WO2017222431A1

WO2017222431A1 - Methods and systems for relocating subscriber records in multisite systems

Info

Publication number: WO2017222431A1
Application number: PCT/SE2016/050613
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stefan Gustafsson; Peter SKARPHAGEN; Peter LÖWENADLER
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Current assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority date: 2016-06-22
Filing date: 2016-06-22
Publication date: 2017-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 2018-12-22

Abstract

There is a method for relocating subscriber records for a subscriber from a home site to a second site, the method includes: determining, based at least in part on a set of relocation rules, whether to move the subscriber records for the subscriber from the home site to the second site; wherein if the determination is to move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then saving the subscriber records for the subscriber into a memory device of the second site and deleting the subscriber records for the subscriber from a memory device of the home site; and wherein if the determination is to not move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then no change is made to the subscriber records.

Description

METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR RELOCATING SUBSCRIBER RECORDS IN

MULTISITE SYSTEMS

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention generally relates to communication networks and, more particularly, to relocating subscriber records over a multisite system.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Over time the number of products and services provided to users of telecommunication products has grown significantly. Technology advanced and wireless phones of varying capabilities were introduced which had access to various services provided by network operators, e.g., data services. More recently there are numerous devices, e.g., so called "smart" phones and tablets, which can access communication networks in which the operators of the networks, and other parties, provide many different types of services, applications, etc. These operator networks have grown and in some cases can be described as multi-site operator networks, e.g., a multi-site operator network can have physical equipment at sites located in different geographical regions. Each of these sites can be the home site for different subscribers where their records are kept for service delivery, charging and other network tasks.

[0003] An example of a multi-site system is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows a public land mobile network (PLMN) 100 which includes Site A 102 and Site B 104. Each Site 102 and 104 includes portions 106 and 108 of a single Business Support System (BSS). Each portion of the BSS 106 and108 includes routing logic 1 10, 1 12, charging logic 1 14 and 1 16, and a subscriber database 1 18 and 120, respectively, which stores subscriber records. Site A 102 and Site B 104 are communicatively connected to each other as shown by the interconnect 128 and each site also includes their own PLMN interface 122 and 124, respectively. Additionally, Figure 1 shows a user equipment (UE) 126 of a subscriber which has transmitted a service request which, in turn, results in the sending of a charging request through PLMN interface 122 to the routing logic 1 10 which then routes the charging request to the routing logic 1 12 of Site B 104 which is the home site for the subscriber through the interconnect 128.

[0004] Generally, a subscriber has his or her subscriber data, e.g., account information, stored in one site which is its home site. However, most systems are multi- site systems. Typically, subscriber data is local to the charging logic. Subscriber data is normally not distributed to all sites in the network because of transmission cost, complexity, latency requirements, etc. This means that the charging process is done in the site responsible for the subscriber data and which may not be the site to which the subscriber is currently connected. A subscriber that is moving around will be connected to the local mobile network resources. That mobile network might have another site than the subscriber's home site as its default site. When the default site does not host the subscriber data then the interconnection between the sites needs to be used to process, e.g., charging requests that require access to the subscriber's records.

[0005] However, using the interconnection is not desirable in many cases for multiple reasons. For example, increased latency occurs when long transmission links with multiple hops are used, which may cause degraded end user experience of the requested services. Also the internet protocol (IP) infrastructure reliability decreases with long transmission links with multiple hops. This becomes a larger problem in countries and regions with a poor IP infrastructure. Additionally, the network operator might need to allow the service to be used free of charge which is a loss of revenue. All of these problems are exacerbated when a user temporarily relocates from the region in which he or she lives to a geographically remote site, e.g., for a work assignment.

[0006] One solution to improve support for signaling in multi-site systems could be to add IP signaling capacity so that there is sufficient IP bandwidth to handle the interconnection traffic. However, this increased IP signaling might limit the capabilities of using advanced charging capabilities because of high latency and load on the IP infrastructure, not to mention possible cost issues.

[0007] Thus, there is a need to provide methods and devices that overcome the above-described drawbacks of the conventional approach to implementing multi-site systems in a network.

