code" dialing feature

A feature sometimes referred to as the "+ code" dialing feature allows international dialing within a cellular system. The global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard for wireless networks supports a version of this international dialing feature in which a user can dial the (+) key on their handset instead of dialing the international access code. Dialing the (+) key marks the call as an international call, instructing the local switching system to route the call to an international switch. The "+" indicator means that the dialed digit string is an international number. For example, with + code dialing, a user making an international call may dial "+ country code-area code-customer number". According to this method, the handset converts the "+" code to an "international number type", and the network identifies the "international number type" and routes the call to the international gateway when the Country Code (CC) in the dialed number is different from the work area. Conversely, if the dialed digit string begins with the country code of the currently serving system, the network (MSC) should remove the CC from the dialed number and set up the call as a local or national call.

To illustrate how some of these terms are typically used, some examples will now be provided. When making a call to a given telephone number, the telephone number dialed by the user may take several different formats depending on where the user is located and from what network the user is calling from. For example, assume that three callers located in different regions of the world wish to call someone in san diego with customer/local numbers 658- & 2598. Also assume that a first caller is located in a region of san diego having the same area code, a second caller is located in the united states but outside of san diego, and a third caller is located outside of the united states, such as in china.

The first caller may simply dial the customer number or local number 658-. If the first caller is still in san Diego but calls from a region with a different region code, the first caller may need to dial 858-. The second caller would have to dial 1-858-. This is also known as a "long distance" call. A third caller would have to dial 00-1-858-. The call will be routed to an international gateway and then directed to the united states. Thus, with international calls, before a user dials a number, the user must know where they are making the call and the international access code.

To help eliminate the need to know this information, in some networks, a feature called enhanced international dialing may be used to simplify dialing. According to this feature, all numbers can be expressed in the format "+ country code-area code-customer number", where "+" means that the number is of the international number type. The number after + is the "country code". Thus, in the above example, the third caller can simply dial + 1-858-.

Unfortunately, users whose handsets include a GSM-enabled (+) key cannot take advantage of this functionality in areas not covered by the GSM network. If a mobile user dials a national call having an international number type, some systems cannot properly analyze the number to establish the call. For example, all Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems do not support the + code dialing feature and cannot recognize or support the indicia attendant to a call made with the (+) key, and thus cannot route the call to an international switch. In contrast, to route an international call, CDMA systems require that the call be accompanied by the appropriate international access code. For example, a CDMA subscriber typically must dial an "IAC-CC-AC-customer number" to make an international call, and the network routes the call to an international gateway after identifying the IAC. This requires that CDMA users know the International Access Code (IAC) for making international calls and the National Access Code (NAC) for making national calls when roaming to other countries.

There has recently been an increasing demand for simplified access procedures in international roaming. To help alleviate these problems, a patent application No. 10/315,673 entitled "International Dialing In Cellular Networks" (International Dialing In Cellular Networks) filed on 12/9/2002, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and expressly incorporated herein by reference, specifically describes an automated International Dialing feature. This feature allows a user to participate in international roaming without knowing and entering the correct international access code, regardless of whether the network supports the call.

The operator will understand that standard + code dialing requires the roaming partner to upgrade his network to support this feature. These upgrades may not be applied until some time in the future. During this time, there is a need in the art for enhanced international dialing that can help alleviate this problem. It would be desirable if such a feature could be implemented without the need to upgrade the services network.

SUMMARY

As described above, if a mobile user dials a national call having an international number type, some systems cannot properly analyze the number to establish the call. An aspect of the present invention enables automatic correction of unrecognizable numbers and thus saves air interface resources. According to one embodiment, the number may be automatically changed from an international number type ("+ CC-AC- #") to a new number corresponding to a number that may be identified by the serving MSC based on geographic information and the numbering plan of the visited country.

