Operating method for a terminal in a radio communication system, a radio communication system, terminal and acknowledgement unit for said radio communication system

1 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . A method for operating a terminal device in a radio communication system, comprising:

authorizing operation of the terminal device in the radio communication system only upon confirmation that the terminal device will be checked for proper functional integrity during operation.

15 . The method according to claim 14 ,

wherein said authorizing operation of the terminal device in the communication system includes sending a confirmation signal to the terminal device, and

wherein said method further comprises responding to receipt of the confirmation signal by the terminal device being checked during operation.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:

sending a request signal from the terminal device to a confirmation unit prior to said authorizing operation of the terminal device in the communication system, and

initiating checking of the terminal device by the confirmation unit in response to the request signal, and

wherein said sending of the confirmation signal to the terminal device is performed by the confirmation unit after said checking.

17 . The method according to claim 16 ,

further comprising previously storing an address of the confirmation unit in the terminal device and in a large number of terminal devices at least in the communication system, and

wherein said sending the request signal to the confirmation unit includes the terminal device using the address of the confirmation unit stored previously in the terminal device.

18 . The method according to claim 17 ,

further comprising registering the terminal device with the communication network, and

wherein said sending of the request signal by the terminal device only occurs after a predefined period of time has elapsed following said registering and the terminal device has not automatically received the confirmation signal.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein a plurality of devices are capable of performing said checking of the terminal device for proper functional integrity during operation, and

wherein said method further comprises determining, prior to said checking, which of the devices is performing said checking of the terminal device.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , wherein said determining of which device is performing said checking includes locating one of the devices in closest possible proximity to the terminal device.

21 . The method according to claim 20 , wherein the terminal device performs said checking, and

wherein said method further comprises delivering software needed for performing said checking to the terminal device via a wireless interface.

22 . The method according to claim 21 , wherein said checking of the terminal device, includes checking signals to be transferred by the terminal device for compliance with at least one quality criterion having value dependent on where the terminal device is situated within the radio communication system.

23 . The method according to claim 22 , further comprising refusing operation of the terminal device in the communication system after said authorizing of the terminal device for operation only if said checking of the terminal device has yielded one of a predetermined number of errors and an error exceeding a threshold value.

24 . A radio communication system, comprising:

a confirmation unit, including

a signal generation device generating a confirmation signal; and

a transmit device sending the confirmation signal; and

a terminal device, including

a receive device receiving the confirmation signal indicating that said terminal device will be checked for proper functional integrity during operation; and

a deactivation unit only permitting further operation of said terminal device if said receive device has received the confirmation signal.

25 . A terminal device for a radio communication system having a confirmation unit, comprising:

a receive device receiving a confirmation signal from the confirmation unit of the communication system, indicating that that said terminal device will be checked for proper functional integrity during operation in the communication system; and

a deactivation device only permitting further operation of said terminal device if said receive device has received the confirmation signal.

26 . A confirmation unit for a radio communication system having at least one terminal device, comprising:

a device generating a confirmation signal, from which it can be inferred that the at least one terminal device will be checked for proper functional integrity during operation in the communication system; and

a transmit device sending the confirmation signal to the terminal device.