SUMMARY

[0008] Embodiments allow for relocating subscriber records by using a predefined set of relocation rules. This can allow for a reduction in latency cost for a communication network.

[0009] According to an embodiment, there is a method for relocating subscriber records for a subscriber from a home site to a second site. The method includes: determining, based at least in part on a set of relocation rules, whether to move the subscriber records for the subscriber from the home site to the second site; wherein if the determination is to move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then saving the subscriber records for the subscriber into a memory device of the second site and deleting the subscriber records for the subscriber from a memory device of the home site; and wherein if the determination is to not move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then no change is made to the subscriber records.

[0010] According to an embodiment, there is system for relocating subscriber records for a subscriber from a home site to a second site. The system includes: the home site, which includes a processor which determines, based at least in part on a set of relocation rules, whether to move the subscriber records for the subscriber from the home site to the second site; wherein if the determination is to move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then saving the subscriber records for the subscriber into a memory device of the second site and deleting the subscriber records for the subscriber are deleted from a memory device of the home site; and wherein if the determination is to not move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then no change is made to the subscriber records. [0011] According to an embodiment, there is a method for relocating subscriber records for a plurality of subscribers between a plurality of sites. The method includes: exchanging measurement data between the plurality of sites; periodically evaluating the distribution levels of subscriber records for the plurality of subscribers among the plurality of sites; periodically relocating, based on a result of the evaluation of the distribution levels, subscriber records for some of the plurality of subscribers from one site to another site to obtain a predetermined distribution quota between each of the plurality of sites using a set of relocation rules; and deleting any subscriber records at the site from which the subscriber records were moved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. In the drawings:

[0013] Figure 1 illustrates a multisite system;

[0014] Figure 2 shows a subscriber record according to an embodiment;

[0015] Figure 3 shows a serving element communicating with a home site according to an embodiment;

[0016] Figure 4 depicts a serving element communicating with a visiting site according to an embodiment;

[0017] Figures 5a and 5b show a flowchart of a subscriber distribution controller relocating a subscriber's records according to an embodiment;

[0018] Figure 6 shows a flowchart associated with relocation rule evaluation according to an embodiment;

[0019] Figure 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example of a set of relocation rules according to an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 8 depicts interconnect monitoring according to an embodiment;

[0021] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of a method for relocating subscriber records according to an embodiment;

[0022] Figure 10 illustrates a flowchart of another method for relocating subscriber records according to an embodiment; and

[0023] Figure is 1 1 depicts a communications node according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments to be discussed next are not limited to the configurations described below, but may be extended to other arrangements as discussed later.

[0025] Reference throughout the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an

embodiment" in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0026] As described in the Background, there are problems associated with current methods of implementing multi-site systems in a network. Embodiments can reduce latency and cost by relocating subscriber records from one site to another site by using a set of relocation rules. Additionally, embodiments allow for an operator of a communications network to balance where subscriber information is stored in a multisite system and where the subscriber records is accessed by different services so that signaling in the system is optimized. Prior to describing embodiments in detail, a description of terms and a description of how a serving element interacts with sites in the system are described for context. [0027] According to an embodiment, a system includes one or more sites, where a site is a physical location that includes housing, software, memory and data that serves a certain segment or partition of the subscribers/customers of the operator network.

Furthermore, the system can have a number of sites, e.g., less than ten, ten or more than ten. A partition is a logical division of data, with a partition normally, but not always, being assigned to one site. Subscribers with a common denominator, e.g., a same geographical area, are usually placed in a same partition at a site.

[0028] Global information is information that is valid, applicable and available for all sites in the system. Local information is information that is only valid and application for a specific site, for example, subscriber information stored in subscriber records is considered to be local information. According to an embodiment, a non-limiting example of subscriber information in a subscriber record is shown in Figure 2. Subscriber record 200 can include information associated with customer information 202, monetary billing account 204, subscription level, 206, prepaid contract information 208, customer event history 210, invoicing information 212 and the like. Each item shown in subscriber information 200 can also have its set(s) of additional information as desired.

