WO2016037319A1

WO2016037319A1 - Cloud-based telecommunication services

Info

Publication number: WO2016037319A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/086151
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sheng Chen; Yu Zheng; Jianqun WANG
Original assignee: 21 Vianet Group, Inc.
Priority date: 2014-09-09
Filing date: 2014-09-09
Publication date: 2016-03-17

Abstract

A communication plan for a geographic location is received from a subscriber device, which specifies communication requirements for a time period while the subscriber device is physically present at the specific geographic location. A set of candidate service packages for the specific service area is sent to the subscriber device for a user of the subscriber device to select. A selection of a service package in the set of candidate service packages is received. The service package comprises communication services offered by a mobile network operator in a service area that includes the geographic location. Subscriber credentials are provided to the subscriber device to access the communication services accordingly.

Description

CLOUD-BASED TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

TECHNOLOGY

The present invention relates generally to providing communication services， and in particular to providing cloud-based communication services.

BACKGROUND

When a user visits geographical locations outside the user’s registered service provider’s home network area， the user often needs to use communication services. The user may use communication services of non-registered service provider at these places as a roaming user， but typically must pay at steep roaming charge rates.

Alternatively， the user may purchase a new mobile device， and subscribe to a service provider at a visited place. However， it may be complicated and time consuming for the user to research and find a suitable local service provider and/or a suitable new mobile device that will work well at the visited place. In addition， service interruptions and confusions can be caused by signing up to the new service and using the new mobile device. The user may still end up with costly communication services that do not meet the user’s actual communications needs at the visited place.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued， but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore， unless otherwise indicated， it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. Similarly， issues identified with respect to one or more approaches should not assume to have been recognized in any prior art on the basis of this section， unless otherwise indicated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example， and not by way of limitation， in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which：

FIG. 1 depicts an example configuration for cloud-based communication services；

FIG. 2 illustrates an example mobile virtual network operator and an example mobile network operator that support cloud-based communication services；

FIG. 3A through FIG. 3 C illustrate example time sequences in which a mobile virtual network operator and one or more mobile network operators cooperate to provide cloud-based telecommunication services；

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B illustrate example process flows； and

FIG. 5 illustrates an example hardware platform on which a computer or a computing device as described herein may be implemented.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Example embodiments， which relate to providing cloud-based communication services， are described herein. In the following description， for the purposes of explanation， numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent， however， that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances， well-known structures and devices are not described in exhaustive detail， in order to avoid unnecessarily occluding， obscuring， or obfuscating the present invention.

Example embodiments are described herein according to the following outline：

1.GENERAL OVERVIEW

2.STRUCTURE OVERVIEW

3.MOBILE VIRTUAL NETWORK OPERATOR

4.OPERATING SCENARIOS

5.EXAMPLE PROCESS FLOW

6.IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS-HARDWARE OVERVIEW

7.EQUIVALENTS， EXTENSIONS， ALTERNATIVES AND MISCELLANEOUS

1.GENERAL OVERVIEW

This overview presents a basic description of some aspects of an example embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that this overview is not an extensive or exhaustive summary of aspects of the example embodiment. Moreover， it should be noted that this overview is not intended to be understood as identifying any particularly significant aspects or elements of the example embodiment， nor as delineating any scope of the example embodiment in particular， nor the invention in general. This overview merely presents some concepts that relate to the example embodiment in a condensed and simplified format， and should be understood as merely a conceptual prelude to a more detailed description of example embodiments that follows below.

Techniques as described herein can be used to provide a mobile virtual network operator that cooperates with mobile network operators to provide， to subscribers， service packages for cloud-based communication services in any of service areas of the mobile network operators. In an example， the mobile virtual network operator that provides the service packages for cloud-based communication services to its subscribers can be an entity that is independent of all of the mobile network operators. That is， the mobile virtual network operator may not itself be a mobile network operator with a service area and may operate in any geographic location and/or any country. In another example， the mobile virtual network operator that provides the service packages for cloud-based communication services to its subscribers can be an entity that operates at least one of the mobile network operators.

The mobile virtual network operator may operate a subsystem similar to that of a home location register in a mobile network in addition to one or more subsystems or data repositories for the purpose of managing subscriber accounts， service information related to the service packages， subscriber identities and subscriber credentials that can be downloaded to subscriber devices.

A subscriber can be located in any geographic location and/or any country， and can establish a subscriber account for cloud-based communication services with the mobile virtual network operator that operates in conjunction with the mobile network operators in possibly many different service areas， different geographic locations， different countries， etc.

In some embodiments， a subscriber may carry a subscriber device (e. g. ， user equipment， mobile system， mobile device， etc. ) with a re-writable SIM card， a software-implemented virtual SIM card， etc. ， and visit any geographic locations in the overall service area of the mobile virtual network operator that comprises all of the service areas of the mobile network operators. The overall service area in which the subscriber can access or use cloud-based communication services by way of the mobile virtual network operator may， but does not necessarily， overlap with the subscriber’s home mobile network. The mobile virtual network operator can be configured to receive a request for cloud-based communication services from the subscriber， and determine a geographic location at or near which the subscriber wishes to receive cloud-based communication services as described herein. Additionally， optionally， or alternatively， the subscriber may submit a communication plan in advance or after arriving at the geographic location that may include any combination of： (a) starting and ending times， (b) all or specific websites (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to be accessed， (c) all or specific numbers (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to dial， etc. ， at the geographic location.

The mobile virtual network operator can be configured to present candidate service packages available for the geographic location to the subscriber. The candidate service packages can be identified (e. g. ， ranked， ordered， etc. ) based on criteria specified in a communication plan submitted by the subscriber， or based on criteria defined by the mobile virtual network operator， or based on a combination of the foregoing criteria. In response to the subscriber selecting a specific service package， the mobile virtual network operator can provide， to a subscriber device used by the subscriber， a new subscriber identity and new subscriber credentials.

In some embodiments， the combination of the subscriber identity and the subscriber credentials constitutes a full set of subscriber information module (SIM) and can be stored locally on the subscriber device， for example， by rewriting a re-writable SIM card of the subscriber device， or a software-implemented virtual SIM card implemented on the subscriber device， etc. The new subscriber credentials stored locally with the subscriber device can be used by the subscriber device to authenticate itself to a specific mobile network operator (e. g. ， autonomously generate a valid authentication response based on the new subscriber credentials in response to receiving， by the subscriber device， an authentication challenge or request concerning the new subscriber identity from the specific ISP operator， etc. ) ， without needing another entity such as the mobile virtual network operator to generate any authentication response for the subscriber device.

The candidate service packages can be pre-stored at the mobile virtual network operator or obtained in real time after receiving the subscriber’s request by querying a subset of the mobile network operators with service areas covering the geographic location at or near which cloud-based communication services as described herein are to be received by the subscriber device.