According to one aspect, techniques are provided for dialing calls using international numbers in a CDMA service network. A call may be made by entering a dialed number that includes a string of digits corresponding to an international telephone number. The dialed number begins with a + indicator, followed by a country code, an area code, and a customer number. The digit string is automatically converted to a new number based on the numbering plan of the region where the call is made. The new number may then be sent to the CDMA service network to establish the call. The new number may include a national number. The numeric string may be automatically converted to a domestic number in a number of ways. According to one embodiment, the digit string may be analyzed prior to sending the dialed number to the CDMA serving network to detect whether the digit string includes a country code for the region to which the call is to be made. If the country code in the dialed number is different from the country code of the area where the call is being made, the call is an international call. The country code of the region is associated with a location information field for matching location information broadcast by the CDMA service network. Then, if the country code in the dialed digit matches the country code of the serving network, the country code may be removed from the digit string and a national access code may be added to the digit string (as needed) to generate a new number.

According to another aspect, techniques are provided for making calls in a serving wireless network serving users in a work area. The number called is entered by the user and includes a country code, an area code, and a customer number. The handset then determines whether the called number also includes an optional indicator and whether the country code corresponds to a country code of the serving network before sending the called number to the serving network. If the called number includes an optional indicator and the country code does not correspond to the country code of the serving network, the handset converts the optional indicator to an international access code for the serving network to generate a modified calling number. The international access code of the serving network may then be inserted into the modified calling number to generate a new calling number.

Brief Description of Drawings

Aspects of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which:

fig. 1 is a conceptual block diagram of a CDMA communication system according to one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a simplified functional flow diagram illustrating features of a software application for implementing a + code dialing solution according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is another simplified functional flow diagram illustrating features of a software application for implementing a + code dialing solution according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is one embodiment of a subscriber station that may be configured to implement a + code dialing solution in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Term(s) for

The Location Information (LI) field is used to match the location information broadcast by the serving network. The location information may be identified, for example, by the MCC/MNC or SID/NID of the serving network, the range of MCC/MNC or SID/NID of the visited country, the latitude and longitude, or a combination thereof.

A Country Code (CC) for the region is associated with LI. The wireless device compares the country code of the service area to the country code of the dialed number to determine whether the call is an international call or a national call. If it is a national call, the handset removes the CC from the dialed digit string and then adds a National Access Code (NAC) if the Special Prefix Code (SPC) does not match.

The International Access Code (IAC) of the area associated with LI is used to make international calls in that area. The dialed number for an international call must start with the IAC.

The National Access Code (NAC) of the region associated with LI is used to make national calls in that region. If the SPC does not match, the NAC should be placed before the area code and customer number. NAC is not required for numbers that start with a Special Prefix Code (SPC) in the area identified by LI. It is not necessary to place NACs in front of the numbers that the caller is outside the numbered area where the call is made.

The operator name (OPN) can be specified in several languages. The wireless device may display the carrier name on its screen to help the user identify the serving network.

Detailed Description

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. The term "exemplary" used throughout this description means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present invention.

In the following detailed description, various techniques will be described in the context of a CDMA communication system. Although these techniques may be well suited for use in this environment, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that these techniques are equally applicable to other wireless networks. Accordingly, any reference to a CDMA communications system is intended only to illustrate various inventive aspects of the present invention, with the understanding that such inventive aspects have a wide variety of applications.

Fig. 1 is a conceptual block diagram of a CDMA communication system. The CDMA communication system is shown with multiple networks 101A-F. The subscriber station 102 is shown moving through different networks by a series of dashed lines. User station 102 is shown initially in its home network 101A. Home network 101A may include one or more radio controllers for establishing and maintaining wireless connections with all subscriber stations in the home network 101A. A radio network may be defined as a set of base stations and one or more base station controllers. For ease of explanation, only one radio network 110 is shown. The home network 101A may also include a mobile telephone switching office (MSTO)106 that interfaces a radio network 110 to a Wide Area Network (WAN)108, such as a landline Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or a packet data-based network.

As subscriber station 102 moves through home network 101A, it may communicate with other subscriber stations (not shown) or access WAN 108 through radio network 110. This may be accomplished by establishing a wireless link between subscriber station 102 and radio network 110 via a registration procedure. The registration process includes transmitting a system identification code (SID) from radio network 110 to subscriber station 102 on an overhead channel (overhead channel). When the subscriber station receives the SID, it compares the SID with the SID programmed into the subscriber station 102. If the SIDs match, subscriber station 102 knows that it is communicating with radio network 110 from its home network 101A.

