Method and apparatus to facilitate mobile station communications using internet protocol-based communications

1. A method for use with a communication network having a plurality of geographically differentiated wireless access points and which communication network supports handovers of mobile stations from one wireless access point to another wireless access point during both idle and connected modes of operation in order to support mobile station mobility, wherein the mobile stations use an end-to-end protocol for communicating directly with a counterpart network element that is hierarchically differentiated from the wireless access point, the method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points, a communication from a mobile station of the plurality of mobile stations, which communication uses the end-to-end protocol;

converting, by the wireless access point, the communication from the end-to-end protocol to an Internet Protocol-based communication, wherein the Internet Protocol-based communication is set up by use of a surrogate Internet Address that corresponds to the mobile station, wherein the mobile station does not support Internet Protocol-based communication, to provide a converted communication, wherein the end-to-end protocol used by the communication comprises at least one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC)-compatible protocol and a Network Access Server (NAS)-compatible protocol;

routing the converted communication to a network element;

receiving, at the wireless access point, a communication directed to the mobile station from the network element using an Internet Protocol;

converting, at the wireless access point, the communication directed to the mobile station from an Internet Protocol-based communication to an end-to-end protocol-based communication that is directed to the mobile station; and

wirelessly conveying the converted end-to-end protocol-based communication that is directed to the mobile station to the mobile station.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the converted communication to a hierarchically differentiated network element using an Internet Protocol.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

effecting at least one of location updating as corresponds to at least one of the mobile stations and mobile station paging via a peer-to-peer communication between at least two the wireless access points.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

effecting a handover of a given one of the mobile stations from a first one of the wireless access points to a second one of the wireless access points via a peer-to-peer communication between at least two the wireless access points.

5. A wireless access point for use with a communication network having a plurality of geographically differentiated wireless access points and which communication network supports handovers of mobile stations from one wireless access point to another wireless access point during both idle and connected modes of operation in order to support mobile station mobility, wherein the mobile stations use an end-to-end protocol for communicating directly with a counterpart network element that is hierarchically differentiated from the wireless access point, the wireless access point comprising:

a wireless mobile station interface that is compatible with the end-to-end protocol;

a network interface operably coupled to the wireless mobile station interface and having an Internet Protocol-compatible output operably coupled to the communication network; and

an agent operably coupled between the wireless mobile station interface and the network interface, wherein the agent is configured to convert a communication received from a wireless mobile station, via the wireless mobile station interface, from an end-to-end protocol communication to an Internet Protocol-based communication, wherein the Internet Protocol-based communication is set up by use of a surrogate Internet Address that corresponds to the wireless mobile station, wherein the wireless mobile station does not support Internet Protocol-based communication, and wherein the end-to-end protocol used by the communication comprises at least one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC)-compatible protocol and a Network Access Server (NAS)-compatible protocol and route the Internet Protocol-based communication to the network interface, and convert a communication, received via the network interface, from an Internet Protocol-based communication to an end-to-end protocol communication and route the end-to-end protocol communication to the wireless mobile station interface for wireless conveyance to the wireless mobile station.

6. The wireless access point of claim 5 wherein the agent comprises a mobility agent having at least one of:

network-side data-rerouting programming;

wireless access point peer-to-peer mobility support programming.

7. The wireless access point of claim 5 wherein the agent comprises a voice call agent having at least one of:

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) voice call setup programming;

SIP-to-over-the-air conversion of voice call control messages programming;

Voice over Internet Protocol voice frame packing programming;

Voice over Internet Protocol voice frame unpacking programming.

8. The wireless access point of claim 5 wherein the agent comprises mobility management means for facilitating at least one of mobile station location updating and mobile station paging via peer-to-peer interaction with another of the wireless access points of the communication network.

9. The wireless access point of claim 5 wherein the agent comprises handover means for facilitating at least one of:

a handover of a mobile station to another of the wireless access points of the communication network;

a location update;

paging;

via peer-to-peer interaction with another of the wireless access points of the communication network.

10. The wireless access point of claim 5 wherein the agent comprises voice call agent means for interfacing with another network element using Session Initiation Protocol to facilitate a voice call for a mobile station.

11. A wireless access point for use with a communication network having a plurality of geographically differentiated wireless access points and which communication network supports handovers of mobile stations from one wireless access point to another wireless access point during both idle and connected modes of operation in order to support mobile station mobility, wherein the mobile stations use an end-to-end protocol for communicating directly with a counterpart network element that is hierarchically differentiated from the wireless access point, the wireless access point comprising:

means for receiving a communication from one of the mobile stations, which communication uses the end-to-end protocol;

means for converting the communication from the end-to-end protocol to an Internet Protocol-based communication, wherein the Internet Protocol-based communication is set up by use of a surrogate Internet Address that corresponds to one of the mobile stations, wherein the one of the mobile station does not support Internet protocol-based communication, to provide a converted communication, wherein the end-to-end protocol used by the communication comprises at least one of a Radio Resource Control (RRC)-compatible protocol and a Network Access Server (NAS)-compatible protocol;

means for routing the Internet Protocol-based communication to a network element;

means for converting a communication, received from a network element and intended for the one of the mobile stations, from an Internet Protocol-based communication to an end-to-end protocol communication; and

means for wirelessly conveying the end-to-end protocol communication to the one of the mobile stations.

12. The wireless access point of claim 11 further comprising:

means for transmitting the converted communication to a hierarchically differentiated network element using an Internet Protocol.

13. The wireless access point of claim 11 further comprising:

means for receiving a communication directed to a mobile station from a network element using an Internet Protocol;

means for converting the communication directed to the mobile station from an Internet Protocol-based communication to an end-to-end protocol-based communication that is directed to the mobile station.

14. The wireless access point of claim 11 further comprising:

means for effecting at least one of:

a handover and change of location management to a second one of the wireless access points;

a location update; and

paging;

via a peer-to-peer communication with the second one of the wireless access points.