In some embodiments， the combination of the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials is home to， or registered as that of a subscriber with， the mobile virtual network operator. The mobile virtual network operator， or a HLR therein， can monitor usage of cloud based communication services as provided by the specific mobile network operator.

In some embodiments， the combination of the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials is home to， or registered as that of a subscriber with， the specific mobile network operator.

Additionally， optionally， or alternatively， the mobile virtual network operator can perform service package upgrades or downgrades； for example， a further new subscriber identity and further new subscriber credentials to enable a different service package with the same specific mobile network operator or a different mobile network operator can be downloaded and installed on the subscriber device.

In some example embodiments， mechanisms as described herein form a part of an information processing system， including but not limited to any of： a computer server， a network switch， a router， a gateway， a computer cluster， an application server system， a database system， a handheld device， game machine， television， laptop computer， netbook computer， tablet computer， cellular radiotelephone， electronic book reader， point of sale terminal， desktop computer， computer workstation， computer kiosk， plug-in devices， media accessing devices， or various other kinds of terminals and media processing units.

Various modifications to the preferred embodiments and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus， the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown， but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.

2.STRUCTURE OVERVIEW

FIG. 1 depicts an example configuration 100 comprising a (e. g. ， cloud-based， etc. ) mobile virtual network operator 102， one or more computer networks 104， a subscriber device 108， one or more communication devices 106 that are communicatively and/or operatively linked (directly or indirectly) with the one or more computer networks (104) ， one or more mobile network operators (e. g. ， 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) ， one or more computing systems 112， etc.

As illustrated in FIG. 1， the mobile virtual network operator (102) can be communicatively and/or operatively linked with the one or more computer networks (104) . The one or more computer networks (104) may include， but are not limited to only， any of： one or more of portions of the Internet， intranets， wireless or wire-based local area networks， wireless or wire-based wide area networks (WANs) ， portions of telecom networks， etc. Through the one or more computer networks (104) ， the mobile virtual network operator (102) can communicate with a wide variety of other computing devices such as the subscriber device (108) ， the one or more communication devices (106) ， the one or more mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N) ， etc.

Examples of subscriber devices as described may include， but are not limited to only， any of： mobile handsets， pluggable devices， tablet computers， laptop computers， personal digital assistants (PDAs) ， smartphones， etc.

The subscriber device (108) may be operated by a user that has established a subscriber account with a mobile virtual network operator such as 102 of FIG. 1 for subscribing to cloud-based communication services provided by the mobile virtual network operator (102) . The subscriber device (108) may be identified in the subscriber account with the mobile virtual network operator (102) as a communication device of the user that is to use cloud-based communication services supported by the mobile virtual network operator (110-1) . While the subscriber device (108) is physically present in any service area covered by any of the mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) ， the subscriber device (108) can be communicatively and/or operatively linked with a corresponding mobile network operator (e. g. ， one of 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) to use the cloud-based communication services in the form of communication services provided by the corresponding mobile network operator (e. g. ， one of 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) ， for example， at cloud-based communication service charge rates.

The presence of the subscriber device (108) in a service area of a mobile network operator (e. g. ， one of 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) may be (e. g. ， automatically， etc. ) detected by the mobile network operator. Before cloud-based communication services supported by the mobile network operator (e. g. ， one of 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) become ready for the subscriber device (108) to use， one or more device registration or network attachment protocols may be (e. g. ， automatically， etc. ) performed by the subscriber device (108) ， the mobile virtual network operator (t02) ， the mobile network operator (e. g. ， one of 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) ， etc. Using the cloud-based communication services， the subscriber devices (108) can communicate with a wide variety of other computing devices such as the one or more communication devices (106) ， the one or more computing systems (112) ， the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， media content servers， social networking websites， etc. In some embodiments， the one or more communication devices (106) may or may not be registered with the mobile virtual network operator (102) or with any of the mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N) . For instance， in some embodiments， at least one of the one or more communication devices (106) may be registered with a telecommunication provider other than the mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N) .

The mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N) may be owned by one or more entities (e. g. ， communication companies， service providers， telecom operators， etc. ) . In some embodiments， each of the one or more mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N) is owned by an entity that is different from all other entities that own other mobile network operators as described herein. In some embodiments， the entities that own the one or more mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N) are different from an entity that owns the mobile virtual network operator (102) . In some embodiments， one of the entities that own the one or more mobile network operators (110-1 through 110-N) is the same as an entity that owns the mobile virtual network operator (102) .

Examples of a service area covered by a mobile network operator (e. g. ， one of 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) may include， but are not limited to only， any of： continents， countries， regions in a country， cities， local areas in a region， cities， rural areas， amusement parks， stadiums， tourist attractions， airplanes， airports， cruise ships， buses， trains， transportation centers， commercial venues， etc. In some embodiments， service areas covered by two or more mobile network operators may overlap one another. In some embodiments， a first service area covered by a first mobile network operator may encompass one or more second service areas covered by one or more second mobile network operators. In some embodiments， service areas covered by two or more mobile network operators may not overlap one another.

Examples of mobile network operators include， but are not limited to only， any of： operators， telecom companies， internet service providers (ISPs) ， direct communication service providers， 3^rd party communication service providers， etc. ， that provides mobile-based communication services in a service area as described herein. Examples of communication services provided by a mobile network operator (e. g. ， one of 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) as described herein and cloud-based communication services provided by a mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102， etc. ) as described herein may include， but are not limited to only， any of： wireless local area network (WLAN) services， wireless data services， wireless voice services， long term evolution (LTE) services， 3G services， 4G services， 5G services， general packet radio services (GPRS) ， enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) services， media content downloading services， video conferencing services， voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services， virtual private network (VPN) services， Ethernet services， internet protocol (IP) based services， small message services (SMS) ， etc.

Techniques as described herein can be used to enable a subscriber device (e. g. ， 108， etc. ) to access and use cloud-based communication services at any of a wide variety of mobile network operators.

In some embodiments， the subscriber device (108) can download and install a new subscriber identity to be specifically used in a specific service area of a specific mobile network operator and new subscriber credentials associated with the new subscriber identity. The subscriber device (108) can use the new subscriber identity and new subscriber credentials in a time period during which the subscriber device (108) is physically present in the service area of the specific mobile network operator. For example， a combination of the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials downloaded and installed on the subscriber device (108) can be used by the subscriber device (108) to carry out authentication autonomously with the specific mobile network operator to use cloud-based communication services in the form of communication services provided by the specific mobile network operator.