Once subscriber station 102 receives the SID, it sends a registration request to radio network 110. The registration request may be used to report the location of subscriber station 102 within home network 101A to MTSO 106. MTSO 106 stores this information in a database. This database allows the MTSO to intelligently route calls to subscriber station 102 without paging subscriber station 102 throughout home network 101A. In response to the registration request, various system parameters may be sent back to subscriber station 102 from MTSO 106 via radio network 110.

When a subscriber station 102 moves out of its home network 104, it typically needs to register with a new network. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, subscriber station 102 is shown moving from its home network 101A to foreign network 101B. As long as the subscriber station 102 remains in the foreign network 101B, the foreign network is referred to as a home network. During the registration process, subscriber station 102 will receive the SID from radio network 118 of foreign network 101B. However, unlike the registration process in the subscriber station's home network 101A, the SID from the radio network 118 does not match the SID programmed into the subscriber station 102. Due to this mismatch, the subscriber station 102 will recognize that it is outside its home network 101A and is therefore roaming. Subscriber station 102 then sends a registration request to MTSO114 in local network 101B through radio network 118. The registration request includes the SID programmed into the subscriber station 102. The SID provides an indication to MTSO114 in home network 101B that subscriber station 102 is roaming. MTSO114 uses the SID to identify home network 101A of subscriber station 102. MTSO114 may then contact MTSO 106 in subscriber station's home network 101A to authenticate subscriber station 102. Once authenticated, various system parameters may be sent back to subscriber station 102 from MTSO114 via radio network 118 to complete the registration process.

Overview

Embodiments disclosed herein address the above stated needs by providing enhanced international dialing in cellular systems (e.g., CDMA) via a handset-based + code dialing solution. According to one aspect, the phone analyzes the dialed digits before sending the dialed number to the network. If the dialed digits begin with a country code from the region in which the call was made, the country code is removed and a national access code is added before the digit string. For example, in one embodiment, if a user dials a local or national number of the international number type, the telephone automatically converts the dialed number to a national number type and then sends the number to the network to establish a call. Since the country code and international access code will be removed in case the call is a national call, the number sent over the radio can be reduced and air interface resources can be saved. Thus, no changes are required to implement + code dialing. This handset-based solution does not require roaming partners to upgrade their networks. Instead, the operator can implement this solution on his own handset. This solution operates more efficiently in the case where the network broadcasts the correct MCC/MNC. The look-up table may be more stable and reliable if the network broadcasts the correct MCC/MNC. There is no conflict between MCC/MNCs assigned to each carrier and the MCC/MNCs assigned to each carrier do not change. If there is no MCC/MNC broadcast in the serving network, other information broadcast via overhead messages will be used to identify the location, such as SID/NID or latitude and longitude.

+ code dialing solution based on mobile phone

According to one embodiment, techniques are provided for dialing calls using international numbers in a CDMA service network. A call may be made by entering a dialed number that includes a string of digits corresponding to an international telephone number. The dialed number begins with a + indicator, followed by a country code, an area code, and a customer number. The digit string is automatically converted to a new number based on the numbering plan of the area in which the call was made. The new number may then be sent to the CDMA service network to establish the call. The new number may include a national number.

The numeric string may be automatically converted to a national number in a variety of ways. According to one embodiment, the digit string may be analyzed before sending the dialed number to the CDMA serving network to detect whether the digit string includes a country code for the region to which the call is being made. The call is an international call if the country code in the dialed number is different from the country code of the region in which the call is being made. The country code of the region is associated with a location information field for matching location information broadcast by the CDMA service network. Then, if the country code in the dialed digit matches the country code of the serving network, the country code and + indicator may be removed from the digit string and a national access code may be added to the digit string (as needed) to generate a new number. After removal of the CC, the remaining digits beginning with the special prefix do not require a national access code in the region identified by the location information broadcast by the serving network. The national access code is used to make a national call in the region associated with the location information. If the special prefix code does not match, the domestic access code is located before the area code and the customer number.

