'Visitor Location Register (VLR)' is a database - part of the
GSM mobile phone system - which stores information about all the mobiles that are currently under the jurisdiction of the MSC (
Mobile Switching Center) which it serves. Of all the information it stores about each MS (
Mobile Station), the most important is the current LAI (
Location Area Identity). LAI identifies under which BSC (
Base Station Controller) the MS is currently present. This information is vital in the call setup process.
Whenever an MSC detects a new MS in its network, in addition to creating a new record in the VLR, it also updates the HLR of the mobile subscriber, apprising it of the new location of that MS.
See also
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Global System for Mobile Communications
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GSM services