Interactions between a Mobile Virtual Network Operator and External Networks with Regard to Service Triggering

Traditional mobile operators invested huge amounts of money in the 1990s to build the current 2G wireless networks, like GSM networks in Europe. Those networks have proven to be stable. In most cases, their capacity has not yet been exhausted. Furthermore, the marketing departments of mobile operators now consider the commercial possibility of selling mobile subscriptions through new channels, like supermarkets. The concept of mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) arose. Some of them are just new brands and do not own any telecommunications equipment. Other companies do own part of the network: these are the mobile virtual network enablers (MVNE). They provide part of the network infrastructure, while the MVNO serve end- customers. When it comes to service triggering, the interaction between the MVNE and the traditional mobile operator, called in this present study the host network, and with visited networks becomes a critical issue, which we shall consider in this paper based on an actual implementation example.