In another embodiment, the digits may be analyzed before sending the dialed number to the CDMA serving network to detect whether the digits also include the country code of the region to which the call is being made, by comparing the country code of the CDMA serving network to the country code of the dialed number to determine whether the call is an international call or a national call. If the call is a national call, a national access code may be added to the digit string to generate a new number by removing the country code from the dialed digit string and then adding the national access code to the digit string to generate the new number if the special prefix codes do not match. This handset-based + code dialing solution allows the user to emulate a standard + code dialing method.

Figure 2 is a simplified functional block diagram illustrating features of a software application for implementing a + code dialing solution. An example of a handset + code dialing solution will now be described with reference to figure 2. Before sending the dialed digits to the network, the handset analyzes the dialed digits to determine whether the dialed digits begin with a "+" code at step 202, and analyzes the dialed digits to determine whether the CC is a CC of the serving network at step 204. If the handset determines that the dialed number begins with a "+" code and the CC is the same as the country code of the serving network, the handset will remove the CC at step 206 and place a National Access Code (NAC) in front of the national number (area code-customer number, on demand) at step 208. The handset then sends the number to the network to set up the call. Conversely, if the handset determines that the dialed digit begins with a "+" code, but the CC is different from the CC of the serving network, the handset may convert the "+" code to an IAC at step 205, and place the IAC of the serving network before the dialed number at step 207. The handset can then send the number to be called (the new call number) to the network to set up the call.

In some countries, such as china, there may be some domestically assigned telephone numbers that can be reached without NAC, even in the case of long distance calls. If the NAC is placed before this subscriber number, the call cannot be reached. For example, in china, the numbers of all CDMA and GSM mobile phones begin with "13". Thus, to call a mobile subscriber, the number "13" must be dialed before the telephone number. If NAC ("0" in China) is placed before the number, the call cannot be reached. The handset needs to recognize such a number and may not add NAC after CC removal.

Lookup table

To analyze the dialed number and make the correct translation, a look-up table may be stored in the phone or in a removable memory device, such as a R-UIM card, attached to the phone. Each serving network or visited country has at least one entry in the table to provide Location Information (LI), Country Code (CC), International Access Code (IAC), National Access Code (NAC), Special Prefix Code (SPC) and operator name (OPN).

The granularity of the location information may be carrier level or country level. If a country has one IAC for all operators, one entry for that country may be sufficient. Otherwise, one entry may be specified for each carrier. This may be done, for example, if different carriers in a country have different IAC or dial plans or if it is desired to share the same look-up table for the carrier name display.

The look-up table may be stored in the handset and controlled by the home operator. If there are more than one international or domestic service provider in a country, the operator may select its preferred service provider and specify its preferred service provider in its IAC and NAC in a look-up table. The restriction policy in the roaming country has no impact on the home operator's selection of its preferred service provider.

One way to define a look-up table is to list LI and conversion rules in each record in the table. In addition, this information may be divided into multiple (e.g., two or more) tables. For example, the conversion rule table may specify the type of conversion rule, while another table may specify the LI, the carrier name, and the index of the conversion record in the conversion rule table. The conversion rule table may specify a conversion rule for a location associated with the LI. Splitting the LI and conversion rules into two tables can greatly simplify the table because carriers in many countries adopt ITU-T recommendations using "00" for the IAC and "0" for the NAC, while carriers in north america use the north american numbering plan.

Manual input replacement

Sometimes the correct IAC and NAC may not be available to the handset. For example, the IAC/NAC in the visited country may have changed, or the table may be outdated, or the location information (MCC/MNC and/or SID/NID) is not broadcast correctly.

If IAC and NAC are not available from the look-up table, the user may manually enter surrogate parameters via the keypad. According to this manual input embodiment, the parameters obtained from the look-up table will be overwritten. For networks in which the CDMA operator implements "welcome SMS", several "welcome SMS" may be sent to the user when the phone registers in the roaming partner's network, including the IAC and NAC of the visited country. When the user receives the SMS, the user can manually enter the IAC/NAC into the phone. The user may then simply dial the number with the + code each time the user makes a call, and the phone may convert the dialed number to the desired number. Using this manual input embodiment, the user may choose to use the favorite service provider based on variables such as call price and quality of service.