[0029] According to an embodiment, a site can include a portion of a business support system (BSS) which includes charging logic, routing logic, a subscriber database (DB) and subscriber distribution controller (SDC) as well as the processor(s) and additional memory to support those elements. The charging logic is responsible for handling charging management used by serving elements. The routing logic is responsible for keeping track of where the subscriber persistent information is available. The subscriber DB is a segmented persistent storage which stores subscriber information in records and the subscriber database can be segmented in the different sites in the system. The SDC is a mechanism within each site that detects when a request to process a subscriber belongs to another site. This mechanism evaluates relocation rules, which are described later in more detail, for subscribers and triggers the actions that are defined for these rules. When the SDC has identified, based on one or more criteria, that a subscriber has temporarily or permanently moved to a geographic area served by a site other than its home site, the SDC may initiate subscriber relocation to its new home site. This relocation is handled by mechanisms in the system based on preconfigured rules.

[0030] According to an embodiment, Figure 3 shows a system which includes interaction of a serving element 302 with the home site 304 for a subscriber X. Figure 3 also shows site A 306 which is not the home site for subscriber X and which is located in a different geographic location than home site B 304. The persistent information, e.g., subscriber records, for subscriber X are stored in a subscriber DB at site B 304 The serving element 302 and the subscriber home site 304 are located in the same site, in this example, and as such the latency and cost for transmissions which involve accessing subscriber X's records are optimal.

[0031] The serving element 302 can be a charging trigger function (CTF) or, in some cases, a provisioning function. Invocation of a charging trigger function for subscriber X normally occurs through a CAMEL Application Part (CAP) or a Diameter interface, however, according to embodiments other types of charging interfaces can be used for both online and offline applications. For example, embodiments allow for the system to be a realization of an online charging system (OCS) and an offline charging system (OFCS). According to an embodiment, the BSS can include both an online charging system (OCS) and an offline charging system (OFCS). The CTF accesses the system through access points situated in the different sites.

[0032] Figure 3 also shows a request received from subscriber X at his or her home site 304. In step 308, an invocation of a CTF for subscriber X is transmitted from the serving element 302 to site B 304. In step 310, the home site of subscriber X is looked up, and for this example it is site B 304. Thus any subscriber data needed to process the invocation 308 for subscriber X, e.g., type of data plan purchased by subscriber X, can be accessed in the database situated locally at site 304. In step 312, the invocation result is then transmitted back from site B 304 to the serving element 302.

[0033] According to an embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, an example is provided where a subscriber is not connected to his or her home site and a charging request still needs to be processed. In this example, the serving element 402 is located with site A 404 and the persistent stored information for subscriber X resides at site B 406, which is the home site for subscriber X. Initially, as shown in step 408 an invocation of a CTF for subscriber X is transmitted from the serving element 402 to site A 404 where site A 404 is a visiting site for subscriber X. In step 410 subscriber X's home site is looked up. The invocation for subscriber X is then relayed, in step 412, to site B 406 which is subscriber X's home site. In step 414 the invocation result is relayed from site B 406 back to site A 404. The invocation result is then sent, in step 416, back to the serving element 402. In this example, the serving element 402 resides with site A 404 and not with the home site, site B 406. This means that the invocation needs to be relayed and that both the latency and cost for the transmission is increased when compared to the situation shown in Figure 3 where the serving element and the home site are co-located. [0034] According to embodiments it can be desirable to relocate a subscriber's records to a new home site in a charging (or provisioning) system under various conditions to, for example, reduce costs and latency. In this context, "relocate" means to store a copy of the subscriber's records at the new home site and to delete the original copy of that subscriber's records at the original home site. Signaling, relocation rules and extended relocation rules can be implemented when two or more sites are involved in the relocation evaluation. An example of this is shown in Figures 5a and 5b. Note that Figures 5a and 5b illustrate a single flowchart broken up into separate sheets to enable the flowchart to be more easily viewed and, as such, are both collectively referred to in the text below simply as "Figure 5".

