Deployment of mobile agents in the mobile telephone network management

Mobile agents are autonomous, asynchronous and, optionally, intelligent software entities which can migrate to and reside in a number of network nodes. In our proposal mobile agents are used for collecting subscriber information on the terminal side in mobile communication networks. Mobile agents are sent out by the network part for collecting information, such as location area identifier and cell identifier, from the area the subscriber is passing by (e.g. base station). By using a subscriber profile containing these data the number of signaling messages caused by location update could be reduced. Also, by analyzing these data the network provider would be able to discover areas without proper radio signal coverage. For future generations of mobile networks, such as the European Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), the proposed use of mobile agents could be enhanced by the possibility of using mobile stations as relay stations.