Based on mobile phone +Substitute for Chinese traditional medicineProcedure for code dialing

According to another embodiment, techniques are provided for making calls in a serving wireless network serving users in a work area. The calling number is entered by the user and includes a country code, an area code and a customer number. The handset then determines whether the calling number also includes an optional indicator and whether the country code corresponds to a country code of the serving network before sending the calling number to the serving network. The optional indicator may be, for example, "+" code/number, etc. If the calling number includes the optional indicator and the country code does not correspond to the country code of the serving network, the handset converts the optional indicator to an international access code for the serving network to generate a modified calling number. The international access code of the serving network may then be inserted into the modified calling number to generate a new calling number.

If the calling number has a "+" indicator and is not a local number for the visited country, the call is an international call. In this case, the international access code of the serving network may be inserted at the beginning of the modified calling number to generate a new calling number or converted digit string. The new call number may then be sent to the serving network to establish the call.

If the call number includes an optional + indicator and the country code corresponds to the country code of the serving network (e.g., the call number is a local number of the visited country), the country code may be removed from the call number to produce a reduced call number that includes the area code and the customer number, and if the reduced call number does not include the SPC, the national access code of the reduced call number may be inserted into the reduced call number to generate a new call number. The new call number may then be sent to the serving network to establish the call.

Figure 3 is another simplified functional block diagram illustrating features of a software application for implementing a + code dialing solution. At step 302, the handset retrieves the location from the received MCC/MNC and/or SID/NID. The handset then retrieves the CCsrv, IACsrv, NACsrc, SPCsrv, and NOsrv of the service network via a lookup table stored in the phone at step 304. At step 306, the handset rewrites CCsrv, IACsrv, NACsrv, and SPCsrv with the user manually entered replacement based on the user's selection. The handset displays the carrier name (NOsrv) on the phone screen.

The user dials a calling number via the keypad or selects a number stored in the phonebook.

At step 308, it is determined whether the calling number has a "+" indicator and is a local number of the visited country, i.e., CCsrv ═ the dialed CC. If it is determined that the calling number has a "+" indicator and is not a local number for the visited country, the handset knows that the call is an international call. In this case, at step 310, the handset converts the + indicator to the international access code of the serving network to generate a modified calling number. At step 312, the handset inserts IACsrv before the dialed number. The handset then allows further call processing and sends the converted digit string or "new" calling number to the serving network.

If instead it is determined at step 308 that the calling number has a "+" indicator and is a local number of the visited country, i.e., CCsrv ═ the dialed CC, then at step 314 the CC is removed from the dialed number. If the remaining digit string begins with SPC as shown in step 316, the process is complete (not shown in FIG. 3). However, if the remaining number string does not begin with SPC, then at step 314, a national access code is added before the remaining number string at step 318. At which point the process ends.

Short message initiation

ANSI-41 includes two options for SMS initiation. According to the first option, the visited MSC parses the destination number and forwards the SMS message to the destination home SMSC. The destination number preferably follows the numbering plan of the visited network. According to a second option, the visited MSC parses the originating number and forwards the SMS message to the originating or home SMSC. The calling SMSC then parses the destination number and forwards the SMS to the destination home SMSC. Here, the destination number preferably follows the numbering plan of the home network. The phone may retrieve the home network information based on the MCC/MNC of the subscriber's IMSI and obtain the CC and IAC/NAC accordingly.

Call forwarding

If the call-forwarding number includes a + indicator, the + code should be translated using the rules of the home network rather than the serving network. The phone may retrieve the home network information based on the MCC/MNC of the subscriber's IMSI and obtain the CC and IAC/NAC accordingly.

Implementation of

In a network that supports star number dialing, the star number may be stored in a look-up table.

In one embodiment, the lookup table may be stored in the R-UIM card. In another embodiment, BREW in phone can be used^®An application or other software application to update the look-up table over the air as needed. If the home network does not support BREW^®Or other software applications, a cable-based update method may be used in which a user may go to a service center and update the look-up table.