In some embodiments， the new subscriber identity with the new subscriber credentials， as downloaded and installed on the subscriber device (108) ， represent a native subscriber identity that is home to， or registered with， the specific mobile network operator. With the native subscriber identity and the corresponding subscriber credentials， the subscriber device (108) can access and use communication services provided by the specific mobile network operator at non-roaming charge rates as if the user is a subscribing user to the specific mobile network operator rather than as a roaming user. In these embodiments， since the subscriber device (108) has a native subscriber identity to the specific mobile network operator， the subscriber device (108) can use the communication services provided by the specific mobile network operator without needing to perform roaming-related mobile access procedures (MAP) that involve another mobile network operator or the mobile virtual network operator (102) .

In some other embodiments， the new subscriber identity with the new subscriber credentials， as downloaded and installed on the subscriber device (108) ， represent a cloud-based subscriber identity that is home to， or registered with， a mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102， etc. ) . The mobile virtual network operator (102) may or may not be owned by an entity that owns any of mobile network operators that cooperate with the mobile virtual network operator (102) to provide cloud-based communication services to subscriber devices. With the cloud-based subscriber identity and the corresponding subscriber credentials， the subscriber device (108) can access and use communication services provided by the specific mobile network operator at contracted charge rates. In these embodiments， since the subscriber device (108) has a cloud-based subscriber identity， the mobile virtual network operator (102) may perform roaming-related mobile access procedures (MAP) with the specific mobile network operator.

In some embodiments， the subscriber device (108) may comprise a physical subscriber identification module (SIM) card that is specifically configured to be rewritable to have one or more new or updated SIMs. Additionally， optionally or alternatively， in some embodiments， the subscriber device (108) may comprise a software-based or simulated SIM that is configured to be alterable. In various embodiments， the subscriber device (108) may comprise zero， one， two or more physical SIM cards. In various embodiments， the subscriber device (108) may be configured to store zero， one， two or more SIMs.

In some embodiments， the subscriber device (108) can replace or overwrite a subscriber identity and subscriber credentials stored (e. g. ， in a rewritable SIM card， in a software-configured SIM， etc. ) on the subscriber device (108) with the new subscriber identity and new subscriber credentials. In some embodiments， the subscriber device (108) can add the new subscriber identity and new subscriber credentials (e. g. ， in a rewritable SIM card， in a software-configured SIM， etc. ) on the subscriber device (t08) without replacing or overwriting a subscriber identity and subscriber credentials already stored (e. g. ， in a rewritable SIM card， in a software-configured SIM， etc. ) on the subscriber device (108) . In some embodiments， the subscriber device (108) can have more than one subscriber identity and more than one set of subscriber credentials (e. g. ， in a rewritable SIM card， in a software-configured SIM， etc. ) on the subscriber device (108) ； a particular subscriber identity and a corresponding set of subscriber credentials can be used by the subscriber device (108) to access and use communication services provided by a particular mobile network operator.

3.MOBILE VIRTUAL NETWORK OPERATOR

FIG. 2 illustrates an example mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102， etc. ) and an example mobile network operator (e. g. ， 110-2， etc. ) that support cloud-based communication services by a subscriber device (e. g. ， 108， etc. ) in the mobile network operator (110-2) .

In sone embodiments， the mobile virtual network operator (102) may itself be one of the mobile network operators that has its own radio access networks such as base stations， cell towers， etc. ， and other related communication equipment (e. g. ， a home location register or HLR， a visitor location register or VLR， network routers or gateways， etc. ) .

In some other embodiments， the mobile virtual network operator (102) may be a cloud-based communication service system that does not have its own radio access networks such as base stations， cell towers， etc. ， and other related communication equipment (e. g. ， a VLR， etc. ) ， if the mobile virtual network operator (102) does not by itself operate in any service area other than service areas of the mobile network operators.

In some embodiments， the mobile virtual network operator (102) is implemented with one or more computing devices， and may comprise software， hardware， a combination of software and hardware， etc. ， that represents an HLR 202， a subscriber system 204， a subscriber interface 206， a subscriber data repository 216， a cloud-based communication service information repository 218， etc.

In some embodiments， the mobile network operator (110-2) is implemented with one or more computing devices， and may comprise software， hardware， a combination of software and hardware， etc. ， that represents a VLR 208， a business and operation support system (BOSS) 210， one or more network routers 212 that are configured to allow authenticated subscriber devices (e. g. ， roaming， non-roaming， subscriber device 108， etc. ) to communicate with other computing devices over one or more computer networks， one or more radio access networks 214 that are configured to set up radio access links with subscriber devices (e. g. ， roaming， non-roaming， subscriber device 108， etc. ) ， etc.

In some embodiments， the subscriber system (204) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) is configured to receive requests for creating subscriber accounts for cloud-based communication services， and to create the subscriber accounts in response to receiving the requests. In some embodiments， the mobile virtual network operator (102) is cloud based and can be accessed by subscriber devices (e. g. ， 108， etc. ) with one or more IP addresses， website addresses， URLs， etc.

For example， a user of the subscriber device (108) may access the mobile virtual network operator (102) using one or more specific display pages (e. g. ， a home page， a subscriber sign-up page， a login page， an account page， detailed pages， summary pages， etc. ) of the mobile virtual network operator (102) . The user may make the access from the subscriber device (108) directly or alternatively from a computing device other than the subscriber device (108) . The user can cause whichever device the user is using to access the specific display pages to send a request for creating a subscriber account for cloud-based communication services to the mobile virtual network operator (102) . Upon receiving the request， the mobile virtual network operator (102) may grant or deny the request. If the request is granted， the mobile virtual network operator (102) proceeds to perform one or more account creation operations to create a subscriber account for cloud-based communication services for the user.

In an example， the user may be required to enter (or help generate) device information (e. g. ， as a part of account creation， before or after account creation， etc. ) identifying to the mobile virtual network operator (102) one or more computing devices such as the subscriber device (108) ， etc. ， with which the user wishes to receive cloud-based communication services. Examples of device information may include， but are not limited to only， any of： an international mobile subscriber identity (IMEI) issued by a manufacturer of the subscriber device (108) ， an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) issued by the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， an MAC address， a cloud-based account identifier， etc. The device information as received from the user and/or generated by the mobile virtual network operator (102) may be stored by the mobile virtual network operator (102) at the subscriber data repository (216) accessible to the subscriber system (204) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) . The subscriber account that is set up by the mobile virtual network operator (102) may have a prepaid payment plan， or alternatively a non-prepaid payment plan.

In another example， the user may not be required to enter device information (e. g. ， as a part of account creation， before or after account creation， etc. ) identifying to the mobile virtual network operator (102) one or more computing devices such as the subscriber device (108) ， etc. ， with which the user wishes to receive cloud-based communication services. The user can access and use cloud-based communication services with a subscriber device the user intends to operate. The user may be authenticated with a user identifier (e. g. ， user name， login name， email address， social network user identifier， etc. ) and user credentials that are associated with， and are parts of， the user’s subscriber account for cloud-based communication services with the mobile virtual network operator (102) .