[0035] According to an embodiment, Figure 5 shows a signaling diagram which describes the process flow that can take place when a subscriber is connected to a site other than his or her home site and the potential for subscriber record relocation exists. Relocation rules identify when the subscriber data, to include subscriber records, in this example shall be moved to another site after which the subscriber records are deleted from the previous home site. In Figure 5, site A 516 includes a serving element 502, charging logic 504, routing logic 506 and an SDC 508, while site B 518 also includes charging logic 510, routing logic 512 and an SDC 514

[0036] Initially, as shown in step 520, a charging invocation is generated for subscriber X by serving element 502 and is sent to the charging logic 504. The charging logic 504 requests routing information for subscriber X from the routing logic 506 as shown in step 522. The routing logic 506 determines that subscriber X's records reside in site B 518 and passes that information to the charging logic 504 as shown in step 524. The charging logic 504 of site A 516 relays the charging invocation to the charging logic 510 in site B 518 over the interconnect as shown in step 526. The charging logic 510 then handles the charging invocation in step 528 and the charging invocation result is then returned to the charging logic 504 in site A 516 as shown in step 530. The charging logic 504 then reports the invocation result to the serving element 502 in step 532.

[0037] In step 534, the charging logic 504 reports invocation measurement information for subscriber X to the SDC 508 in site A 516. In step 536, the SDC 508 distributes the measurement information for subscriber X to the SDC 514 in site B 518 which is currently the home site for subscriber X. In step 538, the SDC 514 evaluates the relocation rules with respect to subscriber X based at least in part on the received measurement information. For this example, the rule evaluation results in the decision to relocate subscriber records associated with subscriber X to site A as shown in step 540. More details regarding exemplary relocation rules are further described with respect to Figures 6 and 7.

[0038] In step 542, the process of relocating subscriber X to a new home site is initiated. In step 544, the SDC 514 in site B 518 triggers the SDC 508 in site A 516 to relocate subscriber X to site A 516. In step 546, the SDC 508 instructs the routing logic 506 in site A 516 to relocate subscriber X to site A 516. In step 548 and 550, the routing logic 506 in site A 516 relocates subscriber X to site A 516 in cooperation with the SDC 514 in site B 518. Item 552 shows that the relocation has been completed at site A 516. In step 554, the SDC 508 informs the SDC 514 that the relocation of subscriber X's records is complete. In step 556, information associated with subscriber X, e.g., measurement data and subscriber records, is deleted from site B 516. [0039] In step 558, a new invocation for subscriber X from the serving element 502 is received by the charging logic 504 of site A 516. In step 560, the charging logic 504 requests routing information from subscriber X from the routing logic 506 in site A 516. The routing logic 506 determines that site A 516 is the home site for subscriber X and informs the charging logic 504 of this in step 562. In step 564, the charging logic 504 of site A 516 handles the charging invocation and, in step 566, reports back the charging invocation result to the serving element 502. In step 568 the charging logic 504 reports invocation measurement information for subscriber X to the SDC 508 of site A 516. In step 570, the SDC 508 stores the received measurement information for subscriber X in, for example, a subscriber database or other memory.

[0040] As described above, relocation rules can be used for determining whether or not to move subscriber information and records from one site to another site. According to an embodiment relocation rules can be global information within the system. Relocation rules can support a dynamic behavior and some or all of the relocation rules can be based on predefined thresholds. For example, when one site handles transactions for a subscriber in a different site, the number of concurrent transactions or interrogations or accesses for a subscriber can be compared with a predefined threshold. If the predefined threshold is exceeded then the appropriate relocation rules are then executed. According to an embodiment, relocation rules can be defined in order to comply with local laws or regulations. For example, for a system which includes sites that are located in different countries, a subscriber record may not be relocated to a site that is situated in a different country if local laws or regulations prohibit such a move. [0041] According to an embodiment, relocation rules can be evaluated on various criteria. For example, whether a particular subscriber is allowed to be relocated or not. For example, subscribers with a large amount of subscriber information stored in the system could be considered not to be eligible for dynamically relocating their subscriber records within the system. Relocation rules can also consider the subscriber

class/segment/profile. This can be useful to optimize the subscriber experience for using a service. For example, a high end subscriber should have a user experience which is optimized for low latency communication, etc., whereas this might not be considered for a low or lower end subscriber. Other criteria that could be considered include the length of the period that the subscriber has been using another site than his or her home site as well as the number of accesses that the subscriber is performing when using another site than the home site.