Exemplary lookup tables

Table 1 is an example of a look-up table listing information about the networks of china unicom and its roaming partners. In this example, each entry includes location information of the serving network or country, conversion rules, and an operator name. Some operators or regions have the same conversion rules. In table 1, the NULL SPC field means that there is no special number in the area or network. Any call to all domestic customer numbers in the country should add NAC. The table is incomplete due to lack of information. To complete the table, further details regarding the dialing plan for each country are required.

TABLE 1 an exemplary lookup table

MCC	MNC	SID recording				CC	SPC	NPT	IAC	NAC	State of the country	OPN
													C.I.	R.I.	Minimum size	Maximum of
		311	28	1	1												1	2175	1	-	(NANP)	-	-	United states of America	Verizon
0	1					2304	7679
				724	06			0	0	23	-	55	-	(specific)	0021	0	Brazil rubber	Vivo
1	0	65	-
						1	0	69	-
0	0	71	-
						1	0	330	-
...	...	...	-

450	03	0	1	2220	2238	82	-	(specific)	00700	0	Korea	SKT
													530	02	0	0	8583	-	64	-	(ITU)	-	-	New Zealand	TNZ
454	05	0	1	10640	10655	852	-	(specific)	0080	-	Hong Kong	Hutchison HK
													Hong Kong, China	And memory communication
											440	-			0	1	12288	13311	81	-	(specific)	001010	0	Japanese	KDDI
460	03	0	1	13568	14335	86	13	(ITU)	-	-			China	Unicom
											China	Are communicated
													404	00	0	0	14655	-	91	98	(ITU)	-	-	India	Reliance
302	-	0	0	16384	-	1	-	(NANP)	-	-	Canada
													0	0	16422	-
		0	0	17500	-
													302	65	0	0	16420	-	1	-	(NANP)	-	-	Canada	Bell Mobility

+ examples of transcoding

To illustrate how the translation of call numbers works in the context of the exemplary lookup table shown above, several examples are listed below.

For a call to a chinese fixed line telephone in a telecommunications network to number + 861082856030, where the serving network has MCC 460, MNC 03, SID 13824 > CCsrv 86, IACsrv 00, NACsrv 0, SPCsrv 13, there is a country code match but no SPC match. In this case, the CC will be removed and NAC added. Thus, the number will be converted to "01082856030".

For a call to a chinese mobile phone in a telecommunications network to number + 8613301338000, where the serving network MCC 460, MNC 03, SID 13824 > CCsrv 86, IACsrv 00, NACsrv 0, SPCsrv 13, the country code matches the SPC. In this case, the CC will be removed and no NAC is added. Thus, the number will be converted to "13301338000".

For a call to the calling number + 8613301338000 to the chinese fixed line phone in brazil, where the service network: MCC 724, MNC xx, SID 31872 > CCsrv 55, IACsrv 0021, NACsrv 0, SPCsrv NONE, no country code match. Thus, an IAC will be added and the number will be translated to "00148613301338000".

Fig. 4 is one embodiment of a subscriber station that may be configured to implement the above-described systems and methods. The subscriber station 102 may be a cell phone or other similar device and may include an antenna 404 for performing information retrieval and other functions during registration, a display 406 for displaying information to the user, a keypad 408 including numeric keys to allow the user to dial telephone numbers, and keys 410 and other features for activating the cell phone + code dialing method described above. By activating key 410, the user signals that he or she is making a call using the international telephone number, but does not enter the international access code. This signals the subscriber station 102 to employ the handset + code dialing technique described above. The resulting telephone number can then be correctly identified and routed within the CDMA communication system. Note that in an alternative embodiment, the keys 410 may be part of the keypad 408, such as existing keys.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims (31)