The subscriber account that is set up by the mobile virtual network operator (102) may have a prepaid payment plan， or alternatively a non-prepaid payment plan.

4.OPERATING SCENARIOS

FIG. 3A illustrates an example time sequence (or use case) in which a mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) and a mobile network operator (e. g. ， 110-2 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) cooperate to provide cloud-based telecommunication services to a subscriber device (e. g. ， 108 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) .

In block 302， the mobile network operator (110-2) ， or a VLR (e. g. ， 208 of FIG. 2， etc. ) therein， detects the presence of the subscriber device (108) (e. g. ， as the subscriber device 108 is turned on， etc. ) . The mobile network operator (110-2) obtains a current subscriber identity and/or current subscriber credentials from the subscriber device (108) and determines that the subscriber device (108) may be a roaming mobile device home to， or registered with， the mobile virtual network operator (102) .

In block 304， in response to detecting the presence of the subscriber device (t08) ， the VLR (208) sends one or more roaming queries to the HLR (202) of the mobile virtual network operator (102) with the current subscriber identity and a current location of the subscriber device (108) to determine whether the subscriber device (108) is mobile equipment home to or registered with the mobile virtual network operator (102) that is permitted to roam in the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) and what communication services should be authorized for the subscriber device (108) ifthe subscriber device (108) is permitted to roam the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) .

In block 306， in response to receiving the one or more roaming queries from the VLR (208) ， the HLR (202) sends one or more subscriber account queries-which may be the same as or similar to the queries as received from the VLR (208) and as validated by the HLR (202) ， or alternatively new queries generated based on the queries received from the VLR (208)-with the current subscriber identity and the current location of the subscriber device (108) to the subscriber system (204) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) to determine whether the subscriber device (108) is permitted to roam in the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) and what communication services are authorized for the subscriber device (108) if the subscriber device (108) is permitted to roam the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) .

In block 308， in response to receiving the one or more subscriber account queries from the HLR (202) ， the subscriber system (204) determines that the subscriber device (108) corresponds to an identified computing device of a user with a subscriber account for cloud-based communication services. In some embodiments， the subscriber system (204) proceeds to update the subscriber device’s location with the current location.

In block 310， the subscriber system (204) sends one or more subscriber account responses to the HLR (202) to indicate that the subscriber device (108) corresponds to a computing device of a user with a subscriber account for cloud-based communication services.

In block 312， in response to receiving the one or more subscriber account responses from the subscriber system (204) ， the HLR (202) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) generates service data for the subscriber device (108) ， and sends one or more roaming responses with the service data to the VLR (208) in the mobile network operator (110-2) . In some embodiments， the service data indicates to the mobile network operator (110-2) that the subscriber device (108) is authorized to use one or more specific communication services provided by the mobile network operator (110-2) to access a specific network address of the mobile virtual network operator (102) or a subscriber interface (e. g. ， 206， etc. ) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) .

In block 314， in response to receiving the one or more roaming responses with the service data from the HLR (202) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， the VLR (208) in the mobile network operator (110-2) determines， based on the service data， that the subscriber device (108) is authorized to use the communication services provided by the mobile network operator (110-2) ， for example， to access a specific network address of the mobile virtual network operator (102) or a subscriber interface (e. g. ， 206， etc. ) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) . Accordingly， the mobile network operator (110-2) proceeds to perform a network attachment procedure with the subscriber mobile (108) based on the current subscriber identity and the current subscriber credentials in the subscriber mobile (108) to allow the subscriber mobile (108) with the current subscriber identity and the current subscriber credentials to roam and use the communication services authorized for the subscriber device (108) in the service data. In some embodiments， the communication services provided by the mobile network operator (110-2) may be limited. In some embodiments， the communication services provided by the mobile network operator (110-2) may incur charges to zero， one or both of the mobile virtual network operator (102) or the user of the subscriber device (108) .

In block 316， after the subscriber device (108) is attached to the mobile network operator (110-2) with the current subscriber identity and the current subscriber credentials， the subscriber device (108) sends a request for cloud-based communication services in the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) to the mobile virtual network operator (102) or the subscriber interface (206) therein. In some embodiments， the request from the subscriber device (108) to the mobile virtual network operator (102) includes a communication plan specifying any combination of： (a) starting and ending times， (b) all or specific websites (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to be accessed， (c) all or specific numbers (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to dial， etc. ， while the subscriber device (108) is physically within the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) . In some embodiments， the request from the subscriber device (108) to the mobile virtual network operator (102) does not include such a communication plan.

In block 318， in response to receiving the request for cloud-based communication services from the subscriber device (108) ， the subscriber interface (206) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) sends one or more cloud-based communication service request messages-which may be the same as or similar to the request for cloud-based communication services from the subscriber device (108) and as validated by the subscriber interface (206) ， or alternatively one or more request messages generated based on the request received from the subscriber device (108) -to the subscriber system (204) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) to determine what cloud-based communication service packages can be offered at the current location of the subscriber device (108) .

In block 320， in response to receiving the one or more cloud-based communication service request messages from the subscriber interface (206) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， the subscriber system (204) accesses the cloud-based communication service information repository (218) as maintained by the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， and determines， based on information in the cloud-based communication service information repository (218) and the current location of the subscriber device (108) as recorded by the mobile virtual network operator (102) in block 308， one or more cloud-based communication service packages that can be offered in cooperation with one or more mobile network operators (e. g. ， 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) that provide communication services at the current location of the subscriber device (108) . In some embodiments， the one or more cloud-based communication service packages are selected based on criteria such as starting and ending times， all or specific websites (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to be accessed， all or specific numbers (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to dial， etc. ， as specified in the communication plan submitted by the user.

In block 322， the subscriber system (204) sends one or more cloud-based communication service response messages to the subscriber interface (206) to indicate that the one or more cloud-based communication service packages are available at the current location of the subscriber device (108) .

In block 324， in response to receiving the one or more cloud-based communication service response messages from the subscriber system (204) ， the subscriber interface (206) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) causes the one or more cloud-based communication service packages to be presented (e. g. ， displayed in one or more user interface components， etc. ) on the subscriber device (108) to the user.

In block 326， in response to being presented with the one or more cloud-based communication service packages from the subscriber interface (206) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， the user can provide user input to the subscriber device (108) to indicate a selection of a specific cloud-based communication service package of the one or more cloud-based communication service packages. In response to receiving the user input， the subscriber device (108) sends a service selection message for cloud-based communication services to the subscriber interface (206) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) . The service selection message specifies that the specific cloud-based communication service package of the one or more cloud-based communication service packages is selected to provide cloud-based communication services at the current location of the subscriber device (108) . The cloud-based communication services in the specific cloud-based communication service package as selected by the user may or may not be supported by the present mobile network operator (110-2) . For the purpose of illustration only， the cloud-based communication services in the specific cloud-based communication service package as selected by the user are supported by the mobile network operator (110-2) .