[0042] According to an embodiment, characteristics of the interconnect links between the sites can be considered. The status of the interconnection can be a factor for deciding whether it is worth relocating the subscriber from one site to another site. The status of the interconnect can be based on criteria such as: availability, cost, dimensioning and a history of the interconnect quality. The history of the interconnect quality can be based on one or more of the number of outages, the length of each outage, the total outage time during a given period of time and the latency associated with transmissions over the interconnect. Various criteria were discussed above with respect to the relocation rules and it is to be understood that various combinations of these criteria can be used as desired and that these relocation rules are not limited to only those examples described herein. [0043] Relocation rules evaluation typically occurs at the subscriber's home site where the site includes a portion of the BSS which can also include the charging logic, the routing logic, the subscriber distribution controller and a database. Alternatively, the charging logic, the routing logic, the subscriber distribution controller and the database can be maintained in another portion of the site.

[0044] According to an embodiment, an example flowchart for relocation rule evaluation is shown in Figure 6 where the rule evaluation occurs at a subscriber distribution controller will now be described. Initially, at step 602, new subscriber measurement data is received. Examples of subscriber measurement data include subscriber location, visited site(s) and response time. At step 604, it is determined if the subscriber is relocatable, i.e., if the subscriber is eligible to be relocated. If the

determination, at step 604, is negative, then the decision of no subscriber relocation is the output, as shown in step 612. If the determination at step 604 is positive then, in step 606, update subscriber data with new measurement data occurs. In step 608, the relocation rules are evaluated using the updated subscriber measurement data. It is then

determined, in step 610, if any thresholds have been triggered. If no thresholds have been triggered then the output, as shown in step 612, is that no subscriber relocation occurs. If one or more thresholds have been triggered, then the output is to initiate subscriber relocation as shown in step 614. The threshold value used for various triggers can be predetermined.

[0045] According to an embodiment, there is a relocation rule example where the subscriber profile, the subscriber location and the interconnect cost are used when evaluating if the subscriber should be relocated as shown in Figure 7. Initially, at step 702, new subscriber measurement data is received by the subscriber distribution controller of the home site of the subscriber. At step 704 it is determined if the subscriber is

relocatable. If the determination is negative, then the decision of no subscriber relocation is the output as shown in step 706. If the determination is positive then, in step 708, update subscriber data with new measurement data occurs. In step 710, a determination occurs to decide if the subscriber is a gold subscriber and if the number of site accesses are more than five over some predetermined amount of time. A so-called "gold" subscriber is used herein to describe a top tier level of service for subscribers. If the determination is a yes for both of the checks in step 710, then initiate subscriber relocation, as shown in step 716, occurs.

[0046] If the determination from step 710 is a no, then in step 712 it is determined whether the subscriber used the remote site for more than ten days. If the determination is a yes for the check in step 712, then initiate subscriber relocation, as shown in step 716, occurs. If the determination from step 712 is a no, then in step 714 it is determined whether the cost for interconnect will decrease if the subscriber is relocated. If the determination from step 714 is a no, then as shown in step 718, the output is that no subscription relocation will occur. If the determination from step 714 is a yes, then initiate subscriber relocation, as shown in step 716, occurs.

[0047] While various examples were used to describe thresholds that could be triggered and used for determining relocation of a subscriber's records, other thresholds and associated triggers can also be used as desired. For example, items that are associated with the quality of a customer's experience can also be used, such as, thresholds associated with a mean response time and/or latency. [0048] Embodiments can also assist the operator of a network in balancing where subscriber records are stored in a multisite system and where the subscriber records are accessed by different services so that the signaling in the system is optimized. These embodiments result in an improved subscriber experience when using the services that the operator provides by, for example, reducing latency times as well as providing increased revenue for the operator.