1. A method for dialing a call using an international number in a CDMA service network, comprising:

a dialed number including a string of digits corresponding to an international telephone number is input,

where the dialed number begins with a + indicator, followed by a country code, an area code, and a customer number,

automatically converting the digit string to a new number based on a numbering plan for a region in which the call was made; and

sending the new number to the CDMA serving network to establish the call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the new number comprises a national number, and wherein automatically converting the string of digits to the national number comprises:

analyzing the digit string prior to sending the dialed number to the CDMA serving network to detect whether the digit string includes a country code for the region to which the call is made,

wherein if the country code in the dialed number is different from the country code of the region to which the call is made, the call is an international call,

wherein a country code for the region is associated with a location information field for matching location information broadcast by the CDMA serving network;

removing a country code from the digit string if the country code in the dialed digit matches a country code of the serving network; and

a domestic access code is added to the numeric string as needed to generate a new number.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the dialled number starting with a special prefix code does not require the domestic access code in the region identified by the location information broadcast by the serving network, and an

Wherein the national access code is used to make a national call in a region associated with the location information, an

Wherein if the special prefix code does not match, the domestic access code is located before the area code and the customer number.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the digits to detect whether the digits further include a country code of a region to which the call is made before transmitting the dialed number to the CDMA service network, further comprises:

comparing the country code of the CDMA serving network with the country code of the dialed number to determine whether the call is an international call or a national call.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein adding a national access code to the numeric string to generate a new number if the call is a national call, comprises:

removing the country code from the dialed digit string;

comparing the special prefix codes;

if the special prefix code does not match, a domestic access code is added to the numeric string to generate a new number.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein removing the country code from the digit string if the country code is detected comprises:

if the country code is detected, the country code and + indicator are removed from the digit string.

7. A method of making a call in a serving wireless network serving users in a work area, comprising:

inputting a calling number including a country code, an area code, and a customer number;

determining whether the calling number further includes an optional indicator prior to sending the calling number to the serving network and further determining whether the country code corresponds to a country code of the serving network;

if the calling number includes the optional indicator and the country code does not correspond to a country code of the serving network, converting the optional indicator to an international access code of the serving network to generate a modified calling number; and

inserting an international access code of the serving network into the modified calling number to generate a new calling number.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the call is determined to be an international call if the calling number has a "+" indicator and is not a local number of the visited country, and wherein inserting the international access code of the serving network into the modified calling number to generate a new calling number comprises:

inserting an international access code of the serving network to the beginning of the modified call number to generate a new call number.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

sending the new calling number to the serving network to establish the call.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

if the calling number includes the optional indicator and the country code corresponds to a country code of the serving network, removing the country code to generate a reduced calling number including the area code and the customer number; and

inserting a national access code of the reduced calling number into the reduced calling number to generate a new calling number.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

if the calling number includes a "+" indicator and is a local number of a visited country, removing the country code from the calling number to generate a reduced calling number including the area code and the customer number; and

if the reduced call number does not begin with a special prefix code, a national access code is inserted into the reduced call number to generate a new call number.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sending the new calling number to the serving network to establish the call.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the optional indicator is a "+" code.

14. A processor for use in a wireless device that allows dialing a call using an international number in a CDMA service network, comprising:

receiving an input of a dialed number comprising a string of digits corresponding to an international telephone number, wherein the dialed number begins with a + indicator, followed by a country code, an area code, and a customer number,

means for automatically converting the digit string to a new number based on a numbering plan for a region in which the call is being made; and

means for sending the new number to the CDMA serving network to establish the call.

15. The processor of claim 14, wherein the new number comprises a national number, and wherein the means for automatically converting the numeric string to the national number comprises:

means for analyzing the digit string to detect whether the digit string includes a country code of a region to which the call is made prior to sending the dialed number to the CDMA serving network,

wherein if the country code in the dialed number is different from the country code of the region to which the call is made, the call is an international call,

wherein a country code for the region is associated with a location information field for matching location information broadcast by the CDMA serving network;

means for removing a country code in the dialed digit from the digit string if the country code matches a country code of the serving network; and

means for adding a national access code to the numeric string to generate a new number as needed.

16. The processor of claim 15,

the dialed number beginning with a special prefix code does not require the national access code in the area identified by the location information broadcast by the serving network, and

the home access code is used to make a home call in a region associated with the location information, an

If the special prefix code does not match, the domestic access code is located before the area code and the customer number.

