Method and apparatus for associating service provider network identifiers with access network identifiers

• Main Authors: Foti George, Hedman Peter, Sanchez Herrero Juan Antonio
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.09.2016
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHICCOMMUNICATION; WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

The teachings herein disclose methods and apparatuses for automatically binding external identifiers to service provider network identifiers. The external identifiers are allocated by an access network for use by a service provider network in identifying given wireless devices to the access network, where the service provider network is external to the access network. The service provider network identifiers are used to identify those same wireless devices within the service provider network, with respect to one or more services. The binding thus enables the service provider network to trigger communications with a targeted wireless device via the access network, by using the external identifier that is bound to the service provider network identifier of the targeted device, and sending trigger signaling to the access network that identifies the targeted wireless device via the external identifier.