 FUNCTIONING OF HLR(HOME LOCATION

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
It is a centralized network database that stores and manages all mobile
subscriptions belonging to a specific operator. It acts as a permanent store
for a person’s subscription information until that subscription is cancelled.
The information stored includes:
1. Subscriber identity (i.e. IMSI, MSISDN)
2. Subscriber supplementary services
3. Subscriber location information (i.e. MSC service area)
4. Subscriber authentication information

Functions performed by HLR are:

 Communication with MSCs: When setting up calls to an MS, it is

necessary for the HLR to contact the MSC serving the MS for routing
information.
 Communication with GMSCs: During call set-up to an MS, the GMSC
requests MS location information from the HLR, which then provides
this in the form of routing information. Also, if the subscriber is detached
the HLR will inform the GMSC that there is no need to perform further
routing of the call. By analysing the IMSI, a GMSC knows which HLR
to contact worldwide for that MS’s subscription
 Communication with AUCs: Before any activity involving change or
use of subscription information takes place, the HLR must retrieve new
authentication parameters from an AUC.
 Communication with VLRs/ILRs: When an MS moves into a new
MSC service area the VLR for that area requests information about the
MS from the HLR of the subscriber. The HLR provides a copy of the
subscription details, updates its MS location information and instructs the
old VLR to delete the information it has about that MS. As the ILR acts
as a VLR for AMPS subscribers, the HLR communicates with it in a
similar way
 Subscription data base management
As a database the HLR must be able to process data quickly in
response to data retrieval and update requests from other network
nodes. For this reason it acts as a database management system. Each
subscriber record contains a substantial amount of parameters.