In block 328， in response to receiving the service selection message from the subscriber device (108) ， the subscriber interface (206) informs the subscriber system (204) of the selection of the specific cloud-based communication service package of the one or more cloud-based communication service packages.

In block 330， in response to receiving the selection of the specific cloud-based communication service package from the subscriber interface (206) ， the subscriber system (204) determines a specific mobile network operator (e. g. ， 110-2， etc. ) corresponding to the selection of the specific cloud-based communication service package， determines a new subscriber identity that subscribes to the communication service package provided by mobile network operator (110-2) ， and new subscriber credentials for the new subscriber identity. In some embodiments， the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials can be retrieved (e. g. ， by the subscriber system 204， etc. ) from the cloud-based service information repository (2t 8) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) . The subscriber system (204) transmits or downloads a network preference indicator for the specific mobile network operator (110-2) ， the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials to the subscriber device (108) to cause the subscriber device (108) to install the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials on the subscriber device (108) so that the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials on the subscriber device (108) can be used to access and use cloud-based communication services supported by the specific mobile network operator (110-2) . The subscriber device (108) also stores the network preference indicator for the specific mobile network operator (110-2) on the subscriber device (108) . In some embodiments， a combination of the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials on the subscriber device (108) may represent or constitute a complete SIM that is configured to carry out (e. g. ， mobile equipment， etc. ) authentication with mobile network operators (e. g. ， 110-2， etc. ) autonomously without involving the source of the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials， or the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， in the authentication.

In block 332， after downloading and installing the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials from the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， the subscriber device (108) performs one or more network registration operations with the specific mobile network operator (110-2) to take effect with the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials on the subscriber device (108) .

In block 334， the selected mobile network operator (110-2) ， or a VLR (208) therein， sends one or more new roaming queries to the HLR (202) of the mobile virtual network operator (102) with the new subscriber identity and a current location of the subscriber device (108) to determine whether the subscriber device (108) is mobile equipment from the mobile virtual network operator (102) that is permitted to roam in the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) and what communication services are authorized for the subscriber device (108) if the subscriber device (108) is permitted to roam the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) .

In block 336， in response to receiving the one or more new roaming queries from the VLR (208) ， the HLR (202) sends one or more new subscriber account queries with the new subscriber identity and the current location of the subscriber device (108) to the subscriber system (204) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) to determine whether the subscriber device (108) is permitted to roam in the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) and what communication services are authorized for the subscriber device (108) if the subscriber device (108) is permitted to roam the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) .

In block 338， in response to receiving the one or more new subscriber account queries from the HLR (202) ， the subscriber system (204) determines that the subscriber device (108) has a verified subscriber identity (or the new subscriber identity) that should be authorized to access cloud-based communication services as provided by the specific mobile network operator (110-2) ， and updates the subscriber device’s location with the current location. The subscriber system (204) sends one or more new subscriber account responses to the HLR (202) to indicate that the subscriber device (108) is authorized to access cloud-based communication services as provided by the specific mobile network operator (110-2) .

In block 340， in response to receiving the one or more new subscriber account responses from the subscriber system (204) ， the HLR (202) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) generates new service data for the subscriber device (108) ， and sends one or more new roaming responses with the new service data to the VLR (208) in the mobile network operator (110-2) . In some embodiments， the new service data indicates to the mobile network operator (110-2) that the subscriber device (108) is authorized to use the cloud-based communication services in the selected service package as provided by the mobile network operator (110-2) .

In block 342， in response to receiving the one or more new roaming responses with the new service data from the HLR (202) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， the VLR (208) in the mobile network operator (110-2) determines， based on the new service data， that the subscriber device (108) is authorized to use the cloud-based communication services in the selected service package as provided by the mobile network operator (110-2) . Accordingly， the mobile network operator (110-2) performs a new network attachment procedure with the subscriber mobile (108) based on the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials in the subscriber mobile (108) to allow the subscriber mobile (108) to use the cloud-based communication services authorized for the subscriber device (108) .

In block 344， in response to the completion of the new network attachment procedure based on the new subscriber identity and the new subscriber credentials in the subscriber mobile (108) ， the subscriber mobile (108) starts to use the cloud-based communication services authorized for the subscriber device (108) .

FIG. 3B illustrates another example time sequence (or use case) in which a mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) and a mobile network operator (e. g. ， 110-2 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) cooperate to provide cloud-based telecommunication services to a subscriber device (e. g. ， 108 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) .

In some embodiments， instead of accessing a cloud-based communication service information repository for the purpose of determining cloud-based communication service packages as illustrated in (e. g. ， block 320 of， etc. ) FIG. 3A， a mobile virtual network operator (102) may query mobile network operators in real time or in near real time to determine any cloud-based communication service information repository (e. g. ， 218， etc. ) that can be offered in cooperation with the mobile network operators (e. g. ， 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) at a current location of a subscriber device (108) .

As illustrated in FIG. 3B， in block 346， in response to receiving the one or more cloud-based communication service request messages from the subscriber interface (206) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， the subscriber system (204) sends one or more service package queries to one or more mobile network operators， or one or more business and operation support systems therein， that provide communication services in their respective service areas covering the current position of the subscriber device (108) . In some embodiments， the one or more service package queries comprise a communication plan as described herein submitted by the user.

In block 348， the subscriber system (204) receives one or more service package responses from the business and operation support systems in the one or more mobile network operators that are sent in response to the one or more service package queries. The subscriber system (204) proceeds to determine/generate， based on information in the one or more service package responses as received by the mobile virtual network operator (102) ， one or more cloud-based communication service packages that can be offered in cooperation with one or more mobile network operators (e. g. ， 110-1 through 110-N， etc. ) that provide communication services at the current location of the subscriber device (108) . The cloud-based communication service packages can be sent to the subscriber device (108) as in FIG. 3A for the user to select and activate. In some embodiments， the one or more cloud-based communication service packages are selected based on criteria such as starting and ending times， all or specific websites (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to be accessed， all or specific numbers (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to dial， etc. ， as specified in the communication plan submitted by the user.

In some embodiments， instead of downloading a new subscriber identity and/or new subscriber credentials from a mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102， etc. ) on a subscriber device after the presence of the subscriber device is detected at a current location at which cloud-based communication services are to be received as illustrated in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B， a mobile virtual network operator (102) may be contacted before the subscriber device is actually present in the current location or a service area that includes the current location.