17. The processor of claim 15, wherein means for analyzing the digits to detect whether the digits further include a country code for a region to which the call is made prior to sending the dialed number to the CDMA serving network further comprises:

means for comparing a country code of the CDMA serving network with a country code of the dialed number to determine whether the call is an international call or a national call.

18. The processor of claim 15, wherein if the call is a national call, means for adding a national access code to the numeric string to generate a new number comprises:

means for removing the country code from the dialed digit string and then adding a domestic access code to the digit string to generate a new number if the special prefix codes do not match.

19. The processor of claim 15, wherein means for removing the country code from the digit string if the country code is detected comprises:

means for removing the country code and a + indicator from the digit string if the country code is detected.

20. A processor for use in a wireless device that allows dialing calls using international numbers in a CDMA service network, wherein the processor receives an input including a dialed number comprising a string of digits corresponding to an international telephone number, wherein the dialed number begins with a + indicator followed by a country code, an area code, and a customer number, the processor comprising:

a converter for automatically converting the digit string to a new number based on a numbering plan for a region in which the call is being made; and

a transmitter to transmit the new number to the CDMA serving network to establish the call.

21. The processor of claim 20, wherein the new number comprises a national number, and wherein the translator comprises:

an analyzer unit for analyzing the digit string to determine whether the digit string includes a country code of a region to which the call is made before the dialed number is transmitted to the CDMA serving network, wherein the call is an international call if the country code in the dialed number is different from the country code of the region to which the call is made, and wherein the country code of the region is associated with a location information field for matching location information broadcast by the CDMA serving network;

a modification unit for removing the country code from the digit string if the country code in the dialed digit matches the country code of the serving network, and adding a domestic access code to the digit string as required to generate a new number.

22. The processor of claim 21,

the dialed number beginning with a special prefix code does not require the national access code in the area identified by the location information broadcast by the serving network, and

the home access code is used to make a home call in a region associated with the location information, an

If the special prefix code does not match, the domestic access code is located before the area code and the customer number.

23. The processor of claim 21, wherein the analyzer unit further comprises:

a comparing unit for comparing the country code of the CDMA service network with the country code of the dialed number to determine whether the call is an international call or a national call.

24. The processor of claim 21, wherein if the call is a national call, the modification unit removes the country code from the dialed digit string and adds a national access code to the digit string to generate a new number if the special prefix codes do not match.

25. The processor of claim 21, wherein the modification unit removes the country code and + indicator from the digit string if the country code is detected.

26. A wireless device for allowing dialing of a call using an international number in a CDMA serving network, wherein the wireless device receives an input including a dialed number, the dialed number including a string of digits corresponding to an international telephone number, wherein the dialed number begins with a + indicator, followed by a country code, an area code, and a customer number, the wireless device comprising:

a converter for automatically converting the digit string to a new number based on a numbering plan for a region in which the call is being made; and

a transmitter to transmit the new number to the CDMA serving network to establish the call.

27. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein the new number comprises a national number, and wherein the translator comprises:

an analyzer unit for analyzing the digit string to determine whether the digit string includes a country code of a region to which the call is made before the dialed number is transmitted to the CDMA serving network, wherein the call is an international call if the country code in the dialed number is different from the country code of the region to which the call is made, and wherein the country code of the region is associated with a location information field for matching location information broadcast by the CDMA serving network;

a modification unit for removing the country code from the digit string if the country code in the dialed digit matches the country code of the serving network, and adding a domestic access code to the digit string as required to generate a new number.

28. The wireless device of claim 27,

the dialed number beginning with a special prefix code does not require the national access code in the area identified by the location information broadcast by the serving network, and

the home access code is used to make a home call in a region associated with the location information, an

If the special prefix code does not match, the domestic access code is located before the area code and the customer number.

29. The wireless device of claim 27, wherein the analyzer unit further comprises:

a comparing unit for comparing the country code of the CDMA service network with the country code of the dialed number to determine whether the call is an international call or a national call.

30. The wireless device of claim 27, wherein if the call is a national call, the modification unit removes the country code from the dialed digit string and adds a national access code to the digit string to generate a new number if the special prefix codes do not match.

31. The wireless device of claim 27, wherein the modification unit removes the country code and + indicator from the digit string if the country code is detected.