Single operator, single SIM, single billing entity supporting simultaneous use of multi-radio device and/or phone
A mobile wireless communication device may communicate information to a first network device for enabling authentication, authorization and/or management of accounting for the mobile wireless communication device for use within a first network. A SIM may enable a communication session with a second network based on data sent to the second network related to the authentication, authorization and/or accounting management for use in the first network. The mobile wireless communication device may be handed-off to the second network and/or may establish simultaneous communication sessions with the first network and the second network without communicating authentication, authorization and/or accounting information to the second network. The first and/or second network and/or another network device may comprise and/or share a session control server. The mobile wireless communication device may receive, store and/or modify additional information associated with the authentication, authorization and/or accounting management from the second network device.
1. A communication device operable to communicate with a first communication network managed by a first service provider, a second communication network managed by a second service provider, and a security architecture within the first communication network, the first communication network including a first access point device that utilizes a first wireless communication standard, the second communication network including a second access point device that utilizes a second wireless communication standard, the communication device comprising:
a user device having a secure identification processing system,
the user device operable to gain authorized access to the first communication network by a first security challenge request received from the security architecture within the first communication network, where the secure identification processing system generates a first security response to the first security challenge request; and
the user device operable to gain authorized access to the second communication network using, when access to the first communication network is available, a first authentication approach, and using, when access to the first communication network is not available, a second authentication approach, the first authentication approach comprising an exchange of a security voucher between the first communication network and the second communication network, the second authentication approach comprising a second security challenge request received from the second communication network, where the secure identification processing system generates a second security response to the second security challenge request.
2. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the user device is operable, when using the first authentication approach, to gain authorized access to the second communication network without using the second authentication approach.
3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the user device is operable, when using the first authentication approach, to gain authorized access to the second communication network without the second security response.
4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the user device is operable to gain authorized access to the second communication network in response to the exchange of the security voucher between the first communication network and the second communication network is performed by a session control server.
5. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein said first communication network and said second communication network share a session control server, wherein the session control server is operable to perform the exchange of the security voucher between the first communication network and the second communication network.
6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the user device is operable to establish simultaneous communication sessions with the first access point and the second access point.
7. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the user device is operable to receive from the second communication network additional information associated with the security voucher.
8. The communication device of claim 7 , wherein the user device is operable to store the additional information associated with the security voucher.
9. The communication device of claim 7 , wherein the user device is operable to modify the additional information associated with the security voucher.
10. A communication method for authenticating a user device in a first communication network managed by a first service provider, a second communication network managed by a second service provider, the first communication network including a first access point device that utilizes a first wireless communication standard, the second communication network including a second access point device that utilizes a second wireless communication standard, the communication method comprising:
at the user device, receiving from the first communication network a first security challenge request of the first communication network;
determining by a secure identification processing system of the user device a first challenge response to the first security challenge request of the first communication network;
responding to the first security challenge request of the first communication network with the first challenge response;
gaining authorized access to the first communication network based on the first challenge response; and
gaining authorized access to the second communication network based on an exchange of a security voucher between the first communication network and the second communication network, wherein the security voucher is not transferred from the user device.
11. The communication device of claim 10 , wherein the user device is operable to communicate data associated with the security voucher to the first communication network via an extension of the first communication network that comprises a portion of the second communication network.
12. The communication method of claim 11 , wherein the secure identification processing system of the user device comprises a subscriber security module (SIM).
13. The communication method of claim 11 , wherein the first challenge response comprises authentication, authorization, and/or accounting information for the first communication network.
14. The communication method of claim 11 , wherein the exchange of the security voucher between the first communication network and the second communication network is performed by a session control server.
15. The communication method of claim 11 , wherein the first communication network and the second communication network share a session control server, wherein the session control server is operable to perform the exchange of the security voucher between the first communication network and the second communication network.
16. The communication method of claim 11 , further comprising establishing by the user device simultaneous communication sessions between the user device and the first access point device and between the user device and the second access point device.
17. The communication method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving by the user device additional information associated with the security voucher from the second communication network.
18. The communication method of claim 17 , further comprising storing by the user device the additional information associated with the security voucher from the second communication network.
19. The communication method of claim 17 , further comprising modifying by the user device the additional information associated with the security voucher from the second communication network.
20. The communication method of claim 11 , wherein the second communication standard comprises WIMAX.