For example， instead of performing the interactions as described in blocks 302 through 316 of FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B， in block 350 as illustrated in FIG. 3C， a subscriber device (e. g. ， 108， etc. ) establishes a communication path to a mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102， etc. ) or a subscriber interface (e. g. ， 206， etc. ) therein， and sends a request for cloud-based communication services at a geographic location (e. g. ， a country， a city， a state， a province， a region， a national park， a tourist site， a convention center， etc. ) to the subscriber interface (206) in the mobile virtual network operator (102) . The communication path between the subscriber interface (206) and the subscriber device (108) can be established with one or more of wireless networks， wire-based networks， local area networks， wide area networks， the internet， intranets， telecommunication networks， etc. In some embodiments， the request from the subscriber device (108) to the mobile virtual network operator (102) includes a communication plan specifying (a) starting and ending times， (b) all or specific websites (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to be accessed， (c) all or specific numbers (e. g. ， located in a home country or region from which the visitor comes， etc. ) to dial， etc. ， while the subscriber device (108) is physically within the service area of the mobile network operator (110-2) . In some embodiments， the request from the subscriber device (108) to the mobile virtual network operator (102) does not include such a communication plan.

In some embodiments， interactions subsequent to block 350 in FIG. 3C may be performed substantially the same as， or similar to， the interactions subsequent to block 316 in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. More specifically， in blocks 318 through 330， the geographic location as specified by the user in FIG. 3C may be used in place of the current location that is used in the corresponding steps in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. Accordingly， the user can prepare the subscriber device (108) for cloud-based communication services and download/install a corresponding new subscriber identity and corresponding new subscriber credentials before the user arrives at the geographic location at which the cloud-based communication services are to be accessed.

In some embodiments， a mobile virtual network operator as described herein may acquire (e. g. ， stored in a cloud-based communication service information repository， etc. ) a plurality of combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials to be used in one or more service areas of one or more mobile network operators as described herein. In some embodiments， some or all of these combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials can be acquired before a request for cloud-based communication services at a location in any of these service areas is received. In some other embodiments， at least one combination of these combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials can be acquired subsequent (e. g. ， in response， etc. ) to receiving a request for cloud-based communication services at a location in a particular service area of these service areas that corresponds to the at least one combination.

In some embodiments， cloud-based communication services for a service area of these service areas are accessed with a combination of subscriber identity and subscriber credentials that is different from other combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials for accessing cloud-based communication services for any other service area of these service areas.

In some embodiments， cloud-based communication services for at least two service areas of these service areas are accessed with a same combination of a subscriber identity and subscriber credentials.

In some embodiments， a mobile virtual network operator as described herein may acquire (e. g. ， stored in a cloud-based communication service information repository， etc. ) a plurality of combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials to be used for one or more service packages supported by a mobile network operator as described herein. In some embodiments， some or all of these combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials can be acquired before a request for cloud-based communication services at a location in a service area of the mobile network operator is received. In some other embodiments， at least one combination of these combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials can be acquired subsequent (e. g. ， in response， etc. ) to receiving a request for cloud-based communication services at a location in a service area of the mobile network operator.

In some embodiments， cloud-based communication services for a service package of these service packages are accessed with a combination of subscriber identity and subscriber credentials that is different from other combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials for accessing any other service package of these service packages.

In some embodiments， cloud-based communication services for at least two service packages of these service packages are accessed with a same combination of a subscriber identity and subscriber credentials.

Additionally， optionally， or alternatively， a mobile virtual network operator can perform service upgrades or downgrades for a subscriber device at a geographic location. For example， after a subscriber device obtains cloud-based communication services at a geographic location from a service package， the subscriber may， at a later time， request a new (e. g. ， replacement， etc. ) service package from the mobile virtual network operator at the geographic location. In some embodiments， the same mobile network operator is the provider of both of the (replaced and new) service packages. In some embodiments， two different mobile network operators provide the two different service packages， respectively.

In some embodiments， a combination of a subscriber identity and subscriber credentials is home to， or registered as that of a subscriber of， a mobile virtual network operator， rather than is home to， or registered as that of a subscriber of， a mobile network operator (unless the mobile virtual network operator and the mobile network operator is one of the same) . The mobile virtual network operator can be involved in roaming-related mobile access procedures and may be configured to monitor the usages and locations of a subscriber device that uses cloud-based communication services with the combination of the subscriber identity and subscriber credentials.

Additionally， alternatively， or optionally， a mobile virtual network operator as described herein can be configured to receive billing data from a mobile network operator. In some embodiments， the mobile virtual network operator can use its own collected usage data of subscriber devices to audit the billing data received from the mobile network operator.

Additionally， alternatively， or optionally， a mobile virtual network operator as described herein can be configured to cause telephone calls， mobile messages (e. g. ， small message service or SMS messages， etc. ) ， etc. ， to be forwarded to a subscriber device after the subscriber device assumes a new subscriber identity. For example， if the subscriber device is home to， or registered with a home subscriber account， to a home mobile network operator， the mobile virtual network operator can cause configuration changes of the home subscriber account in the home mobile network operator to forward telephone calls， mobile messages (e. g. ， small message service or SMS messages， etc. ) ， etc. ， to be forwarded to the subscriber device after the subscriber device assumes a new subscriber identity.

Additionally， alternatively， or optionally， a mobile virtual network operator as described herein may provide a mobile application to a subscriber device to implement or automate user operations with a subscriber device. For example， the mobile application may be used by the subscriber device to access the mobile virtual network operator for the purpose of submitting a communication plan， upgrading service packages， configuring home mobile network operator to forward calls， messages， etc.

5.EXAMPLE PROCESS FLOWS

FIG. 4A illustrates an example process flow according to an example embodiment of the present invention. In some example embodiments， one or more computing devices or components may perform this process flow. In block 402， a mobile virtual network operator (e. g. ， 102 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) receives a request for communication services at a specific geographic location. The request may specify communication requirements for a specified time period while a subscriber device is to be physically present at or near the specific geographic location.

In block 404， in response to receiving the request， the mobile virtual network operator (102) sends a set of candidate service packages for the specific service area for a user of the subscriber device to select.

In block 406， the mobile virtual network operator (102) receives a selection of a specific service package in the set of candidate service packages to be used for the specific time period by the subscriber device while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area. The specific service package offers specific communication services from a mobile network operator in a specific service area that includes the specific geographic location.

In block 408， in response to receiving the selection of the specific service package， the mobile virtual network operator (102) provides specific subscriber credentials to the subscriber device for accessing the specific communication services offered by the mobile network operator for the specific time period while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area.

In an embodiment， the request is submitted by a computing device other than the subscriber device that is to be physically present within the specific service area.

In an embodiment， the one or more specific communication services comprise one or more of wireless local area network (WLAN) services， wireless data services， wireless voice services， long term evolution (LTE) services， 3G services， 4G services， 5G services， general packet radio services (GPRS) ， enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) services， media content downloading services， video conferencing services， voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services， virtual private network (VPN) services， Ethernet services， internet protocol (IP) based services， or small message services (SMS) .