[0049] According to an embodiment, the subscriber records relocation mechanism described above can be used for other purposes than just optimizing the usage of the site interconnection. The subscriber records stored in the different sites in the system can be distributed using different quota shares. For example, a system comprising of three sites A, B and C can have a distribution quota of 40%, 30% and 30%, respectively.

[0050] According to an embodiment, subscriber records stored in the system can be evaluated periodically, for example, on a daily basis. The evaluation result indicates if subscriber records are distributed according to the predefined distributed quotas for the sites in the system. If the subscriber records are not distributed accordingly, current subscriber records distribution is analyzed in the system and the subscriber records relocation rules are executed automatically. This causes the subscriber records in the different sites to be relocated between sites in order to obtain the required balancing of subscriber records within the sites. The relocation rules that are relevant for a particular subscriber can determine if a subscriber is relocatable to assist in rebalancing storage of subscriber records throughout the system.

[0051] As described above, measurement data is transmitted between sites.

According to an embodiment, each SDC in the system monitors the interconnect links that are connected to the site it serves and measures different aspects of the interconnect status of the interconnect based on criteria as previously described above. This system related measurement information can be exchanged between the SDCs of each site in the system as shown in Figure 8. Figure 8 shows site A's SDC 802 connected to site B's SDC 804 via interconnect 806. Site B's SDC 804 is connected to site C's SDC 808 via interconnects 810 and site C's SDC 808 is connected to site A's SDC 802 via

interconnect2 812. While only three sites are shown in Figure 8, it is to be understood that there could be more or fewer sites in the system.

[0052] According to an embodiment there is a method for relocating subscriber records as shown in Figure 9. The method includes: in step 902, determining, based at least in part on a set of relocation rules, whether to move the subscriber records for the subscriber from the home site to the second site; at step 904, wherein if the determination is to move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then saving the subscriber records for the subscriber into a memory device of the second site and deleting the subscriber records for the subscriber from a memory device of the home site; and at step 906, wherein if the determination is to not move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then no change is made to the subscriber records

[0053] According to an embodiment, there is a method for relocating subscriber records for a plurality of subscribers between a plurality of sites as shown in Figure 10. The method includes: in step 1002, exchanging measurement data between the plurality of sites; at step 1004, periodically evaluating the distribution levels of subscriber records for the plurality of subscribers among the plurality of sites; at step 1006, periodically relocating, based on a result of the evaluation of the distribution levels, subscriber records for some of the plurality of subscribers from one site to another site to obtain a predetermined distribution quota between each of the plurality of sites using a set of relocation rules; and at step 1008, deleting any subscriber records at the site from which the subscriber records were moved.

[0054] According to embodiments portions of the BSS and/or other nodes can be located at a site to include the hardware, software and memory to perform the functions described herein associated with the charging logic, the routing logic, the SDC and a subscriber database. An example of such a portion of the BSS and/or node is shown in Figure 11. The BSS and/or node 1 100 includes a processor 1102 for executing instructions and performing the functions of the SDC, a memory 1104 which stores information, e.g., the routing and charging logic, and an interfacel 106 for communicating with other portions of communication networks, such as, service elements, the

interconnect and other sites. Additionally, embodiments can be applied to a cloud based system and/or bare metal based deployments, e.g., deployed on physical hardware.

[0055] The disclosed embodiments provide methods and devices for avoiding batch updates to the customer base by instead using global entities. It should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the invention. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which are included in the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, in the detailed description of the embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the claimed invention. However, one skilled in the art would understand that various embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. [0056] As also will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment or an embodiment combining hardware and software aspects. Further, the embodiments, e.g., the relocation rules may take the form of a computer program product stored on a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions embodied in the medium. Any suitable computer- readable medium may be utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROMs, digital versatile disc (DVD), optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices such as floppy disk or magnetic tape. Other non-limiting examples of computer-readable media include flash- type memories or other known memories.

