ROAMING DETECTION

1 . A method comprising

detecting a roaming status of a mobile communication device communicating with a server as a function of the corresponding IP address of said mobile communications device as presented to said server.

2 . The method according to claim 1 and wherein said IP address is an external IP address.

3 . The method according to claim 1 and also comprising:

registering a home network with said device.

4 . The method according to claim 3 and wherein said registering comprises:

receiving an initial IP address from said device; and

looking up in an IP lookup table a mobile network operator associated with said initial IP address; and

associating a home network with said device in accordance with said looked up mobile network operator.

5 . The method according to claim 3 and wherein said registering comprises:

receiving a phone number from said device;

forwarding said phone number to a phone number lookup service;

receiving from said service an indication of a mobile network operator associated with said phone number; and

associating a home network with said device in accordance with said indication.

6 . The method according to claim 3 and also comprising:

looking up in a IP lookup table a subsequent IP address received from said device; and

determining that said device is roaming if said subsequent IP address is not associated in said lookup table with said home network.

7 . The method according to claim 1 and also comprising notifying said device that said device is roaming.

8 . The method according to claim 1 and also comprising prompting a user of said device to authorize continuing communication with said device.

9 . The method according to claim 6 and also comprising:

receiving a response to said prompting; and

stopping communications with said device if so indicated by said response.