In an embodiment， the specific service area represents one or more of： continents， countries， regions in a country， cities， local areas in a region， cities， rural areas， amusement parks， stadiums， tourist attractions， airplanes， airports， cruise ships， buses， trains， transportation centers， commercial venues， etc.

In an embodiment， the request is received from a computing device before the subscriber device is physically present within the specific service area.

In an embodiment， the request is received from the subscriber device while the subscriber device is already physically present within the specific service area.

In an embodiment， the specific subscriber credentials comprise one or more of user names， user identifiers， passcodes， passwords， pass phrases， authentication keys， authorization keys， international mobile subscriber identities (IMSIs) ， international mobile equipment identities (IMEIs) ， access point names， access network addresses， global titles， IP addresses， phone numbers， etc.

In an embodiment， the set of candidate service packages for the specific geographic location is identified from a service information repository maintained by the mobile virtual network operator， for example， based on criteria specified in a communication plan as described herein. The candidate service packages can be ordered or ranked based on one or more criteria such as prices， sizes of service areas， other ranking criteria， etc.

In an embodiment， the mobile virtual network operator (102) is further configured to perform： sending， in response to receiving the communication plan， one or more service package queries to one or more mobile network operators that provide communication services at the specific geographic location； receiving one or more service package responses from the one or more mobile network operators； identifying， based on the one or more service package responses， the set of candidate service packages at the specific geographic location； etc.

In an embodiment， the mobile virtual network operator (102) is further configured to perform： storing one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials for the set of candidate service packages offered by one or more mobile network operators before the request is received from the subscriber device， each combination of the one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials corresponding to a candidate service package in the set of candidate service packages.

In an embodiment， the mobile virtual network operator (102) is further configured to perform： acquiring one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials for the set of candidate service packages offered by one or more mobile network operators after the request is received from the subscriber device， each combination of the one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials corresponding to a candidate service package in the set of candidate service packages.

In an embodiment， the mobile virtual network operator (102) is further configured to perform： causing the subscriber device to perform one or more device configuration operations to access at least one specific communication service of the one or more specific communication services.

In an embodiment， the request includes a communication plan comprising any combination of： (a) starting and ending times， (b) specific websites to be accessed， (c) specific numbers to dial， at the specific service area， etc.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example process flow according to an example embodiment of the present invention. In some example embodiments， one or more computing devices or components may perform this process flow. In block 452， a subscriber device (e. g. ， 108 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2， etc. ) sends， to a mobile virtual network operator， a request for communication services for a specific geographic location. The request may specify communication requirements for a specified time period while a subscriber device is to be physically present at or near the specific geographic location.

In block 454， the subscriber device (108) receives a set of candidate service packages for the specific service area for a user of the subscriber device to select.

In block 456， the subscriber device (108) sends， to the mobile virtual network operator， a selection of a specific service package in the set of candidate service packages to be used for the specific time period by the subscriber device while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area. The specific service package offers specific communication services from a mobile network operator in a specific service area that includes the specific geographic location.

In block 458， the subscriber device (108) downloads specific subscriber credentials to the subscriber device for accessing the specific communication services offered by the mobile network operator for the specific time period while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area.

In an embodiment， the subscriber device (108) is further configured to perform： installing a combination of specific subscriber credentials and a subscriber identity in a subscriber identification module (SIM) on the subscriber device.

In an embodiment， the subscriber device (108) is further configured to perform： receiving an authentication challenge from the specific mobile network operator； generating an authentication response by the subscriber device based on the specific subscriber credentials without involving the mobile virtual network operator； etc.

In various example embodiments， a system， an apparatus， or one or more other computing devices performs any or a part of the foregoing methods as described.

In an embodiment， a non-transitory computer readable storage medium， storing software instructions， which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of any of the foregoing methods.

In an embodiment， a computing device comprising one or more processors and one or more storage media storing a set of instructions which， when executed by the one or more processors， cause performance of any of the foregoing methods. Note that， although separate embodiments are discussed herein， any combination of embodiments and/or partial embodiments discussed herein may be combined to form further embodiments.

6.IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS-HARDWARE OVERVIEW

According to one embodiment， the techniques described herein are implemented by one or more special-purpose computing devices. The special-purpose computing devices may be hard-wired to perform the techniques， or may include digital electronic devices such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed to perform the techniques， or may include one or more general purpose hardware processors programmed to perform the techniques pursuant to program instructions in firmware， memory， other storage， or a combination. Such special-purpose computing devices may also combine custom hard-wired logic， ASICs， or FPGAs with custom programming to accomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computing devices may be desktop computer systems， portable computer systems， handheld devices， networking devices or any other device that incorporates hard-wired and/or program logic to implement the techniques.

For example， FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 500 upon which an example embodiment of the invention may be implemented. Computer system 500 includes a bus 502 or other communication mechanism for communicating information， and a hardware processor 504 coupled with bus 502 for processing information. Hardware processor 504 may be， for example， a general purpose microprocessor.

Computer system 500 also includes a main memory 506， such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device， coupled to bus 502 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 504. Main memory 506 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 504. Such instructions， when stored in non-transitory storage media accessible to processor 504， render computer system 500 into a special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the instructions.

Computer system 500 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 508 or other static storage device coupled to bus 502 for storing static information and instructions for processor 504. A storage device 510， such as a magnetic disk or optical disk， is provided and coupled to bus 502 for storing information and instructions.

Computer system 500 may be coupled via bus 502 to a display 512， such as a liquid crystal display， for displaying information to a computer user. An input device 514， including alphanumeric and other keys， is coupled to bus 502 for communicating information and command selections to processor 504. Another type of user input device is cursor control 516， such as a mouse， a trackball， or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 504 and for controlling cursor movement on display 512. This input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes， a first axis (e. g. ， x) and a second axis (e. g. ， y) ， that allows the device to specify positions in a plane.

Computer system 500 may implement the techniques described herein using customized hard-wired logic， one or more ASICs or FPGAs， firmware and/or program logic which in combination with the computer system causes or programs computer system 500 to be a special-purpose machine. According to one embodiment， the techniques herein are performed by computer system 500 in response to processor 504 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 506. Such instructions may be read into main memory 506 from another storage medium， such as storage device 510. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 506 causes processor 504 to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments， hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

The term “ storage media ” as used herein refers to any non-transitory media that store data and/or instructions that cause a machine to operation in a specific fashion. Such storage media may comprise non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media includes， for example， optical or magnetic disks， such as storage device 510. Volatile media includes dynamic memory， such as main memory 506. Common forms of storage media include， for example， a floppy disk， a flexible disk， hard disk， solid state drive， magnetic tape， or any other magnetic data storage medium， a CD-ROM， any other optical data storage medium， any physical medium with patterns of holes， a RAM， a PROM， and EPROM， a FLASH-EPROM， NVRAM， any other memory chip or cartridge.

