An integrated strategy for reducing location management cost

In this letter, an integrated location information management strategy is proposed for mobile networks, where local anchor and replica are deployed to efficiently manage the location information of a mobile terminal (MT) based on its call and mobility characteristics. As an MT´s user is roaming within the local signal transfer point (LSTP) region serving the user´s home or workplace, the MT´s location change is reported to a local anchor (LA)-the visitor location register (VLR) associated with the user´s home or workplace. Meanwhile, the LA´s location is replicated at several switches (called the replicas) originating relatively high call rates to the MT. As a result, the MT´s home location register (HLR) needs to be accessed only when the MT changes its LSTP region or an incoming call for the MT is generated by a nonreplica originating switch. This is shown to reduce location tracking costs.