[0057] Although the features and elements of the present embodiments are described in the embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein. The methods or flowcharts provided in the present application may be implemented in a computer program, software or firmware tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for execution by a specifically programmed computer or processor.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for relocating subscriber records for a subscriber from a home site to a second site, the method comprising:

determining (902), based at least in part on a set of relocation rules, whether to move the subscriber records for the subscriber from the home site to the second site; wherein (904) if the determination is to move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then saving the subscriber records for the subscriber into a memory device of the second site and deleting the subscriber records for the subscriber from a memory device of the home site; and

wherein (906) if the determination is to not move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then no change is made to the subscriber records.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system is a cloud based system.

3. The method of claims 1 -2, wherein the step of determining, based at least in part on the set of relocation rules, whether to move the subscriber records for the subscriber from the home site to the second site further comprises:

updating data associated with the subscriber with new measurement data;

applying the set of relocation rules to the updated subscriber data; and determining if any relocation threshold was triggered when the set of relocation rules is applied to the updated subscriber data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the set of relocation rules includes an evaluation of at least one of the following:

whether there has been a predetermined number of service accesses by the subscriber via the second site;

whether the subscriber has used the second site to access services for more than a predetermined number of days; and

whether an operator cost associated with projected service usage by the subscriber will decrease if the subscriber records are relocated to the second site.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein one of the relocation thresholds is defined for each relocation rule.

6. The method of claim 1 -5, wherein the home site and the second site both include a portion of a business support system each of which includes a physical component including the respective memory device, and which are located at different geographical locations.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the business support systems comprises:

charging logic for handling charging management used by serving elements; routing logic for tracking where subscriber persistent information is stored; and a subscriber distribution controller which applies the set of relocation rules.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the subscriber distribution controller of the home site applies the set of relocation rules.

9. A system for relocating subscriber records for a subscriber from a home site (518) to a second site (516), the system comprising:

the home site (518), which includes a processor (1 102) which determines, based at least in part on a set of relocation rules, whether to move the subscriber records for the subscriber from the home site to the second site;

wherein if the determination is to move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then saving the subscriber records for the subscriber into a memory device (1 104) of the second site and deleting the subscriber records for the subscriber are deleted from a memory device (1 104) of the home site; and

wherein if the determination is to not move the subscriber records for the subscriber, then no change is made to the subscriber records.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system is a cloud based system.

1 1. The system of claims 9-10, wherein the home site's processor is further configured to:

update data associated with the subscriber with new measurement data;

apply the set of relocation rules to the updated subscriber data; and

determine if any relocation threshold was triggered when the set of relocation rules is applied to the updated subscriber data.

12. The system of claim 1 1 , wherein the set of relocation rules includes at least one of the following:

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a relocation threshold is defined for each relocation rule.

14. The system of claims 9-13, wherein the home site and the second site both include a portion of a business support system each of which includes a physical component, including the respective memory device, and wherein the home site and the second site are located at different geographical locations.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the business support systems comprises:

the memory which stores charging logic executed by the processor for handling charging management used by serving elements;

the memory which stores routing logic executed by the processor for tracking where subscriber persistent information is stored; and a subscriber distribution controller which includes the processor which applies the set of relocation rules.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the subscriber distribution controller of the home site applies the set of relocation rules.

17. A method for relocating subscriber records for a plurality of subscribers between a plurality of sites, the method comprising:

exchanging (1002) measurement data between the plurality of sites;

periodically evaluating (1004) the distribution levels of subscriber records for the plurality of subscribers among the plurality of sites;

periodically relocating (1006), based on a result of the evaluation of the distribution levels, subscriber records for some of the plurality of subscribers from one site to another site to obtain a predetermined distribution quota between each of the plurality of sites using a set of relocation rules; and

deleting (1008) any subscriber records at the site from which the subscriber records were moved.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of periodically relocating, based on the result of the evaluation of the distribution levels, subscriber records for some of the plurality of subscribers from one site to another site to obtain a predetermined distribution quota between each of the plurality of sites using a set of relocation rules further comprises: updating data associated with the subscriber with new measurement data;

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the set of relocation rules includes at least one of the following:

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the relocation thresholds are defined for each query.