Storage media is distinct from but may be used in conjunction with transmission media. Transmission media participates in transferring information between storage media. For example， transmission media includes coaxial cables， copper wire and fiber optics， including the wires that comprise bus 502. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves， such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 504 for execution. For example， the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk or solid state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 500 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus 502. Bus 502 carries the data to main memory 506， from which processor 504 retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory 506 may optionally be stored on storage device 510 either before or after execution by processor 504.

Computer system 500 also includes a communication interface 518 coupled to bus 502. Communication interface 518 provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link 520 that is connected to a local network 522. For example， communication interface 518 may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card， cable modem， satellite modem， or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example， communication interface 518 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation， communication interface 518 sends and receives electrical， electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 520 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example， network link 520 may provide a connection through local network 522 to a host computer 524 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 526. ISP 526 in turn provides data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “ Internet ” 528. Local network 522 and Internet 528 both use electrical， electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 520 and through communication interface 518， which carry the digital data to and from computer system 500， are example forms of transmission media.

Computer system 500 can send messages and receive data， including program code， through the network (s) ， network link 520 and communication interface 518. In the Internet example， a server 530 might transmit a requested code for an application program through Internet 528， ISP 526， local network 522 and communication interface 518.

The received code may be executed by processor 504 as it is received， and/or stored in storage device 510， or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

7.EQUIVALENTS， EXTENSIONS， ALTERNATIVES AND MISCELLANEOUS

In the foregoing specification， example embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation te implementation. Thus， the sole and exclusive indicator of what is the invention， and is intended by the applicants to be the invention， is the set of claims that issue from this application， in the specific form in which such claims issue， including any subsequent correction. Any definitions expressly set forth herein for terms contained in such claims shall govern the meaning of such terms as used in the claims. Hence， no limitation， element， property， feature， advantage or attribute that is not expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim in any way. The specification and drawings are， accordingly， to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims

A method for providing cloud-based communication services in multiple geographic locations， comprising：

receiving a request for communication services at a specific geographic location， the request specifying communication requirements for a specified time period while a subscriber device is to be physically present at or near the specific geographic location；

in response to receiving the request， sending a description of a set of candidate service packages for the specific service area for a user of the subscriber device to select；

receiving a selection of a specific service package in the set of candidate service packages to be used for the specific time period by the subscriber device while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area， where the specific service package comprises specific communication services offered by a mobile network operator in a specific service area that includes the specific geographic location；

in response to receiving the selection of the specific service package， providing specific subscriber credentials to the subscriber device for accessing the specific communication services offered by the mobile network operator for the specific time period while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area；

wherein the method is performed one or more computing devices.
The method of Claim 1， wherein the request is submitted by a computing device other than the subscriber device that is to be physically present within the specific service area.
The method of Claim 1， wherein the one or more specific communication services comprise at least one of： wireless local area network (WLAN) services， wireless data services， wireless voice services， long term evolution (LTE) services， 3G services， 4G services， 5G services， general packet radio services (GPRS) ， enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) services， media content downloading services， video conferencing services， voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services， virtual private network (VPN) services， Ethernet services， internet protocol (IP) based services， or small message services (SMS) .
The method of Claim 1， wherein the specific service area represents one or more of： continents， countries， regions in a country， cities， local areas in a region， cities， rural areas， amusement parks， stadiums， tourist attractions， airplanes， airports， cruise ships， buses， trains， transportation centers， or commercial venues.
The method of Claim 1， wherein the request is received from a computing device before the subscriber device is physically present within the specific service area.
The method of Claim 1， wherein the request is received from the subscriber device while the subscriber device is already physically present within the specific service area.
The method of Claim 1， wherein the specific subscriber credentials comprise one or more of user names， user identifiers， passcodes， passwords， pass phrases， authentication keys， authorization keys， international mobile subscriber identities (IMSIs) ， international mobile equipment identities (IMEIs) ， access point names， access network addresses， global titles， IP addresses， or phone numbers.
The method of Claim 1， wherein the method is performed by a mobile virtual network operator.
The method of Claim 8， wherein the set of candidate service packages for the specific geographic location is identified from a service information repository maintained by the mobile virtual network operator.
The method of Claim 8， wherein sending a set of candidate service packages comprises： sending， in response to receiving the communication plan， one or more service package queries to one or more mobile network operators that provide communication services at the specific geographic location；

receiving one or more service package responses from the one or more mobile network operators；

identifying， based on the one or more service package responses， the set of candidate service packages at the specific geographic location.
The method of Claim 1， further comprising： storing one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials for the set of candidate service packages offered by one or more mobile network operators before the request is received from the subscriber device， each combination of the one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials corresponding to a candidate service package in the set of candidate service packages.
The method of Claim 1， further comprising： acquiring one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials for the set of candidate service packages offered by one or more mobile network operators after the request is received from the subscriber device， each combination of the one or more combinations of subscriber identities and subscriber credentials corresponding to a candidate service package in the set of candidate service packages.
The method of Claim 1， further comprising： causing the subscriber device to perform one or more device configuration operations to access at least one specific communication service of the one or more specific communication services.
The method of Claim 1， wherein the request includes a communication plan comprising (a) starting and ending times， (b) specific websites to be accessed， or (c) specific numbers to dial， at the specific service area.
A method for accessing cloud-based communication services in multiple geographic locations， comprising：

sending， to a mobile virtual network operator， a request for communication services for a specific geographic location， the request specifying communication requirements for a specified time period while a subscriber device is to be physically present at or near the specific geographic location；

receiving a description of a set of candidate service packages for the specific service area for a user of the subscriber device to select；

sending， to the mobile virtual network operator， a selection ora specific service package in the set of candidate service packages to be used for the specific time period by the subscriber device while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area， where the specific service package comprises specific communication services offered by a mobile network operator in a specific service area that includes the specific geographic location；

downloading specific subscriber credentials to the subscriber device for accessing the specific communication services offered by the mobile network operator for the specific time period while the subscriber device is to be physically within the specific service area；

wherein the method is performed one or more computing devices.
The method of Claim 15， wherein the method is performed by a subscriber device； further comprising： installing a combination of specific subscriber credentials and a subscriber identity in a subscriber identification module (SIM) on the subscriber device.
The method of Claim 15， further comprising：

receiving an authentication challenge from the specific mobile network operator；

generating an authentication response by the subscriber device based on the specific subscriber credentials without involving the mobile virtual network operator.
A system performing any of the methods as recited in Claims 1-17.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium， storing software instructions， which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of the method recited in any of Claims 1-17.
A computing device comprising one or more processors and one or more storage media， storing a set of instructions， which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of the method recited in any of Claims 1-17.