Steering of roaming based on device type in wireless networks

Abstract

Steering logic from a home network may allow a subscriber to roam toward a preferred foreign network while the subscriber is roaming from the home network to the foreign network. The steering logic may be built around the capability of the device or its information in various registers or other information that indicates which networks are preferred for the device. This logic may be part of a roaming agreement that is negotiated between mobile network operators (MNOs); e.g., home MNOs and foreign MNOs. In this manner, internet-of-things (IoT) devices may be steered to a specific network or first foreign network provider, voice-over-long-term-evolution (VoLTE) devices may be steered to a second foreign network partner, and non-VoLTE devices may be steered to a third foreign network partner. In this way, a network operator may preserve their network bandwidth for devices that require or may use particular network technologies while others do not.